New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-08
DEATH on ELEVATED RAILS.
THE SUPERVISOR OF REPAIRS ON THE SIXTH
AVE. BRANCH KILLED AT HIS WORK.
Thrown BY A DOWNTOWN TRAIN UNDER THE
WHEELS OF NOGTHBOUND LOCOMOTIVE
list BoUNpING A CURvE-LoNC FAMIL
,,prrv m An MADE HIM CARELESS.
1AnITY HAD MADE HIN CARELt

| INST ROUNDING CURVE-LONG FAMlL-
| 1AHITY HAD MADE HIN CARELESS.
| Another Illustration of the fact that familiarity
with danger frequently makes n man careless was
given ON the slxthave. elevated railroad yesterday
| morning when Benjamin spangberg, the supervisor OF
repairs to the structure. crushed to death be
tween two trains SiXthavc. and Fifiy-thil'l-st.
| spangberg large and powerful man. fityfoni
years Old and lie had been I'm the employ OF the rail-
road company long that he familiar with every
detail work the road lie had oversight of all
repairs the Sxth-ave. line from the Battery TO one
hundred and 6tty-rntt-st II had become matter Of
daily routine for him TO step out OF the way OF ssiG
train, and watch the wheels pass over portions OF
| the road which had been repaired His practised eye
took in every defect In the iron track while he stood
in places where misStep might mean instant death
At AS a. m. yesterday he was standing between
the M and down tracks whore the road curves from
sxh-ave. into FftythiriSt.. and was watching the
action of q switch joined 10 the down track. some
repairs had been made TO the switch on saturday
evening With spangbcrg william J. IIcaly the
time clerk on the Sixh-ave line. A down train from
Harlem passing over the switch. An up
train going 10 Harlem, approaching the curve.
Spangberg stood too close TO the OF the mp
track but he may have thought that the up train was
going to Fifty cightst instead of to Harlem. Iicaly
VINO glanced at the approaching locomotive, thought 1t
the down train WAS near the switch when the loco
motive of the up train took the curve and the engineer
In the locomotive blew u sharp blast the whistle
10 warn Spangbcrg OF his danger. The supervisor
of repairs stepped quickly away the up track and
took a step too far. lie was struck by the over
hanging end OF tn" Of the down train rs
the swinging around the carve. The blow
knocked him back the up track. ana he fell near
In front Of H., locomotive. IL, was caught by the
driving wheels ana connecting rod tho left side oi
the locomotive. and WAS crushed and manelcd a. h"
d:wu alOrg the track.
The up train stopped quickly after the
accident that SpaiGbcrg was dragged only about
twenty feet. lie stIll breathing when the train
stopped. hut his skull fractured his lower limbs
AMI ono arm broken and his body was cut and
bruised near the waist 1ranmec carried him along
the track to the express Office In Fiftyhrd-s n'ir
ElghthaIe., where he died in about twenty minutes.
before an ambulance could be called. Later his body
was removed TO the police station In West Forty
sevcnth-st TO await the orders Of CoroHcr. The
sergeant In charge The police station appeared to
think thai the Iailroad men had done wrong IN
carrying the dying man from the plac" OF the trac1S
where he had been hurt 10 She press Office, but
Mr.. Black, the roadmaslcr, explained III" case 10 hr
sati faction Of the sergeant.
IIcalv who was standing neal snngbcrg n The
time Of the accident, escaped TJury lie Snd Ialrf:
spangberg was talking I" me ahont winl,w III u
said world have 10 he rrpaicd by the company.
workman had dropped a shovel from III" track ma
It had broken III" window IL lat no' h..Sh,u W'iM
he wa, saying. when h. stepped away from IN front
Of The approaching locomotive, and was struh by the
last car of the down TRAIN.
Spanghcrg lived at No. 2.46i Eshh-lvc. with his
he lost hi, life caused only a brief DELAY in travel
the railIoad.