New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-01
SAVED BY THE THIRD TRACK.
ANOTHER CAR BALANCED IN MD AIe.
xsK BaAxs on snUTr.E ENGINE IxFrs"s TO
wuRK-CnAsaING INro \ TiiIED-AvE. TRAIN
No ONE HELD Risp,NsIBLE FOR

THE ACCIDENT.
The old year came near ending with disaster
On the Third Avenue Elevated road at Thirty
fourth-st. shuttle train the Thirty-iourta-st.
branch ran into north bound train on the maia
track at 4 :05 y. m. yesterday and one ear Of tho
Thiriave. train was thrown of the track. No
person was hurt seriously at the time, but tho
collision caused great excitement and there. was
. blockade of trains in Third-ave until o'clock.
The failure Of a steam brake TO work was said TO
be the cause of the accident, whilc the middle
track in Third-avc. prevented a frightful loss
Of lilc.
The Third-aye train consisted Of five cars and
locomotive No. 5, run by Engineer Charles Seela.
Conductor Maxwell the first car. The
Cars only about half full OF passengers when
tho train stopped at the Thirty-fourth-st station
few passengers got of and half u dozen got On
The train. When Maxwell pulled the bell rope to
start the train he could sec the shuttle train on
the Thirty -fourth-st. branch approaching from
Eecond-ave. That train consisted OF locomotive
No. e. in charge of Engineer Samuel doughty
and car 30. with Conductor James Austin on
the platform. The switches placed so rs
to let the shuttle train the forth side OF the
station There is a sharp curve in the branch
track that point where it connects with the nam
line. The Thrd-ave. train had not got July
under way when the shuttle train rounded the
curve
No person was aware of tho danger except En-
Gineer Dou ghty who lad discovered w that time
that the brake didn't act. He had pulled the
brake valve open, but the locomotive and one
car ran on without loss of speed. Just as he
struck the curve Doughty became aware OF his
peril lie threw the lever over, to reverse the
locomotive wheels, and called to his fireman to
to prevent the collision. The first car OF the
Third train had passed Il junction of the two
tracks when Donghty's locomotive got to the end
NJ the curve There was a loud crash as the loco
motive came in contact with the forward trucks
of the second car and fairly shouldered II on inc
main track. The locomotive ran only lew ieet
ON the main line before It came to stop: SeeDgs
locomotive and the next to 1t broke loose from
The second car and went few yards further
before Seelig could stop.
SAVED by THE MIDDLE TRACK.
IuclSily there was q middle track at the place.
and strong timbers, covered by planks, filled up
the SPACE tstween the two tracks The beams
held up the dcraied car and il lay after the COL
liscn in tilted position, with its front end
uartly on the middle track and the rear truck
mrtly on the main line. The side OF the car had
not been broken. TO the twenty or thirty
passengers in the car the shock had come almost
without warning They heard shout and caught
sight Of the coming locomotive. Then they were
Gifted seemingly into the air and landed IN heat'
ON the left side Of the as 1T Joltcd 10 ls resting
.place on the beams between the tracks instantly
there was panic and frantic rush for the doors.
The few women in the car were 700 Draw, VI ,o
but several of the men acted like lunaticS All
feared that the might fall to the street 6eiow
The last four of the train had stopped WIN
q Jerk opposite the station platform, ana from
each car there was general scramble iusse Ii
gers in the first car OF the tram ana on the sui
{ary ear of the shuttle train were not so much
excited but they got of quickly enough. III =,
minute the station platform was crowded, ana
frantic men and women were rushing down the
stSi,s 10 the ground. Police Captain Ryan was in
Thirty-fourtist.. the avenue, when the crash
came and he started up stairs arter senuins an
soficcr 10 call out the reserves from his station
hioclr distant He was knocked over like
feather he said. by the rush Of frightened Peo-
pie but h" managed to set upon the platform ai'er
doom other policemen soon followed him
and they managed to clear the platform III Lew
h.en in,urri Mrs lustinia Atkins, who SAID
she lived in undfed-and-twenty-ioufr,n- so ST.
between Sixth and Seventh aVes., was on lhe car
,s,'iob was deIaied She was not hurt by the
collision but in getting ,'f the car she feli on Inc
slinrcry heains and injured her stomach. Inc
roi;re hc,ned her 10 the East hrty-ifth-st sta
IL An ambulance aiierward carried ~! ~
her home 1t was said that she had not ree f po,
a dangerous injury. Later the young son OF FOL
icrma1 Farley while running about the platform
fell and hurt his leg severely
EXPLANATION OF THE ENGINEER.
Engineer Doughty saw TRIBUNE reporter short
" after the collision:
/ do not know why tho brakes refused to work
tho ,e-ry they STOPPED the train Scondav Every
thing about the locomotive was In pericet oruef.
IA NO got Ihird-ave l pulled open INC NaNc "
m. on the brakes but there was no response.
tried II agan bnt we ran on 'o~aio ~" ,ho oer hnt
! couldn't stop her in time. That Is all Gan Say
about II. ..u...oa
nv the fact that the middle track at that point u
saved one car, and perhaps Tour from pl9hein7e
down 10 the street aNement Inc guaru i"l'
were broken at the place where the car was dc-
rallied and there was nothing to Keep the WhoIc
train of cars from going of the main track Ihcrc
is double track for the 1hirty-fourft-St. Drahcn
and fine south track ends at Third-ave. with n
stout bumper. but the north track is kept open 10
the main line TO enable trains from the branch 10
90 after supplies of coal twice each day The
south track of the Forty -second-st branch. where
the travel is heavier still, is connected Win 'he
main line in the same way ~
Track Master Black and Master Mechanic
Peoples at the scene OF COLLISION beiore
4:l5 p. M. directing a gang OF laborers IN the
use of jaekscrews and levers Seeligs ioccmo-
tive and an extra locomotive on the thirty
fourth-st. branch were brought into play IN the
effort TO clear the wreck. Doughty's locomotive
WAS rot much Injured. but it was wedgcd so
firmly against the derailed car that II could NOT
be moved from It's position until the car was
hacked IN and pushed further toward the middle
track. ..,.s.
Mcanwhne the uptrains below Thirty.fourth,st.
were blocked and stretched in long line as TAR
ss the Bowery Passengers got on the trains he
tween the stations and went along the narrow
footwny at the side Of the track which WIS COW
red with snow and slippery ~ was aoous ot
10 permit the trains to run reeu.
iariy Thousands Of persons anxious 10 get
mn town took to the Second-ave. elevated cars or
The cars in 1hird-avc. The travel on the morse
cars was so great that the weight q passengers.
combined with the snow on the tracks urea ouo
several teams and there were blOcxades in num-
Der of places along the line. -,
The police who investigated the coIllslon saIu
that no one was he blamed for it, and no arrests
were made At South Ferry and at CITY Hall the
ratemcn gave continued notice during the b0cK
1No trains running on Third-ave. Sccond-ave run
ming Third-ave. blocked The same notice was
given at all the Third-ave stations either cy pa
cards or verbally that every one had notlcc THIS
time OF the blocking Of the road.
TRAVEL DELAYED ON THE BRIDGE