The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-20
BRIDGE CARS DIDN'T RUN.
An ACCIDENT THAT PUT THE SOUTH
TRACK OUT OF BUSINESS.

Power Rail Torn Up by tho Warped Shoe
of n Motor Car-Nnrrow Escape of Sew
eral Pedestrians from Injury-The Dam
age Repaired Before the Evening Rush.
The third or power electric rail on the south
ern track OF the BROOKLYN Bridge. by which
the motor cars on the bridge trains are run.
was dislodRsd from It's position yesterday
morning and fell to the ties along almost the
whole length OF the bridge and its approaches.
The accident crippled the bridge and Gle.
waited. railroad service nearly all day. The
track was not in.operation again until after
o'clock In the afternoon. The break In the
power rail- began IL short distance west OF
the Manhattan anchorage and extended:-as
far ne the approach OF the Brooklyn end.
train started across the bridge from Man
haitian few minutes after 10 O'Clock. The
motorman OF the train. who stood on the rear
platform OF the last car. noticed nothing
wrong about the trim. but those on the bridge
heard crashing noise, which seemed to fol,
low Lt ing train w.. BY the time the train had
the third rail at the anchorage fell from the
irall composition insllators on which it was
eyery other section OF the. rail. and they all
came tumbling Iwn on the ties and on the
lions. OF the rail in the mddIo of the span be.
gan to fail the, whole bridge was shaken per;
ceptibly. and the crash and the jar frightened
enade. Women hastened to get on land
again. and some OF them stood still and
screamed with fright
, The falling sections at last reached the
BrookHn approach. considerable portion Of
Tho third rail ut this point when in position Is
over the heads of people walking on the prom
enade and the section when dislodged came
banging down on the asphalt with a crash.
Tho rail weighs lfty-si TX pounds to the ward
Luckily there were few pedestrians, on the
promenade lust then, A bridge policeman
said that several people narrowly missed be.
Ing struck by the falling sections at the up
proach
News Of the accident was telephoned TO both
ends OF che bridge. and the train which had
anparently caused the damage was examined
IL WAS founl that tho shoe on the motor car
OF the train had been buokled or warped. and
the railroad men came TO the conclusion that
the third rail had been started from Its posi-
ton In that way.
The cable on the south track was stopred
and the electric power for that track turned
of in the dynamo house Then the trains at
the Manhattan end were sent back on the
cleared, A shuttle system was put In opera-
tion. with one train OF six cars running back
and forth. This means OF TRANSPORTING pas.
senRers from the Brooklyn elevated railroads
was too slow TO suit the passengers and sys-
tenn Of transfers was adopted within fifteen
minutes by which peopla aliRhtinR from the
Brooklyn elevated roads were taken from tho
BROOKLYN station to Manhattan on trolley cars
Meanwhile the bridge engineers had nut a
force Of about fifty men at work putting back
the insuators had been torn away and broke on
and new supply had TO be brought to tho
workmen; AT O'Clock In the afternoon an
additional force OF men was nut 70 work and
Ala o'clock trains began to run again on both
tracks.