The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-14
1000 LIVES %IMPERILLED.
ATTEMPT TO WRECK A CROWDED
SEA REACT TRAIN.

a Train or Eight Cara Loaded with Coney
Island Excuraioniats Crashes into y Heavy
steel Rail Placed Across the Tracks at the
Entrance to n Tunnei-The Passengers
Are shaken Up, but Escape Injury.
What appeared to DO a deliberate attempt to
wreck an excursion train with 1000 men,
women, and children aboard was made on tho
New York and Sea Beach Railroad near Sixty
fifth street and Fifth avenue, Brooklyn, at 9:15
o'clock last night
From an examination made afterward It 10 be-
lieved that at least three mon were concerned in
the attempt, and had their plan been successful
o frightful disaster would have occurred.
William Lohmann, assistant superintendent Of
the company, called at the Fourth avenue
police station in Brooklyn last night and re-
ported the case, and Police Captain Kenney
started half a dozen men out on a search for the
men who attempted the wrcck.
Mr.. Lohmann said that somebody had placed
o steel rail thirty feet long and weighing 500
pounds across the track Just above the entrance
to the tunnel at that point on the road. The
rail was laid squnrely across the track, with the
evident intention Of wrecking the train.
Tho train, which consisted Of eight cars
crowded with passengers, left the Sea Beach
station at Coney Island at $3.50 o'clock TO catch
tne S:ZO u CLOCK DOat IOr NOW 1Ork az tno Dhy
Ridge ferry. Tho Brooklyn station Of the
road is at Third avenue and Sixty.iifth
street, and tho tunnel Ia o short distance
above Fifth avenue. The trains run through q
culvert from tho Bay Ridge depot to Seventh
avenue, This particular train was due at the
Third avenue depot at 9:O5 P. NJ. and to connect
with the $50 boat at Bay Ridge.
1t was the heaviest train of the day. Tho
traffic had been heavy all day. Changes had TO
be made in the running schedule.
Had tho train been on schedule time 1t would
have undoubtedly been wrecked, the officials
said.
The train was in charge of Conductor Charles
Petty, and the engineer was William
Mallon. The engineer had not begun
to slow down for tho Third ave-
nue station and was running at the
usual rate Of speed when entering the
| tunnel. The rays OF the headlight shining ON
the track ahead revealed the rail laid across the
track.
1t was too late for the engineer to reverse the
lever. however, and the locomotive struck the
rail full tilt.
There was a jar, a loud report. and tho train
jolted over the track through the tunnel. a
piece Of tho rail having evidently fallen under
tho cars.
The train ran smoothly enough after that. and
ahead to the Third avenue depot, two blocks
beyond. He reached there in two minutes and
The passengers were badly frightened, but be-
yond a general shaking up nobody was injured.
They were not told what bad occurred. and af-
nue. the train vent on to Bay Ridge where the
sei9us OF the danger they had passed through.
stationed at the Third avenue depot, hurried
back along the track to find out what had caused
the trouble,
They found the heavy rail smashed into three
pieces. one OF which WAS In the shape OF the let
ter u" Mr.. m was startled at tho
the policeman at the scene he ran to the station
house to inform the police.
The embankment of the culvert at the point
down a distance of thirty feet and Mr.. Lohmann
thinks. the rail was carried or rolled down the
embankment.
lie says that the soa Beach company had no
rails OF the kind used lying beside their track.
A train bound for Coney Island passed the point
struck the rail. Nothing was seen OF the rail By
the engineer OF the outward train.
ON Sept. 2: 1895 labor Day. there was a big
accident on the Sea Beach road near Woodlawn
station, which is near the scene of the attempt
at wrecking last night.
4 train made up Of seventeen cars crowded
with excursionists from Newark was run into
by n runaway engine and sixty-seven persons
were hurt. Several OF these died afterward and
the &c eonHPSSny had On many ~. da meg, 81 suits nau e defend lnt
vance any reason for the attempt to wreck the
train.
any chance fallen on the track in the manner In
which ii was found. He declared that 1t would
have taken at least three men to have moved
the rail down the embankment-
The tracks OF the Culver route OF the Long
Island Railroad run parallel with those Of the
Sea Beach at a distance OF thirty feet, and it
may be that the rail was one OF those used on
the Culver tracks.
Up to l o'clock this morning the police had
made no arrests.