New-York tribune., 1903-03-13
u4N SHOCKED TO DEATH.
Broken Trolley Wire K;!ls Motor
man in The Bronr.
kANGLED AND BURNED UNDER CAE

By the swapping Of the overhead trolley wire
NJ th. Union Railway Cornpany's Willis-ave
line In front of No. 5o5 Southern Boulevard
where the line passed under the elevated rail-
road late last night, the motorman OF cai
was instantly shocked to death. knocked on 'he
platform and ground into an almost shapeieSs
mass under the The body raised the "a
oey fine track It took half hour to get the
body out and II was terribly burned Inc AieA
aader-ave police teephoned to the Union nan
way Compenys Harlem office for the man
name, and information was refused poin'
The wiris-ave cars run down that avenue
70 the Southern Boulevard, and then turn 10 go
TO Third-ave, running under the elevated struct-
,,re The car had only passenger, DaEie'
r Mahoney, OF No 122 East one-hundI eo-ano-
fx-entv-Seyenth-st The conductor, John
o,Hsre. Of No. l.172 East One-hundred- -ano-slx-
.v-nInth-st was on the rear platform at 'ne
time of the accident.
Suddenly the overhead wire, of thick copper
snapped apart from some as yet undiscovered
reason. The wire fell across the rails immeol-
ateIy almost at thf same time striking tne
Waterman. A vast sheet of blue fame, which
LII rp the country for blocks around ana HI
tracted many people to the scene. flashed up
from the car rails wire and motor box. Some
believe :he charged motor box killed the motor
man. who was possibly touching it at the time
The raotorn1an fell across the dashboard ana
then down to the track. Policeman QulrK' OIL
the AIexander-ave station, who was stanolhe
in front Of the point wnere the accloent &C
CURED said he was blinded for at least three
minutes by the fash which shot up, though ne
remembers seeing the motornen fall forwaFo.
As soon as he hal partly recovered from the
fash OF intense blue and white light. he looked 10
see where the rnotorrnan was, but could not see
his body.
The wire kept squrming for some minutes
after the break, and one dared go anywhere
rear if as II was not and sputtering
When the intensity of the light had somewhat
subsfded the policemen and some Of the COM
many en1ploves tried to find the body of the mo-
torman They soon discovered it under the for
ward wheels. badly mangIed. The arms and legs
and head were torn ard one side ripped from
shoulder to thigh. Besides it was badly burneo
by electricity.
No one could get the body out without Jacklne
up the car, and this had to be done in three
pIsces Then Dr. Odell of the Lincoln Hospital
who had been summoned pulled the torn body
ont II was in unrecogniza BILE shape and he salc
the man had been killed instantly, by electricity
The intense blue light lasted fifteen minutes a
least Conductor O'Hare telephoned TO tne
power house to shut off the power ano al W I.e
currents on the Wiis-ave- line were smut on
+hne stonpine half the trolley traffic in The
Bronx. 80 ,
o'Hsre was arrested by Policeman Quirk as
rsusp{cious person" Coroner Berry fmnedl-
sfelv paroed the man in the custody OF IN,
snector Murphy of the road. 1t was learned
later that the motorman was John Jordan, th1r-
fvfye wears old of No. 531 East Fifty -ninth-st