The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-09
BoNPIRES or Old CARS.
A Brooklyn Trolley Compsny's Way OF Clear
ing Out its horEue.

In the railroad cut near Third avenue on tho
old Sea Beach route to Coney island the Brook
lyn Rapid Transit Company OF late has been
making big bonhres OF old cars The burning
Of the cars has aroused considerable interest
among people passing the spot, because an
old trolley car when properly set on fire does
not make a mean blaze Then, too. some of
the cars destroyed have appeared TO ordinary
observers "a though they were still good for
something and their destruction has caused
some wonder IN the eyes Of the railroad
people, however, the cars are good only for
the Junk 10 be found In their ashes
For a long time the Brooklyn Rapid Transit
Company has had a morgus for its old cars
NJ the foot Of SiNty-second street. Brooklyn
When the company acquired tho Nassau lines
a great many old cars came into its possession
and the morRuc's capacity of late has been over
taxed For this reason the company decidei
to set Are 10 the oldest cars in the morgue which
would not be III for service even on country
lines Two hundred and ten cars were con-
temned IN all and for several days strings Of
these have been seen moving slowly TO the
crematory in the railroad cut where one after
another they have been consigned to the flames
The cars are bnrnet at the foot, Of the, clir
on one side OF the Cut A derrick has been
erected there and as the cars are brought no
they are lifteI or their trucks and tiltei on one
Size. The windows and doors are taken ont
VI IlfI w saw wv a. u.s. w III NlN III
the roof 20 improve the draft and then n lot Of
oil-sonkei waste t. put un"er them and ignitei.
The blaze for a time l. n fierce one. for the cars
are ola and dry and burn like finder The spec-
taCle always attracts a crowd. The men I'm
charge Of the burning of the cars know their
business So we'll that In fifteen or twenty min
uts~ after the fire * Starict nothing is left At
first the cars were burnal down near the water
front and there about twenty ears a dav went
NJ in smoke, but the resi- 'cnt~ Conplainel Of
tho smoke. So the cars ar" now burned farther
inland and only six or eight are set on fire in a
dav.
The destruction OF the cars does not mean
n total loss 10 the railroad company, ms the
spectators may POSSIBLY imagine. A lot Of the
trucks can DO 'sed again and the ashes ALWAYS
yield a profitable return IN Junk. After each
car Is hurrcd the ruins are carefully overhauled
aud every scrap Of iron IL saved and taken to
the Junk pile. The 30 cars are expected 10
Weld about two hundred tons Of Junk and FOR
this bids will be invited from big Junk dealers.
Every biz railroad company finds Itself NJ
times with a lot Of old cars on It's hands. but
Efforts ar" ALWAYS made 10 dispose Of them 10
dijion which have been discarded because the
size and pattern are not up 10 date. are often
seized upon by small lines running through
sparselv settled districts where the trolley Ia
a blessing. no matter what the cars NAV be.
"A y result Of the acquisition Of q lot Of old
Brooklyn car lines, the Brooklyn Rapid Tran
Sit has come into possession OF cars whoSe
antiquity IL shown by the fact that in their
prime they were moved by horses. Most ~
them ran on the Atlantic avenue line. which
WIS absorbed by the Nassau and when the
trolley craze struck BROOKLYN they were turned
into trolley care In tho horse car days these
Cors uare Cppsidared clabnrats-