Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-11
| TRAIN WRECKED
Terrible Disaster in New
York This Morning.
MANY PERSONS KILLED
MORE THAN FORTY INJURED BY
DERAILMENT
Two Cars Leaves High Trestle and
Plunges to the Street
Bodies Mangled.
MANY PERSONS KILLED


serious injuries at T:0I o'clock this morn
| ing ir>the worst wreck in the history OF
| the elevated railroad in this city. The
scene of the disaster was the curve at the
| junction of the 9th and 9th avenue lines
at 9th avenue and 53d street. The explain
| alton given is that the towerman had the
| switch set wrong and that seeing his mis-
| take when the first car Of the train and the
| first truck of the second had taken the
surve, swung 1t back so that the other
trucks continued down the 9th avenue track
until they were jerked onto the ties.
The train running nearly fifteen miles
an hour and the momentum flung the sec
ond car in a somersault off the structure to
| the street, where 1t rested end up. The third
car balanced on the edge, its 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. Several were
flung by the fall into the street and the
heavy car on top of them.
The bodies of the dead were frightfully
mutilated Fire alarms were sent in and
the reserves of all the nearby police sta
tions were turned out to handle the great
crowd which gathered. Ambulances were
called from every hospital in the city. The
dead were taken to the west 47th street
station. Four hours after the disaster serv-
ice was resumed on both lines.
There were seven bodies of men and the
body of one woman in the west 47th street
station. Those identified up to noon were:
The dead are:
JACOB NJ AUSPACH, a merchant and
member of the Newark, N. j., board Of
trade.
ERNEST P sCHEIBLE, an electrician.
THEODORE NORRIS. colored.
JOHN COCHRAN.
SOLOMON NEUGUS, employed by the
Mutual Chemical Company.
CORNELIUS MCCARTHY. laborer.
WILLIAM LEES, an electrician.
JOSEPH BACH, a policeman.
JAMES COOPER.
EMMA KONHOvEN, of this city, died in
Roosevelt Hospital. .- --.
An unidentified woman.
These may die: The seriously injured
who are likely to die. all at the Roosevelt
Hospital, are:
Albert Wilster, 159 West Hath street. in
ternal injuries.
William Niebuhr, 2199 Sth avenue, frac-
tured skull.
Joe Cancel 1O2 West 127th street, frac-
tured ribs, both arms broken, internal in
iuries.
Henry Atkins, policeman, 159 9th avenue; !;
fractured ribs and dislocated right leg.
John j. fowler, a. West 135th street, left
arm cut off
Barbara Greel, "a years old 54s East 1G4th
street; bruised over entire body and In
ternal injuries.
William Engel, 43S West 42d street, right
leg cut off.
Eliza Minor (coloredD, Nyack, N. Y; frac-
tured skull.
The accident was caused by carelessness
or incompetency. The swtchman in the
tower at the turn started to switch the 9th
avenue train to the 9th avenue track. Had
he realizing his mistake, made effort to
remedy ii no great damage would have been
done, except to his reputation as a careful
employe. But as soon as he saw what he
had done he swung the switch quickly back,
and in second the crash had come.
Switchman's Admission.
Cornelius A. Jackson, the switchman, who
was arrested at his home, refused to talk
at the West 4Tth street police station.
When Detective Glennon visited him he
said:
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 LOCO were Killed
/ would not be responsible.
The first car of the train had passed
over the 9th avenue track and the motor
man was slowing down, knowing that an
error had been made when the tower
man threw the switch back The first
truck OF the second car started around
the curve, but the second truck continued
IN a straight line onto the 9th avenue track
until the coupling broke, and the wheels
fianges giving way under the strain, LETT
the track.
The second car completely left the struc-
ture turning turtle and falling end up into
the street in front of Jones drug store at
IT'S 9th avenue.
Coroner Scholer reached the scene almost
Immediately. But in the confusion 1t was
impossible for hours to get complete list
of the dead and injured
The scene following the wreck was the
most horrible that has come to New York
since the Slocum disaster. The passengers
fn crowded nUnY h.
ering, screaming heap, where they were
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 flame across the struc-
ture.
The screams of the injured and of the
frightened men and women in the cars
which escaped were appalling; they aroused
the neighborhood for blocks, and quickly
from all sides great crowd rushed for
ward and stood helpless before sicken-
ing pile of iron, wood and humanity in the
street. Policeman Moran sent in call for
the reserves and turned in a fire alarm.
Ambulances were called from every hospi-
tai in the city. From Harlem and the
Bronx them came, and most hospitals sent
at least ambuances and two surgeons.
Work of Rescue.
Chief Croker in his automobile was one
of the first to arrive. He set the men OF
the hook and ladder company 4, under
Capt Fitzgerald to work. They raised lad
ders to the smashed windows of the wreck
ed cars and in this way brought many sur
vivors to the street. Other firemen got to
work on the car whose end rested on the
sidewalk What their efforts disclosed
showed the full extent OF the disaster.
1t was some time before the real facts OF
the wreck could be learned. The survivors
told dozen different stories of the cause.
This is what happened. The train was a
9th avenue local bound downtown. Ii had
stopped at 59th street The hour could not
have been worse for wreck, for 1t is at
this time that the downtown rush of the
workers is in full swing.
When the train drew slowly out of the
J9th street station every seat was taken
and and many persons were standing IN
the allies and on the platforms. 1t Is be-
lieved that most of the casualties are to
those who were standing on the platforms.