Evening star., 1925-06-17
THREE IN AUTO DIE
|N8O-F0OT PLUNGE;
BABY ALONE SAVED
EIdridge to Recommend
Changes at KIingIe Bridge,
Scene of Accident.

Rendered unmanageable after COLI
sion with a trolley pole. a large new
sedan vaulted from the Klingle Bridge
on Connecticut avenue last night
and plunged somersaulting to Rock
Creek Valley, 80 feet below. carrying
two men and a woman to their death
A miraculous stroke of fate spared
the life of a 2-year-old girl, the only
other occupant of the car.
The dead are Comdr. Henry A.
Thayer, so years old who was
driving the machine; his daughter
Mrs. Virginia Macias, 25, and her hus
band, Joseph Anthony Macias, also 25,
all residents of lis w street.
Miriam, the 2-year-old daughter of
Mr.. and Mrs. Macias, Is in a satisfac-
tory condition at Emergency Hos
pital, although having a broken leg.
May Bring Relief.
Out of the tragedy may come some
movement to remedy the conditions
on the bridge which are believed to
have contributed to the accident
Following an inspection today of
the scene, Traffic Director Eldridge
announced he would recommend Eur
gently" to the District Commissioners
that the bridge be widened and that
the center trolley poles on Connecticut
avenue extended be eliminated.
II am convinced that had there been
no poles in the center of the roadway
at this point, last nights tragedy
would not have occurred" Mr.. Ed
ridge declared. Il consider these poles
distinct traffic menace, and l shall
ask that steps be taken Immediately
to remove them"
Holds Bridge BIameable.
Investigation of the accident dis
closed. Mr.. Eldridge said, that the
automobile struck pole and was
rendered unmanageable. 1t is his
belief that the narrow roadway over
the bridge was contributory factor.
He stated that figures in his office
show that this narrow bridge carries
greater traffic than any other bridge
in the District. 1t is absolutely essen
tial, he said, that a new bridge con-
forming to the general width of Con-
necticut avenue be constructed II ac-
cident hazards are to be decreased.
In the meantime, Coroner hewitt
after discussing the accident with Mr.
Eldridge, decided to hold an inquest
at the morgue tomorrow morning al
IL o'clock. In his talk with Mr.. Ed
ridge, DR.. hewitt said it was brought
out that the bridge is 40 per cen,
narrower than the roadway of Con
necticut avenue, forming bottle
neck" condition at each end of the
bridge, which tends to congest traf
fic DR.. Nevitt said he believed that
testimony at an inquest would tenC
to bring out such facts, and may lead
to concerted action to improve con
ditionS at the bridge.
Steering Trouble Blamed.
From the words of witnesses and
from inspection of mute witnesses the
story of the fatal crash has been con
structed for the police. AS far as
can be learned, it happened as fol
lows:
Comdr. Thayer was driving south or
Connecticut avenue at moderate
rate of speed. His machine was not
easy to steer. In fact, steering trou
BILE had caused 1t to be put into a
service station several times recently
for stiffness.
An expert of the Bureau of Stand
ards inspected the Thayer car today
however, and declared the steering gear
to be in a perfect working condition
The machine came to the bottle neck
of the bridge. Another machine was
on the bridge running south at the
time.
A slight swerve to the left, caused
by the car ahead, which was on the
western side of the bridge roadway
resulted in the sedan taking to the
car tracks. Hereit was thought steer
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