The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-07
ACCIDENT ON THE BRIDGE
InemcIeut Handling OF Crowds that Gath
cred MT Midday.

One OF those accidents happened Yesterday
morning which was, perhaps. unavoidable in
itself. but which in its consequences well Illus
trates the general inetliciency OF the Brooklyn
Bridge management. one OF the gear wheels
In tho engine room broke. necesstatnE the
stopping Of the engine. the removal OF the cable
then In use and hinderng traffic on the bridge
until a duplicate cable could be laid and Il dup
licate gear apparatus could be put on. The
time thus consumed WAS about two hours and
q half. While this WAS going on four-car trains
were run over tho bridge a part Of the time. at
fifteen minutes Roadway. The rainy Weather
caused considerable increase OF passengers
in the bridge cars yesterday. During the delay
there was no attempt made to prevent people
from entering tho bridge platforms. Hence
there WAS rush and "A IAN there such rs is
usual only in the evening or morning. Tho
narrow bridge platforms were crowded. and
The accident happened at 1850 o'clock. The
two big drums in the engine room OF The
bridge. over which the cable which operates
the bridge cars runs. are moved by a gear
wheel 4 feet IN diameter. The drums arc II
feet in diameter. At the time named those IN
the engine room heard II crack and then a
buzzing noise A TASTY examination dis
covered the fact that the gearing on the drum
nearest the bridge masonry was broken, hay
The engineers watched tho wheel closely and
saw that the wheel was s'andng the strain so
shut down at once. The train dispatcher was
communicated with, and Immediately trains
were stopped running from out each end Of he
bridge. The engines were not stopped until all
the cars on the bridge al the time OF he accident
were run otT to their respective destinations.
Then the train dispatcher ran out two-car
trains BY locomotives every six minutes until
he was Informed TINT nil was ready for the
changing OF the cable. A duplicate cable lay
on the bridge beside tho one which had been
In use. Preparations were immediately mad 0
to lit this duplicate cable upon q duplicate
draw. While this was being done the Brooklyn
| train dispatcher sent out two lOur-car Il aims
on fifteen minutes Roadway Before the cable
laying and fitting operations began Two. car
trains ran to New York on one track and baok
on the other. When the men began 10 handle
the cable. OF course only one.of tho tracks at u
time could be used. Each OF the four-car trains
required an engine In front and rear
II lacked only a few minutes OF 80 O'Clock
when the new cable was In place, and trains
will be several days before new wheel can lie
fitted on the drum In place OF the old one.
The accident happened ut what would usually
have been the best time OF day Tor IN inter
runtion Of the bridge traffic. But the ogRy
and rainy weather made lew people care To
walk over the bridge or use the ferries. con-
frequently the bridge plat ormS soon became
crowded. The railroad ticket boxes were not
closed and not the slightest pains takon to
provCnt people from "rOwding on the plat
iorms. EvsryDodys three-cent fare was taken,
and when people had pad 1t they were told
that there would he no tram for iiteen min
urs. II they wanted to walk over the bridge
that would cost them another cent