New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-12
r1IIEDINA RAILWAY WRECK
cor1JsroN IN LONG ISLAND CITY.

.ot large NUMBER oi pdSsonsoi' ~.
tnad Raw race-cOurse. IL reacneu Long is'anu
rer ~;'w few minutes behind time. A flushng
IN ~ was about to leave the station ana the
n., was up requiring the Manhattan beach
s..;a n stop. But the air brake failed 10
I'll the car brakes were set only IN part, ana
,,'o two trains came in collision. Three passen-
w A",. on the Manhattan Beach train were Killed.
30 30 vas so badly hurt that he may dle'
onS '"S ,nany received slight injuries Superln-
s.saont sn BARTON of the Long Island Rlilroad
'sns the engineer of tho Manhattan
ns,oh train was in fault in running at high
s'eed at that point. Moreover, the engineer
Limits that he had previously tried the air
brake and 1t had failed.
HOW THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.
,,s pyGINEER BLAMED-DETATLs OF THE COL
LISBON
rh. accident took place within hundred yards
.f,bs station at Hunters FONT. A. q p m. tram
ofe;gbt cars left Manhattan Beach for New York.
Urging few passengers The first stopping place
was at Sheepshead Bay where, at the race track of
,hs Couey Island jockey Club, large number of
arsons had assembled in the afternoon
to witness the races The train from the
Reach arrived at the race-conrse IN tline
20 hiring over six hundred persons to the city. On
account of the large attendance at the races the
train was DELAYED some what longer than was ex.
nected. and, IN consequence, Thomas Middleton the
conductor. ordered Thomas Glenn. the engineer. to
make ND for the lost nme. The speed OF the train
was accordingly increased. Immediately behmd
the locomotive and tender was a parlor car In
which were a considerable number of ladies ana
gentlemen The remainder of the tram was COM
posed of the open excursion which the railways
frnp
during the summer season. 1t was twenty
minutes before o'clock when the depot
At Long Island City was seen by the ems
sineer. As he approached the Third-ave. crossing
he saw the engne-dlscs along the tracks in front OF
him change from white to red warning him or dan
ger He blew the whistle for down brakes, and
the conductor and brakemen put all their strength
into the task of lessenng the speed of the rapidly
moving train The engineer immediately tried the
alr-brakes but found to his horror they would not
work quickly enough. The space which lay between
his engine and the network of switches and tracks
that was spread before the depot wasessening with
fearful rapidity. Again the engineer whstled to the
tranmen to tighten the brakes, but it was too late
A dark mass lay awaiting him on the same track
that he was on The headlight of an outgoing
Finishing train cleaned in front of him, and he saw
the glare of the hight growing brighter and
brighter Long before this he had closed the tbrot-
tle.yslye of his engine but the momentum OF the
train was so great that it forced the locomotive
ahead with fatal swiftness
At last Glenn saw that all hope of stopping his
train must b. abandoned. and. realizing that death
would follow if he stood at his post, he sprang from
bis cab and fell upon his breast ON the ground.
Then there was crash as the two engines came
together, and dense volume OF steam and smoke
arose from the wreck.
rYIT n PA
The scene which was presented to the yard-hands.
who had watched the trains crash into each other
without having it in their power to prevent the
collision. was a terrible one The heavy engine of
the Manhattan train had lifted the locomotive OF
the Flushing train ompletely from the track and
had fuug it as though it had been made OF card
board many feet to the left The shock OF the
collision to the Flushing train was broken by the
derailing Of the locomotive. and the cars of this
train were simply sent back into the
depot. from which they had started
o few minutes before. The Manhattan
Beach train, however. badly wrecked The
entire fore part of the engine had been smashed
and the wheels in their revolutions splintered the
ties and thrashed the ground with the broken
piston-rods. The parlor-car had been teescoped
by the open car at its rear. The comparatively
light guards of the coach had been crushed In. and
the heavy platforms of the excursion car protruded
through one of its sides Then to add to the horror
the oil lamps exploded and set the woodwork
on fire. The flames spread rapidly until stream
of water from stationshose was brought to bear
upon the fire. Then it was extinguished Beyond the
spnterng of the front platform OF the third car no
further damage done TO the train When the
crash occurred there was rush on the part of the
passengers of both trains out of the cars upon the
track They formed a crowd that rapidly grew
larger as the news spread that tram had been
wrecked within the depot. 1t was some tine before
the police arrived, and longer still before ASSIST
was received from the hospitals.
But the unInured passengers did not await the
arrival of medical aid before they made efforts
to extricate the dead aud injured from tie ruins.
AS the smoke cleared a hand was seen hanging.
from window of the wrecked parlor-car
and then DR.. W. X. Pryor, OF No. 1O7 East IhIrty-
ffth-st, this city, crawsd out from the debris and
called for rope saying that there were two men
within the car who had been injured and were
bleeding to death. A clothesue was handed MN
and be went back into the car company with DIR.
w. J. Burnett, of Hunters Point. When they
reached the interior of the coach, they found that
their assistance came too late TO save the life OF
Edward Bernius for the hemorrhage from bis tor
leg had stopped and life was extinct. But over In
the corner OF the car with the entire weight OF the
non bound platform Of the excursion car resting on
his legs, sat Robert Smith, groaning from PAIN put
still conscious. He said in husky voice: " For
Godssake get me out of this" and the doctors went
Immediately to his aid. AS soon as they looked
At the poor fellow they knew that he was fatally
hurt. and that although they might succeed In re-
leasing his body from the crush Of the tram they
could not save his life. The two legs were 50 Sc
eurely pinned that they would have to be
stipulated. When Smith was told OF this desperate
iesort be cnched his teeth and said, 20 aneaa.
ihe knives and saws performed their duty ana tne
man never WINGED. All be asked for was a glass OF
water. Smith was taken after the amputatlon OF