New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-10
LEA WING A SWITCH OPEN.
ANOTHER ELEVATED RAILWAY COLLISION

ANOTHER ELEVATED RAILWAY COLLISION.
TWO TRAINS COME TOGETHER AT SINTH-AvE. AND
FIFrGETH-sT.-NO PASSENGERS fNJrRED.
Smash up Train wrecked.' were the words
flashed over the wires OF the Nlnth-avc. Elevated
Railroad a few minutes after o'clock yesterday
morning The details which followed scarcely JUS
tied startling announcement, yet they were
sufficient 10 show that one of the elevated roads
had again narrowly escaped very serious acct
dent
During the commission hours it is customary on
the Ninth Aveuue Elevated Road 10 stop every al
ternata up-train at the Fifteth Street station aud
run IT up a siding. Two minutes are allowed TO al
tach the new engine to il there, after
which the train starts down town again
In the meantime the through. or Fifty
niDth-st train passes by Oh the lnanrack.
train dispatcher is stationed at this point, and
the switch by which the trains run upon the
siding is bout sixty feet from he dispatcheIs sta
ton. At 800 a. M, yesterday, a train that had
Just left its passengers at the Flfteth street
Station was run upon rhe siding. and
engine No IL, Of which John Beems
was engineer, attached to it from another
side track. In the meantime. the train dis
patcher had neglected to close the switch for the
up-frain. Seeing the up-train leave the station,
and expecting that it would pass along all right
usual. Beelns his train slowly toward The
switch. But as the up-train reached the place,
and was just getting under headway, it
suddenly curved upon the switch track,
and instantly the two engines came together
with crash. The engine OF the up
train was No 81. and ITS engineer was Henry Camp
bell. Owing TO the comparatively slow rate of
speed neither engineer injured, and the engines
did not leave the track. There were three or four
in tha tr1i hut hay uiuiu rnd
Engine No 81 received the most damage. The cyl
inder brok Ell, aud it necessary TO take the
engine to tho car-shops for repairs. An axle of
gine No. IL was badly bent. but the engine
a. far as Eourteenth-st. with down train before II
thought best to put it upon siding for repairs.
The drawhead Of one If the of the empty tram
was also broken.
4 delay of about twenty minutes caused by
the collision. The Fftieth-st. station was filed
with persons anxious to get down town. By the
rules OF the company no money i refunded after
ticket is once deposited in box. and thus
the passengers obliged either to forfeit their
fares or await another train. One woman in the
crowd became much excited, and protested that her
money ought to be refunded. This was refused |
however, the gateman saying ne did not propose
10 pay back fares out of ms pocket. But
within twenty minutes the wreck had been cleared |
ypis had been taken on their way.
The train dispatcher at the point |
where thc acclGcHt occurred, through !
whose forg,rfuluess it happened, WAS ".
:. Grafton He IL about forty years OF age, end has
,cen connected with railroads tor nineteen years.
ON the opening of the Third Avenue Elevated
Road mp to within about month and n half, he was
at ChItham-sqIare. He was
transferred from that station to the at Ffteth-
This IL the first accident thar has occurred through
nv FAULT of his He appeared before the company's
,f GERS yesterday aud acknowledged that the col
islon was due TO his own fault. He was told that
he accident made IT necessary to pat another man
II his place and this was done yesterday. The new
spatcher is VI. c. Jackson, about thirty years Of
ge who has been IN the companys employ
or four or five years. He has been stationed
the Forty y-secondst. branch of the rOa Il, and the
ompany has much confidence in him.
Superintendent Ondcrlonk when inquiry was
lade by TRIBUNE reporter about the collision,
aid that the damage TO the engines was too slight
D be estimated.
"What did the dispatcher have to say for him
.lf?' was asked.
lie gave no excuse for bis forCetfulness, aud
nly said that il was lis own fault
"Do you not think that the engineer of the up
ain ought to have seen that the switch was
pen ~
" Ii woulG seem 50. Yet | can hardly blame him.
e can't be expected to look after the tTain-dis-
ltcheIs business in addition TO his own. IN
neer has his hands full as 1t is. in watching Lis
in at the stations. in caring for his engine and in
atchng for signals. There IL a signal station just
read of this switch 4