New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-09
A CRASH ON THE ELEVATED.
BIINGLING WORK IN SWITCHING.

BlINGLING WORK IN SWITCHING.
| TWO MEN INJURED-A TEDIOUS BLOCKADE OF
| TRAVEL.
| collision occurred lar .-t night between two
trains ON the Sixth Avenue Elevated Railway Ehch
resulted, fortnnatelr in the loss OF no lives Afte
SVclock In the even ing each Of The down trains,
which during the commission hours composed of
four cars each leave after passing the Rector
Street station to be switched OF on the middle
track. When several cars have been collected an
engine pushes them up the middle track to m ak
room for other thar laid up for the night.
This middle track extends beyond the Courtlandt
Street station to Dey-st. There switches con-
nectlng with the uptown and downtown main
| tracks at Dey-st.
At 1890 o'clock last night train Of relay cars
wa' being backed up tho middle track by an
engine. Instead of stopping below the branch
ng switches, through q fault that could not
be placed last night the cars were pushed onto the
switch that led to the down town track and one of
them ran over upon the down track. At about the
same time a south-bound tram was due at the
Corilandt Street Station, and the engine struck
the rear car Of the relay train, wrecking it badly.
| Both trains moving slowly or the destruction
would have been greater. The engine of
the down train was running with Its
cahoose forward, and its caboose crushed
like an egg-shell. The car next to the engine was
| also badly shattered.
Immediately after the collision dozen police
officers from the New Church Street Station went
to the place Of tho wreck. The men OF Truck No.
1O and Engine No. 20 in Fulton-st were summoned
with ladders. as the first reports spread made the
accident case of slaughter Owing to
the aeness of the hour there were comparatively
few passengers In the down gong train and only
one of them was hurt. His name is Valentine Ritz
hrimer and he lives at No. 1913 Twenty -fr.t-st.,
South Brooklyn. HIS leg was injured b. flying
splinters. but he was able to be taken home from
the police station after nie wounds had been dressed
there. The only other person INJURED was Theodore
King the engineer of the south-bonnd tram.
He lives in Pavonia-ave.. Jersey City.
lie received q severe scalp wound. but
after it was dressed he went hone Captain Berg
hold SAID that he thought the woupd )re
serious than the man bad imagined. The damage
to tho engine aud will amount TO a
considerable sum OF money. The journa-bOx Of the
engine weighing between 70 and 100 pounds foil
TO the street below. narrowly missing pedestrians
head. when the collision occurred.
Some of the subordinate officers OF the company
showed great reluctance to talk about the accident
although, from their posiiions. they bound to
know the main particulars. They said briefly
tnal sOin0 cars were Oelng lald up IOf
the night the middle track when the south
bound train ran into them as they were being
switched from the main track. IL was said
by others that tho empty were
being backed up the middle track, and. by
sone mischanoe the cars were thrown.
on to the west track front of downtown train
which just approaching the Cortlandt-st.
station. The employees who spoke about the acci-
dent agreed generally that the engineer Of tho
down train could not have boen
looking Nohec5 track or bc would have been
able to =, K his train. which had begun to
One of the wrecked cars was standing
at R~ctorst last night. One end an d |
q third At least OF one side torn out. Pas |
ssDg.rs tho traius when travel resumed |
looked at tho with mingled curiosity aud |
fear. The trains ran slowly over tho |
place where the accident happened Although the
tracks were cleared about midnight IL was . long
time before the trains resumed their regular
time Travel was delayed for nearly two
hours aud both tracks blocked for u long DIS
tance above aud below tho scene of the accident.
Persons who wished TO rido on the road were
refused tickets until about midnight