The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-01
FIVE dead; Is HURT.
Coaching Party Run Into by
a Long Island Train.
ONE OF THE INJURED DYING
Young People Of a Brooklyn Church
Were on a Holiday Excursion.

w NeA WEI NJ huhE u
Railroad Tracks Wear valley Stream
Tho Train Was Going TO valley
Stream from MincoIn-witnes.en Say the
Enrincer Bicw His whistle, but That the
Electric Signal nj the Crossing Cave No
WsrninE-The Coaching Party Were Laugh
ing ana Singing just Berore the Crash
Came-They DID Not Heed the warning
shouts OF Bicycliuts. nor or Men Who HAD
Crossed the Trncks Ahead or Thcm-a Scene
OF Horror when the Engine struck the Coach.
Crushing Some or Its Occupants. Hurting
Others Forty or fifty Feet-Crowds or
Anxious Relatives and Friend. nesiero
o.. Johns Hospital ana Gather at the
Greene Avenue baptist Church at Might.
Atally-ho coach drawn by six horses and loaded
down with a happy party Of young men and
young women, who were out for q days fun,
was run down shortly after Q O'Clock yesterday
afternoon by a Long Island Railroad passenger
train. Four Of the party were killed outright,
one other died within a few minutes, u half
dozen or more were terribly injured. and nearly
all the others were hurt more or less seriously.
The ride was arranged by the Alpha Delta
Theta Club of Brooklyn. most of the members
OF which are also members Of the Greene Avenue
Baptist Church.
The accident happened at Valley Stream, Just
about fifteen miles from this city. The Montauk
Division Of the Long Island Railroad runs
through Valley Stream. and the Mineola and
Valley Stream branch leaves that line there and
shoots of to the north toward Hampstead. For
about three miles after it leaves the Valley
Stream station 1t runs through a wood. A quar-
ter Of q mile from the station the Merrick road,
which is the chief bicycle road on Long Island.
crosses the single track at grade. On three cor
ners OF this crossing the wood is thick, and
1t is not possible for persons travelling along
the road, either in vehicles or on foot, to see q
train coming nor is it possible for the engineer
or persons on a train to see anything Of tho
road until the train Is right upon it. Though
thousands of persons cross the track at that
point every day, the railroad company main
tains no fagman there, and the only thing to
warn the people is a bell on an old-fashionod
Look out for the locomotive" sign post, which
sometimes rings and which sometimes docs not,
and which. it is asserted positively, did not ring
yesterday.
1t was u holiday, and everybody was out who
could get out. The road was almost as thick
with bicyclists as is the boulevard in New York
city on a holiday. This party OF Brooklyn young
folks had been arranged long ahead. The rain
in the morning had disappointed them all griev-
ously, SO when it cleared by 10 or II o'clock, and
word went around that the ride would be had.
there was a hustle and a hustle OF the invited
one. 70 get aboard the coach, and when IN. .tarb
was made II was ma nanny a.nar,v ne ever vcns
out Of Brooklyn.
The big coach swung into the Merrick road
from Jamaica n little after / o'clock. Besides
the driver and bis two assistants on the box
there were fifteen laughing, chattering young
men and women On ton. and there were sir
younp nen insidc The uunrd nlaved hn,,n
calls on his horn IN rarn tho hicvclis,s ahsad IN
look out for the coach. and on down tho road
they went shouting and laughing to within
SIGHT of tho railroad crossinp inst ont NJ vaIlsv
Stream. Thev were nil having finn. The driver
himself was laughing at the iokes cracked- IA
Is safe to saw that not one of the marty thouohN
EVAN NJ the nossibili,v NJ an accident
Beyond the railroad A mile was the picnic ground
where they had arranged TO stop for dinner. III
was about three or four minutes past o o'clock
when the coach came within sight of the white
signboard warning passers TO look out for trains.
The hell WAS on the side Of tho boar I'd facing the
coach. II it was ringing no one in that marty
heard It,
WARNINGS uNHEEDED.
Two big furniture vans were a hundred yarda
or moro ahead of the tally-ho at the railroad
track. The driver of the last one whipned his
horses lust as the whecls of his van struck
the rails. The moment the van vas
across h, turned and signalled frantic
ally with his hand to the party ON
the coach. He jumped I'D In his seal, in his ex-
element and waved his hand around his head.
He meant to signal the coach party to stop or 20
back, but his signals might have been inter
preted Come on 1t seemed TO him that he
uu no. euo.eou III "''I"o.ihs II t,'n.io ot
"nsoous y" u oa' :. Nv u,,'o'o a. ~ ~
atta,t'ns .on'io ~ - w NV 'oao" i0~
N1u NC = nIn
Nhat uo1en vi nol' " VIM .lossea u
tTuCk u mt tIp Naho diSo hIu
Shou'eo u NV W
.nmo' ono :. n,s Us - "om
nv nan 'DoS ~, o iss
II r"f.s, ".u 4" 49, ~ W ius
w. 49, ",os, ~, ,I,n ,r.or ,n,,i,n 49, ar
anu s'oo" nv - ~ ~ y Wv
paI'' o..oS - 49,
INV 'n 80 = 49, - -"