Connecticut western news., 1888-02-22
A BAD ACCIDENT.
A Horse Car Crushed Beneath .
 Heavy Falling Derrick.

There was a frightful accident in Brooklyn N. r., which caused the death of four persons, and the injury of a number more.
 Along Broadway section of the Union Elevated Railroad is now in the course of con- struction. huge steam derrick is used in building this section. It is mounted on broad wooden wheels, with slight flange which fit the longitudinal girders. The derrick is pulled along the girders as each section is completed.
 The section at the junction at Broadway and Park avenue was completed, and preparations were made to pull the derrick along to the next section, where the cross beams were to be hoisted to the road from the ground. The ropes were attached to the derrick and the machinery set in motion, thus pulling the der rick along. The longitudinal girders were riveted at the bottom, but not at the top, and the derrick had been pulled but short dis tance when the girders began to spring out through defective fastcnings.
 This was at $50. Just at that moment horse car of the Reid and Atlantic avenue line was approaching the section. It was car No. IF. There were not many passengers in it. The driver did not appear to notice what was going on overhead, and if he heard the shout that arose, he vast too late to pay any heed to 1t. Another driver approaching the other way with Sumner avenue car did hear the shout, and casting his eye mp saw the tottering. wavering mass of iron overhead, and checked his horses just in time.
 A man driving large lumber wagon, in frenzy whipped up his horses, turned them to one side and escaped. But the driver of car IF either did not hear, or was past the power of recovering from the horrible danger that impended.
 The great derrick crushed in the girders tottered moment, and then fell, striking the horse car so as to exactly cut it in two. The noise was frightful, but the only human utter ances were those of the spectators.
 There was crunching, crashing sound of wrenched iron ploughing through wood, the roar of escaping steam, from the boiler of the derrick, and there in a commingled mass of broken iron, splintered wood, from which pro- truded the legs of crushed horses, was to be seen the effect of this frightful catastrophe.
 The spectators had seen two men who were on the derrick go down with it, and then dis appear beneath the ruins.
 From under the ruins not sound arose, and it was apparent that every human being there in confined was either dead or unconscious. A startled policeman, new to the force, con- fronted with his first awful experience, ap- peared to have lost his wits by the enormity of the accident which he was witness to, ran this way and that for some moments, but he after ward rang the alarm calling out the fire de- pertinent and the entire ambulance corps of the city. Owing to the steam and the heat from the boiler of the derrick it was i'm possible for awhile to do anything in the way of removing tho wreckage or get ting at the silent victims of the accident. tremendous throng gathered about. The officers made inquiries which, when sift- ed, indicated that several persons were buried beneath the ruins.
 The officers and physicians listened intently over the wreckage, but not sound did they hear They were satisfied that every one i'm prisoned there was dead, probably never real izing the accident that had so suddenly strip ped them of life. It was hard work even tC begin to remove the wreck, but under the guid. ence of the officers the two girders were first lifted and the mangled remains of four men were finally extricated Eleven others were more or less seriously injured.