The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-30

vie we'd by the railroad o1tClals toto a
CHASTITY tale Of the struggle that had been
waged by the s~trangling people trapped IN
| tlNm. Seats were in some instances torn
from their fastening, coat racks were
twisted awry and the fragments OF glass
from the broken windows Uttered the noors
! of the cars.
On some of the wooden panels were deep
scars made by boot heels driven in agony'
against the resisting walls.
Ovprcoats, valises and women's wraps,
draRgled with mud, strevcd every car.
Down in the corner of the forward car,
where the mud had not defled, they iound
a doll-a cloth doll. with porcelain head
yellow hair and smiling cherry lips. There
was not a spot or smirch on the radlnntly
cheerful china face. g
While the railroad employees were drag
cling the cars out of the mud Coroner
Gaskill began the inquiry that he Is 10 make
into the cause of the disaster: In the morn
ing he impauslei a Jury, and this afternoon
no took them 10 the scene of the wreck for
a preliminary inspection of the things that
may aid their cffort,to place the RESPONSE,
I biIty for the Snuting out Of the nifty odd
j lives.
There is an old man whom the Coroner
! and the newspaper men tried hard TO find
Yesterday and who was not to be found.
This ~ Daniel b. Stewart, the bridge
tender whose duty II was 10 open ana sllut
the draw across the Thoroughfare stewart
was last seen yesterday in a frenzy almost
approaching madness. He had Witnessed
! the leap of the train from his bridge and
then he had said things that he afterward
/ regretted having said.
An hour after the wreck. when Stewart
was ~wringing his hands in impotent grief
and hvsteria. ne told the reporters that
whenever hc turned the bridge it was neces,,
sary to raise the inside rail 40 that II could
pass he lock bar on the outer rail, and alter
the bridge had been closed he always went
to see that the rail 40 raised had dropped
back into the groove meant for It's reception.
H. said Yesterday that IL was possible that
the rail had not dropped back flush with the
line of the stationary rail on the ~trestle, and
/, that the trains wheels striking this project
ing rail end might have thrown the cars on
the track.
Later. when Stewart was asked further
questions about this movable rail. he denied
the statement that he had made. To-day
he was not present TO be questioned.
Coroner Gaskill said this afternoon:
With Mr.. Atterbury, general manager
Of this division Of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road, | made an investigation of the bridge
and its approaches this afternoon.
Several important facts were brought
out by our inspection. ] ound that the
end Of the drawbridge track is higher b
the end of the track approaching 1t, thus
causing an inevitable bump TO a tram
travelling at a high rate Of speed
r fact that the ends of the rails on
the draw had been hit with terrific force
was shown by their nibbed n This
is at variance with what Stewart told Mr.;
Atterbury. lie said that after he had
closed the draw Just before the arrival
of the train yesterday he went 10 the END
of the draw to remove the signal haHs
and then saw that the tracks were per-
fectly locked. | do not believe hat this
was the case.
Il found that there were no guard rail-
on the draw. Had there been a railing
the impetus Of the train would have beer
at least checked and IL lis possible that al
- Aaw-A rANn nNnT
The Coroner SAID he would call the cast
for investigation some Gay the latter par
Of the week, probably Thursday.
". w. Atterbury of PhilaoelI hia, the gen
eral manager, gave out a brlei statement
on what he deemed the probable cause oil tht
wreck. He said:
Il do not credit the interviews alleged u
have been had with Stewart, the bridge
tender, in which he says that the bridge
might not have been properly Locked. ~ u
not a fact hat when the uraw IL swung
the rails Rave 20 be reset by hand; they se'
automatically
I'VE cannot tell exactly what caused the
wreck. but [ think that when we recoveI
the trucks wa will find that IL was a de
feCtive flange or a broken axle.
Manager Atterbury pointed out 20 the
reporters that if Ste war stopped "a ne SaI'
to pick up his signal flags over the point
where the junction between the trestl'
rails and the draw rails ~ made he o
not have helped noticing that the rail
were not properly aligned. "Hiseyes mus
have been within six inches OF the LOCKING
, bar" said Mr.. AtteIbury.
| The rail that interlocks at the end OF TN
draw, which is cut ~obliduely at the end t.
make a Joint with the opposite rail, IL bat
tered into a blunt square face, showing ina
the heavy impact OF the wheels must hav'
wrought the transformation. Moreover
the rail, which weighs 100 POUNDS 10 IN
' yard ana is Of the heaviset that the Penn
! sylvania system uses, il buckled ana tor
: from its fastenin9s for fully fifteen feet
Several eye witnesses say that the rate
k train was going at a rate OF 40 miles a
Q hour when IL struck the dTawbrlnge an
leapeu into the water.
The list Of dead recoveed from the water
d Of the Thoroug hfare all Of wohm hav
q been identified, il "a follows:
ALRFRTUs. CHARLES, Norristown.
BENCEERT. Mrs. GEORGE T., milk dealer, SiH'
v and Jackson streets. Philadelphia.
BENCKERT. CLARENCE. ic years old sixth an
r Jackson streets, Philadelphia.
d BENCKERT. HARRY. . years old: sixth and Jncl
= sun streets. Philadelphia.
< BRApDIsB. Mrs. W. D.. sister OF George S"e'
ls manager Of the Walton Hotel, Philadelphia.
= BROWN, Mrs. CORA. Passport. Me.
BURcH, II. n, "a years. Of $50 South Eighth stree
c amden.
" sam bernard. the comedian; Identified by Slgmur
Wachter. lie was on his way to play In vaud
% vile on YOung's Pier.
, CKvAHroRo. CoNsTANTTSo. ~ years old, OF 8
g, South Eighth street. Philadelphia. member OF 4
n Tasca Band.
le CARTER, ". L.. s:i Walnut street. Philadelphia
W detective.
, CARTER, Mrs. W. L..9zi Walnut street. PhlladelphI
It COBB. WALTER, a workman on wrecked train.
r CULvENcE. THOMAS. address unknown.
e. DEMPsEY. JAMES PAUL, a former pugiliSt
le Philadelphia.
DEMPSEY. JAMES. foreman Of car inspectors. !
ID Stevens street. Camden, N. j.
" DEMPSEY, Mrs. IDA. 30 Stevens street. Camdt
IN NJ.
~ DE SocEBECo. FREDERICK.
. EAoAN, JAMES. s4Os Pacific avenue. Atlantic CT
~ EDWARDS, WILLIAM. Woodbury.. v. J.
In FELsBER0. Dr. PAUL r., 81 years old, iI35 Gira
le
80