Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1905-09-16
TWELVE DEAD, 40 INJURED.
CROWDED CAR PLUNGEs INTO
NEW YORK STREET.
Eight others so Badly Hurt That They
Are Likely TO Die-TraiD Was
DeraIIed while Running

NEW YORK, Sept. 12.-Twelve pas
sengers were killed, eight MORALLY
hurt and more than forty injured yes
terday In the worst wreck In the his
tory Of the elevated railroad in this
city. The scene Of the disaster was
the curve at The Junction Of the Ninth
and Sixth avenue lines at Ninth ave-
nue. and fifiythird street
One explanation given is that the
towerman had the switch set wrong
and that seeing his mistake when the
first ear Of tbe train and the first truck
of the second ear had taken the curve
swung IL back SO that the other trucks
continued down the Ninth avenue
track until they were jersed on to the
ties
Trainmen said. however, that 1t
would be physical impossiblity for
the switchman to have changed the
switch once the first car had struck
the curve.
The train was running nearly fifteen
miles an hour and the momentum flung
the second ear in a somersaut off the
structure to the street, where it rested
eSd up. The third car balanced on the
edge, it's end reaching to the wall of
the house on the southwest corner
Those in the first car were hurled
into a struggling heap in the end. Sew
eral were flung by the fall into the
street and the heavy car came on top
of them.
The bodies of the dead were fright
fully mutilated. Fire alarms were sent
in, and the reserves of all the nearby
police stations were turned out to han
die the great crowd which gathered.
Ambulances were called from every
hospital in the city. The dead were
taken to the West Forty-seventh street
station. Four hours after the disaster
service was resumed on both lines.
The accident was caused by careless
ness or incompetency. The switchman
In the tower at the turn started to
switch the Ninth avenue train to the
Sixth avenue track. Had he, realizing
his mistake, made no effort to remedy
it no great damage would have been
done except to his reputation as care
full employee But as soon as he saw
what he had done he swung the switch
quickly, and in a second the crash had
come.
The first car of the train had passed
over the Sixth avenue track and the
motorman was slowing down, know
ing that an error had been made, when
the towerman threw the switch back.
The first truck of the second car started
around the curve. but the second truck
continued in a straight line on to the
Ninth avenue track until the coupling
broke and the wheel fanges giving
way under the strain left the track.
The scene following the wreck was
the most horrible that has come TO
New York since the Slocum disaster,
The passengers in the crowded car
were. flung into a smothering, scream
ing heap, where they We're crushed by
falling timbers and iron. Iron coming
into contact with the third rail set off a
series of detonations and spread white
and blue sheets of fame across the
structure.
The officers of the elevated railroad
system were busy trying to fix the
blame for the disaster. The police and
coroner were energetic too, and four
arrests were made. The search was
still being kept up for Paul Kelly, the
motorman of the train, who disappear
ed after the accident. The men placed
under arrest were Cornelius \. Jack
SON the swtchman at the curve, First
Guard Timothy Hickman of 225 West
one Hundred and Forty eighth street:
Second Guard Bernard Clare and
| Third Guard Walter Berry.
When Jackson was taken to the West
Forty-seventh street station he said to
Detective Glennon Yes, / turned that
switch. My duty ended there. When
the first car went the right way that
ended my duty. If the whole structure
went down and thousand were killed
| | would not be responsible
Superintendent Hedley admitted that
so far as could be judged from facts
known he would look largely to the
motorman to explain the cause of the
| accident.
1T would not be fair to either tower
| man or motorman,' said Mr., Hedley,
ito fix the responsibility yet"
| Switchman Jackson told Captain Gal
lagher Of the West Forty seventh
! street station the following story:
u saw nothing but Sixth avenue sig
nails displayed on the train. Not only
were the lights on top Of the motor cal
set for Sixth avenue, but the sigr
which hangs on the platform railing
was "A Sixth avenue sign. | set the
switch for sixth avenue. and that was
all was supposed to do. 1t isn't my
business to attend to the signals on the
train. If they are set wrong it isn't VI
to me: it's UP to somebody else
Killed saving Another.