The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-24
.HORATluSA AT
The BRIDGE :: i; G
Tender, Detnet1ted, Opens Draw
and Calmly Waited for Long
Island Train to Approach. N
"N0NE SHALL PASS EDlcT.
But for Warning Signal Engine
Would Have Crashed Through
Structure Into Deep Water.

After twenty years OF faithful and eff
Client services as tender OF the Wreck Lead .l
Bridge, on the Long Island Railroad,
near Long Beach, Samuel Eldred yester-
day became irrational and iniag ined him
self Horatius. AS a result a train carry
ing four hundred passengers narrowly
escaped being hurled into the water
which the structure spans.
no train shall pass this bridge" was
tho ultimatlon Z: which, Eldred's clouded
mind elaborated. TO make the threat eff
fective he opened the bridge about three
O'Clock in the afternoon, and, sitting IN
a chair to the entTance. to the structure,
he calmly awaited results. SsfI $s Is 5sssss
&C. fortunately Tor the passengers who
were aboard the train leaving Long. Is-
land City at two minutes after three
O'clock. the habit OF years moved Eldred
the bridge was open. Had It not been
for this signal there would have been
nothing to warn The engine driver. and
speed into the open draw and into the!
water eighteen feet deep with q bed Of
soft mud Of unknown depth beneath It.
we es hons
Beach at seven minutes ~ three o'clock
but no serious al tention was given TO
tempt at popularity on the part Of n The;
old bridge tender s fSl al
With rock, which Jared II from end
a. a. few feet from II the enhance 70 TIE
bridge. The engine driver could not
Imagine what had happened, but the red
flag WIS a signal Of danger. whtc Oh warned
Leaping from tho train as soon as It
came to a8fs stop Frank Bond, the oon-.
sductor, and trainnlan named T3sAtwell
hdrsa a ted ial@
why IL the bridge open ~ W hat do
you mean by this re hey demand ed
more trains go across j his ,ere bri dge..
They've been crossin "a an q crossln $ for
years an years an there's got to be "a
stop to It; hats " " hat = mean, ~ said
With that he jumped from Il his chair,
seized an axe whtc lay at his feet and
made a das h at the group g; They ran
them. he cal ling. upon them to let him
prove to them t hat no more trains would
pass his brid ge, and they shouting loud
from
on the other, the length OF the train and
back again. through one Of the Goa ches,
wit the passengers screaming III terror
and UP and down another plat form the:
a. blow on e dred's chin viii oh felled lhin.F
sat on the bridge tender till his arms
and legs could be bound by the half dozen
men who had fallen upon him.. i3ssS
sang. at the top Of his voice. his rage sud.
denly leaving him..f yihg on the floor {
a car he sang hymn liter hymn and
made no resistance Swhe en- his poe kets were
searched gfor keys wi til which to unlock
| the machinery. Of the %bridg Ice. so that&it
might be- closed and the train 90 on It's
way. sSt 5iSs M
Neither IN the man Is pockets or else:
where could he K keys Y be, found. and III
the bridg fall -ba into place. Nearly!
an hour late because OF the delay, the
train made the crossing sa felya with the
man aboard, who had q asserted : that he
would hold the bridg Sc till he breathed
& Still with the rope pinloning his arms
and legs. he was loaded into an express
car on q train leaving Long Beach at
FIVE osclock8 and was brought to Long Is
land City. where he was ken to the
Queens county jail, but not without
s VIVA T SO unexpecte eddy. came over the
mind Of a trusted emf loye$ Is beyond the
ability Of the railroad ON clals to explain
eThatE he. Is not insane Is = the verdict Of
Island City, who mined him. 55
81 Until yesterday morning he had for
many years appeared to- be entirely ra-
Stional, and was frlendy with MI with
whom he came In tact. One seemingly
harmless lido yncras y ha d been knoWn#to
(RitSas Indicating sanyt thing serious.
Though D. he never wa g. k noWn to take
a drink, he sometimes became possessed
of an idea that he wa being accused OF
drunkenness, and vowed vengeance upon
his trad ucers.-N ew$ y York Herald W. sss
Z, - ftiA