New-York tribune., 1904-08-13

Three WOrkmen Hurt-Mdny Com
matters Walk Through Woods.

matters Walk Through Woods.
Going at fifty miles an hour the nOrthbound
Boston express of the New-YOrl1. New Haven
and Hartford Railroad loosenea the blocking
yesterday under a thirty -hve-ton truss of the
new driving bridge over the railroad tracks at
observation-disclosures and Bronx Park.
and the truss turned turtle" Three other trusses
OF similar weight. and twenty-ton girder.
which were balanced by ropes fastened this
girder. were thrown into the railroad cut. The
last OF the train was about three hundred
feet north OF the bridge when the accident hap
pened and the train narrowly escaped injury.
Five working on the truss which
turned turtle three Of whom were thrown into
the cu:. Two. seriously injured, were removed
to Fordan Hospital. The third man got away
I'm the excitement. The White Plains express
was tagged about quarter of a mile below
the wreck while going at full speed. 1t came
10 a stop within a hundred yards OF the fallen
trusses
The injured men are Frederick Hartman, of
No. ID East Eighty -seventh-st.. who has in
ternal injuries and contusiors about the head
and body. and will probably die; Frank Austen.
thirty-four years of East One-hund -ed-and-
thirty fourth ST, whose left and rib
the lef. side We're fractured and who received
laceratoas Of the left fooL and body bruises. and
an unidentified man. who hac a scalp wound
and bruses.
The police yere quickly on the scene and ar
rested Franz Tench. the superintend NJ o: the
work for the Baltimore Bridge Comps.-y. the
contractors. and Thomas Dryden. of No. 1920
East one hundred and-sixty -ffth-st the fore
man.
The bridge is being consl7uctsl over the raj
road cut a5 2 driveway into Bronx Park frO;l
is IDarl
The bridge is to be eighty feet wide Recently
the Ave trusses and the girder We're laid across
the cut The ends were placed on blocking pre-
paratory being riveted the abutments. The
trusses are wide and under ordinary conditions
easily balanced. The work OF resting them on
the abutments was begun yesterday. derrick
put in place on the west abutments and
fastened to the west end OF the fourth truss
counting from the south. The winch start
ed and the truss raised few inches from
the blocks. thai they ,Duld be slipped from
under The five men were the truss ready to
rive. il.
When the train flew past and the three men
were thrown down. the other two managed to
hold on. The balancing ropes connecting the
fourth truss with the first. second and third
had not been disconnected. and the fourth
truss turned toward the south il dragged the
three trusses and a girder from the blocking
and they crashed into the cut. The fifth north
truss standing alone. and began to swing
It did not fall. however. two workmen steady
ing it.
1t was found that twelve hours wouG be
needed TO clear the tracks. The derrick already
on hand it was found. was just able to supper.
the fourth truss as it lay. The afternoon rush
of commuters just beginning at the time
the accident happened. 4:05 p. m. and train
ed-au
twenty -ninth-st to start a system of transfers
and the running OF special trains between One
hundred md -twent y-ninth-st and the scene OF
the accident These trains connected with the
regular trains which were made UP north OF the
wreck In this way a fairly regular schedule
was operated and commuters were delayed only
about an hour.
The police had much difficulty in keeping the
passengers moving under the bridge. A path
haG been cleared through the woods around
the wrecked bridge. Then policemen were sta
toned at various points along this hundred
yard path to guide the passengers. The woods
were muddy and there many holes and
couple Of fences. Some passengers ran across
n lot OF wiro and this too. caused great incon-
venience. After d while -anterns used to
In ali it was estimated that ten thousand per-
sons we're transferred by the path through the
woods to the northbound trains
Baggage taken by the railroad men TO the
trains waiting at the other end and this took
a long time and made especially great trouble
There were sixty trains delayed up to o'clock
In Westchester County early reports of the
accident made il appear that one of the accom-
mediation trains out Of the Grand Central sta
tion had been wrecked At Mount Vernon
Ncw-ROchelle and other places the telephone
lines were kept busy by the wives and families
of NeWYOra business men.
Within an hour or so after the falling of the
trusses anxious men and women began appear
ing at the stations In search of information
MaVg nr he cod hon
after being assured that the accident not
serious.
Many Westchester County residents who had
been the trains walked to the line OF the
'Huckeberry" trolley road. These cars were
overcrOWded. and in all OF them going TO Mount
Vernon and New Rochelle the people stood
six deep i'm the aises Some of the cars run
Ming from the Bronx Park elevated station to
Mount Vernon carried many loo passen-
gers. They moved At a snaif's pace. All the
hacks IN Mount Vernon were pressed into ser
vice. and we're hasy until a late hour.