The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-11-08
Crowded Trolley Plunges Into
Fort Point Channel. Carrying
Scores to I heir Death
MOTORMAN CHARGED
WITH MANSLAUGHTER
Lays Blame for Terrible Disas-
ter On Brakes Which He
Declares allied to Work AS
Car Approached Draw

Boston $cv 7-Ee'weer ffty ard
ssEty persons were drowned -1taout
q fighting chance for their ll-es whsn
A crowded street ar drove hea1ers'
through the open draw Of the Summer
Street extension bridge into the
waters of Fort Point Channel shortly
before 50 clock this evening. The
AeaHv4Ae- ht,4s!>.4 from se.1tf E-c@t<,t4
toward Boston According ~ the
vere sixtw-+vro passengers in this car,
mostly employees nj SCUM Boston
factories But eight persons havs
heen reported saved These included
Nctorman Gerard walsh rho vas
arrested charged nth arslauEhter
ard Conductor NcKeon
According 20 The story told ~ th=
notornap 70 she police thc oiG ar
light over the center 81 the bridge
which Eeneral'v 1lun7lnates the ar
preach las out A wagon in the car
OF his vte~ Of the ra8 3ar7p which
witnesses say va hanging on the
gates If the draw
TIE notormar dec3arAe he tried -
ston his car as the wagon approached
the closed drar but ,he car brakes
failed - N.ark The car crashed
through the gates 6aved headlons
tearing toose rs rear truck ara
rlu7zad MO -ho v-ster halcv
TIE accident occurred Just a. ths
evening rush hcut Thousands 81
workers soon gathered an hoth hanks
q the Cnarnel
Flremen AID pcHce we're Jailed art
Tavcr f-urle, arrived quickly 20 take
charge ct The work - rescue ~ pos
slhla lining ana ths hc4,es n tbs
dad
Leaned AZ Gar Fell
Nost - -nose saved we're riding on
tra platforms - tbs closed cs- and
I4aped as the csr f@ll Others man
sEed &c fFh +hetr wsy out through
broken windows
The r'he-s were tsrmed in the
car. ~a-arulto1 to -Ne forward end
81 tbs sudden 'urge ~ thA car as q
toppled ever the abutmen. and IN
tangled mass vent to their deaths he
meath ne surface ~ the water
While Ase apparatus !fneA beth
SIDES Of the draw frehoat and po-
Ice boats raced 10 the channel.
going tide The police u rowboats,
ratroied the stream picking m bod
les Preparations were hastily made
for bringing lighters 10 tire scene AMI
raising the car
? Many Struggle in Water.
When Aremen arrived they disco%-
cred dozens struggling in the stream,
some caught between car windows
and the platforms Others wer.
squeezed in among the bodies of vic
TINS VINO had died in their struggle
n reach the surface 81 the water
William Good broke through a win
dow and succeeded IN raising himself
TO the surface His head was terri
biz bruised and he vas suffering from
internal injuries Flremen aided him
10 reach the bridge On a ladder which
was lowered over the eide
Arthur Smith and John Mcdonald
~ho were near the front vestibule
when the car went through the bridge
broke through windows and were
found swimming some distance from
the car They were picked up by
firemen and collapsed as soon as they
we're brought on the bridge Both
are suffering from serious bruises.
John Mcdonald. of Roxbury, was
sitting In the rear end of the car and
as 1t started to go through the bridge
had the presence of mind to jump
into the water. After swimming for
the draw tenders
Nelson Mcfarland of Dorchester
and Frank MCFARLAND, of Roxbury.
were standing on the platform. They
jumped. swan 10 shore and were
hauled to land.
The police brought two bodies to
the surface and worked in vain over
them with pulmotor.
One of the bodies remains unidenti-
fed. but from a receipted bill found
in the clothes OF the other 1t 10
thought TO have been George vinke.
of Wall Street.
Men of the flrehoat dragging the
channel asserted that the task of re-
covering bodies before the car was
brought to the surface was almost a
hopeless one, for most of the passen-
gers died In the car
Forty-Foot Drop,
The channel at this point Is ap-
proximately seventy-flve feet deep
and the drop from the bridge to the
surface of the water is estimated at
forty feet,
In addition to a powerful sea going
boat equipped with a derrick a de-
stroyer was sent from Charlestown.
The war vessel used to patrol the
karbor and TO preserve neutrality In
this port is supplied with power
ful searchlights, which added their
rays to those already focused on the
water under the draw.