The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-09-15
TWELVE LIVES LOST IN AN
ACCIDENT ON THE ELEVATED
Cornelius Mccarthy, laborer.
William Lees. an electrician.
IaSenh Rach q nn1icnTnan-

Proof Tenement House association.
Emma Conhoven. died in Roosevelt
hospital.
Albert Webster, clerk. died in Roos-
| evelt hospital.
louisa Bell, clerk, was married
and had two children.
OF the dead the most frightfully mu-
tilated was James Cooper, whose head
was completely severed from his body.
THE SERIOUSLY INJURED.
The seriously injured are:
Henry Aitkens, policeman, fracture
| of ribs and dislocated leg.
William Butler, fractured arm and
lacerated head.
Martin Fitzgerald, internal injuries.
James Greer, leg crushed.
Patrick J. Gillian, left side crushed.
Joan Gensel, arm fractured.
Briggett Mcmahon, Internal injuries
to head.
John T. McKina, left shoulder dislo-
Gated and leg crushed.
William T. Niebuhr, skull fractured.
Henrietta OsIertein, arm fractured.
Seymour Rowe, skull fractured.
Thomas Swan, arm fractured.
Fred Wister, both arms fractured.
Unidetiied man, fractured skull, un~
conscious at Roosevelt hospital.
SNATCH THIEVES AT WORK
Before the great crowds collected by
| the news of the wreck could be carried
away, the police were compelled to use
| their heavy night sticks on a lumber
| of men who were attempting to snatch
jewelry or other valuables from the
| victims. The officers had not time to
| al o1pncfc containing themselves
with clubbing the miscreants as heav-
| lily as they could.
Coroner SchOler ordered the arrest
| of all those Immediately concerned.
Search was at once made for the mo-
torman, Paul Kelly, who secured a po-
sition on the elevated line six months
ago. He came here from st. Louis.
| Kelly could not be found and at a late
| hour tonight was still missing, al
| though it was said he had spent the
/ afternoon at the house of q friend.
The switchman in the tower at
| Ninth avenue and 23rd street, Corne-
| Illus A. Jackson was first arrested.
Then Conductor J.. W. Johnson and
Guards Timothy HigginsOn, !. Nc
Davitt, w. L. Berry and 3. Clark were
taken into custody. At a preliminary
l1CdlIhS III
Wtived examination.
VERSIONS OF THE CAUSE OF
THE WRECK.
Two versions of the cause of the
wreck were told to the coroner. One
of these was that the switchman had
set the tracks for Sixth avenue, and
when he saw his mistake had attempt
ed to rectify it while the train was on
the curve, the change throwing the
I second, third and fourth cars off the
track.
| The switchman, however, declares
| the wrecked train had Sixth avenue
| signals set, and he expected it to slow
| down to take the curve. Instead it
| maintainedthe speed usual with Ninth
| avenue trains on the direct line.
The curve at Fifty-third street is a
| sharp one and is practically ~unbanked.
| according to statements made today.
| It is intended to be taken slowly and
is not constructed for a higher rate Of
speed than six miles an hour.
THE CONDUCTORS STATEMENT.
Conductor Johnson this afternoon
| made q detailed statement to Police In
spectOr Flood. He said:
l. was O1I IlC hISL pidlIOIIA vi JIG
| second car. We had just left Fifty
| ninth street and We're going at a fair
| rate of speed, as it is a long run to
! Fiftieth street. The car was pretty
! we'll crowded. There were a number
of men on the platform and in the aisle
of the second car. There were a num-
Der of shop-girls, who were laughing
and joking.
when we reached the curve the
first car went on, and the second and
third cars went together like a jack
knife, sticking right III in the air and
| practically closing against each other.
| In consequence from where | was on
the front platform Of the second car at
the start I was dropped to the rear
platform of the first drop. The the
second car dropped to the street. [
| held on to the iron rail like death, and
was straight up in the air. [ saw girls
| and women climbing over the seats of
the car that they might escape.
Being an old r%ailroader, [ pulled
! out my watch and looked at it. 1t was
exactly 7:O6 a. N. The signals were
| set wrong. That was the trouble.
They were set green and yellow, which
is for a Sixth avenue train"
bdIl WAS accepIeu IOI all VI TIC III
| road men under arrest late tonight.
! THE SWITCHMAN'S STATEMENT.
Statements tending to fix the blame
for the accident were made by officials
of the company after several hours
investigation. E, P. Bryan, vice pres
ident of the railroad company, speak
ing for the switchman who set The
switch so that the train turned off en-
the Sixth avenue track at nearly a
right angle to its natural course, made
the following statement in Jacksonss
name:
"The Ninth avenue train, which met
with the accident displayed Sixth ave
nue. signals. On the assumption that
the signals were correct, [ gave the
train the Sixth avenue track"
General Manager Hadley. of the In
ter-Borough Rapid Transit Company.
said that after the wreck the switch