The evening world., 1904-02-25
Women lmperiIIed Every Day in
the Mad Rush from Elevated
Cars at Sands Street for the
Bridge Trains.
INADEQUATE EXITS
CAUSE THE TROUBLE.
Plan for AIIeviating the Present
Disgraceful State of Affairs
Suggested by Evening World
to Commissioner Best.

The Sands street elevated station OF
the Brooklyn Bridge continues to be the
most congestcd spot in Brooklyn during
the early rush hours, when passengers
by the thousands are travelling toward
Manhattan. Disgraccful scenes OF
Srowding and ~Jostling. when women
particularly are subjected to hardships
End at times insult. are daily occur
Fences.
The continued absence of police on
the station platform gives encourage
ment to a class of roughs who daily
jam their way through the great crowd
unmindful of the first attributes of COM
mon deccncy.
To-day a young woman who alighted
from a Fifth avenue elevated train was
pinned against the curved railing. a
dangerous and useless obstruction at
the head of the narrow staircase leading
to the bridge platform below, and
crushed until she sank ta,pHng to the
moor. Before several strong men could
shoulder back the crowd fully n dozen
others had stepped over the PROSTATE
form Of the young woman.
Scene OF wild Excitement.
Then followed n scene of widest ex-
element. Women shrieked in fear and
fought to get out of the jam. A sin
gle policeman, happening on the scene,
was absolutely powerless to quell the
excitement and could do nothing but
mount the railing and shout that there
was no danger. The young woman was
revived and carried TO the bridge plat
form. where she was able to board n
bridge train.
This is but a sample OF scenes to be
witnessed almost daily at the Sands
street elevated station.
The dangerous congestion at this point
Is due entirely to the inadequate exits
and the nature OF their construction.
When passengers alight from the ele-
waited trains they make a dash for the
exits leading into the narrC passage
way which in turn leads to a narrower
stairway descending to the bridge plat
form. The great crowds are rushed vir-
tually into the funnel-shaped exit, with
the result that the smaller end of the
funnel is choked and the crowd pressing
on from behind creates a terrific con-
gestion.
officials Make No Effort.
Absolutely no effort is made by the
railroad or bridge management or city
officials to alleviate this long-standing
condition of affairs.
An engineer who accompanied an
Evening World reporter on n trip
through tine funnel exits during the
rush hours to-day declared conditions at
the particular poin- described to be not
only disgraceful. but criminal.
AL least said the engineer. There
should be policemen stationed at the
doofwayS leading into the passageway
which connects with the staircase. l can
readily see how, II policemen We're
placed in position in the d~oorways. they
could regulate the rush into the passage
way. rhis regulation would prevent the
staircase and also prevent persons, espe-
cially women. from being crushed
against the iron railing guarding the
approach to the staircase,
To Remedy the EVIL.
Y would suggest, however. that the
doorway ~entrance to the ~passagcway
be dlvided by wooden ratings. so that
the passengers could enter the pas
sageway in single file. instead of all in
a rush, as at present. This gradual
admission of passengers would prevent
the awful crowding at the head OF the
that point. In the absence of perpa-
nent improvements. l would suggest
TINS method as a means or preventing
the disgraceful crowding in the pas
Bageway.
There would be congestion, OF
course, on the outer platform, hut hat
~ n commodious area, and q iuiicious
distribution of n few policemen in uni
form would easily control that situa-
ton"
This Is the first time n seemingly
practicable plan has been suggested 10
Improve the conditions at the Sands
street entrance, and was to-day sub
mitted by the Evening World to Bridge
Commissioner Best.