The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1905-09-13
CAR DROPPED TOSTREET
From the Ninth Avenue Ele
waited Railroad.
Twelve People kiIled-over 40 Peopl
Injured, Many of Them Seriously
Heavy Trucks Of Another Car Eel
on Struggling Mass Of Humanity
Two Pedestrians Killed.

Two Pedestrians Killed.
New York, Sept. 1.-THE death list
Of yesterdays frightful accident on the
Ninth avenue elevated railroad when
a car crowded with early morning
workers on their way down town pitch
ed headlong into the street stands al
IL.
Three men are in hospitals with
fractured skulls. One of these who as
yet remains unidentified at Roosevelt
hospital is unconscious and not ex
pected to live long. More than two
score Of persons were injured, many
of them seriously.
The cause Of the accident and the
immediate responsibility remain to bt
settled. The motorman of the wreck
ed train is fugitive, while a switch
man, conductor and four guards are
under arrest. The switchman Is
charged with manslaughter and the
ner Scholer who has undertaken the
work of fixing the blame for the wreck
announced that the switchman's bond
has been placed at $4,000 and those
of the witnesses at $100 each.
Whatever may have caused the mis-
take, the accident, the worst in the
history of 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
53rd street junction. The motornan
expecting clear track on the direct
line of Ninth avenue, or dlsregerdins
the warning signal that the switch was
open, rushed his train along at high
rate of speed.
Car Pitched Into the Street.
The first car swung around the right
angle curve, holding to the rails be
cause of the weight of the train be.
hind. Then the strain became toe
great. The couplings broke, the sec
ond car was whirled about almost enc
for end and to the horror of those who
looked on from below, pitched into the
street.
The first indication persons on the
sidewalk had that an accident was oc
curing was an unusually loud rurnb
ling along the overhead structure
Looking up they saw a shower OF
sparks, then followed splinters anc
sound of splitting timbers Suddenly the
outer guard rail of the railroad struc
ture gave way.
There was suddenly rain Of human
bodies and with a deafening crasl
the heavy car fell to the street. Fol-
an instant the vehicle stood fairly on
end. Then the sides gave way as h
they were made of passeboard, belch
Ing out a mass of humanity.
Those passengers who had not Jump
ed from platforms and windows before
the plunge came were thrown into &
mass at the forward end of the car.
AS the injured men and women were
struggling to free themselves the
the train were hurled almost in theii
midst, as the car itself jumped partly
off the elevated structure and was
wedged against building at the south
east corner Of Ninth avenue and 53rd
street.
The scenes following the accident
were typical of all such catastrophes
Huge crowds were soon on the ground
and the first work of hastily summoned
police reserves was directed to clear,
ing a way for the effective rescue ol
pent-up passengers remaining In the
undemolished portion of the car.
Every ambulance in Manhattan was
called and the injured and dead were
hurried away as soon as they could be
freed from the wreckage or picked up
from where they had fallen.
Pedestrians Buried In Wreckage.
Three alarms of fire brought many
engines to the scene. A slight fire
caused by burning insulation was
quickly extinguished and the firemen
set to work chopping out the dead and
injured The task was not an easy
one, for the heavy car In falling had al
most completely buried pedestrians
In its wreckage At least one thus
was killed outright, while the mosI
seriously injured Is Policeman Henry
Aitkens, who was standing directly
under the spot where the accident oc
Cured.
Eight persons were dead when taken
out of the wreck and four died later
Mt hospitals.
The corrected list Of the dead:
Jacob M. Asaach, a merchant and
member of the Newark, N. j.. board OF
trade; Ernest p. Schieble, an electric
ian; Theodore Morris, colored; John
Cochrane, Solomon Neugass, employed
by the Mutual Chemical company
Cornelius Mccarthy, laborer: william
Lees, an electrician Joseph Bach, q
policeman; James Cooper employ ed
by Fireproof Tenement House assO
citation; Emma ConhOven, died in
Roosevelt hospital; Albert Webster
clerk, died In Roosevelt hospital; Louis
Abel, clerk, married and had two chill
dren.
OF the dead the most frigbtfully mu
illated was James Cooper, whose head
was completely severed
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 John Gen
o. Ill