Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-12
Bodie, Of Many o. the v o.
Horribly Asnglsd.
CHARGE swITcHWAS WITH MAN' !
He Insists that BE Set Switches ed
by Signals,
WRECKED CAR LANDS UPS DOWN j.
While STRUGGLING Victims - At
tempting TO Leave Heavy Truck
from Another Car Drops
Among Them.

NEW YORK. Sept 1.-THE death list of
today's accident on the Ninth avenue ele-
waited railroad, when car crowded with
early morning workers on their way down
town, pitched headlong into the street,
stands at twelve. Three men are in hos
pitfalls with fractured skulls one Of these.
who yet remains unidentified at Roose-
welt hospital. is unconscious and not ex-
peCted TO live. More than two score Of
persons we're injured many Of them seri-
ousy.
The cause Of the accident and the i'm
mediate responsibility remain to be seen.
The motorman of the wrecked train is
fugitive, while a switchman, conductor and
four guards are under arrest. The switch
man is charged with manslaughter and
the trainmen are held as witnesses. To-
night Coroner Scholer, who has under
taken the work Of fixing the blame for the
wreck. announced that the switchmans
bond had been placed at 5000 and those
CT the witnesses at 800 each.
The accident, which Is the worst in the
history OF the overhead railroads in New
York, came when a southbound train on
the Ninth avenue line was switched off
TO the Sixth avenue line at the Fifty-third
street junction. The motorman, expecting
a clear track on the direct line of the Ninth
avenue, or dsregardlng the warning sig
nal that the switch was open, rushed his
rain along at a high rate Of speed. The
irst car swung around the right angle
urve. holding to the rails because of the
5eight of the train behind Then the strain
ecame too great The couplings broke,
he second car was whirled about al
nost end for end, and to the horror of
hose who looked on from below, pitched
nto the street.
The first indication people on the side
walk had Of the accident was a loud rum
bling along the overhead structure. Look
ng up they saw a shower of sparks, then
followed splinters and the sound of split
ting timbers. Suddenly the outer guard
rail OF the railroad structure gave way.
score of bodies we're hurled through space
and with a deafening crash the car fell
% the street. For an instant 1t stood fairly
on end Then the sides gave way II
hey were made Of pasteboard, belching
sut a mass of humanity.
Truck Drops Into Struggling Mass.
Those passengers who had not jumped
rom platforms and windows before the
plunge came were thrown into a mass in
he forward end OF the car. AS the injured
non and women were struggling to free
themselves the heavy front trucks Of the
hird car on the train fell almost in their
midst as the car itself jumped partly of
he elevated structure and was wedged
.gainst a building at the southeast corner
4 Ninth avenue and Fifty-third street.
Huge crowds were soon on the scene and
he first work Of the hastily summoned
,olice reserves was directed to clearing
way for the effective rescue OF the pas
engers pinned down by the wreckage
Almost every ambulance in Manhattan was
I'D,
turried away with all speed.
Three alarms OF fire brought many en-
zines to the scene. A slight fire caused
~ burning insulation was quickly extin-
9uished and firemen set to work chopping
ut the dead and injured. The task was
,ot an easy one, for the heavy car in
alling had almost completely buried pedes-
rains In its wreckage. At least one was
;nled outright in this way. while Police
nan Henry Aitkens, who was standing
'irectly under the elevated structure. is
mong those most seriously injured.
Eight persons We're dead when taken out
the wreck and four died later at hos
itals.
List of Dead and Injured.
Corrected list of the dead:
JACOB NJ ANSPACH. a merchant and
1enlher Of the Newark, y. j., board Of
ERNEST p. sCHEIRLE. an electrician.
THEODORE NORRIS colored
JOHN Co1HRANE.
,soLoM1AN ,NEuGAss employed by the
Mutual Chemical company.
GoRNELlU,S- MCCARTHY, laborer.
JOSEPH COOPER. employed by Fire
,root Tenement House association.
g9SEPt Bash; a policeman;
,AtBERT. Webster, clerk died in
fOCIs EBFRiE clerk was married ana
lad two children
or the dead the most frightfulIy mutt
ated was James Cooper, whose head was
completely severed from his body
The seriously injured are:
Henry Aitkens. policeman. fracture OF
ihs and disloCated leg
william Butler. fractured arm and lace
James Greer. leg crushed.
Martin Ei'EgsIs,T,s,d gI,,s Internally injured
Bridget Mcmahon, internal injuries and
INJURIES 10 head.
John T. .McKenpa. left shoulder dislo-
,sted and les crushed.
William 7. Niehuhr skull fractured.
Henrietta Osterlin, arm fractured
Seymour Rowe skull fractured
Thomas Swan. arm fractured
Fred Wister, both arms fractured
Unidentified man, fractured skull uncon-
scious al Roosevelt hospital will recover
Before the great crowds collected by the
news Of the wreck could be cleared away.
thc polce were competed 10 use their
heavy night sticks on a number OF men
who were attempting 20 snatch ieweIry or
other valuahles from the victims. The on
,ers had no time 20 make arrests, content
ng themselves with drubhing the mis-
creants as heavily as they could
TFRiRmeR Are Arrested.
Coroner Scholer ordered the arrest Of all
those Immediately concerned. Search was
tt once made for the motorman, Paul Kelly,
who secured a position on the elevated
lines six months ago lie came here from
81. Louis Kelly could not he found and al
a late hour tonight was still missing. al
though IL was said he had spent the after
noon az the house OF a friend
The switchman In the tower al Ninth
avenue and Fifty-third street, Cornelius A
Jackson. was frst arrested. Then Conduc-
tor J. w. Johnson and Guards Higginson,
J. McDavitt W. l.. Berry and r. Clark