New-York tribune., 1906-07-05
HEAD-ON COLLISION.
Immense CrO5Ud Vie5gs Brighton
Beach Spectacle.

railroad wreck. devoid of dead or injured
passengers, was witnessed by sixty thousand per-
sons when two SO-ton locomotives crashed in
head-on collision the Brighton Beach ractrack
yesterday afternoon.
The engines deserted by their drivers. de-
stroyed in the centre of the racetrack. The sound
of smashing metal and escaping steam accompanied
the destruction of the locomotives, which had out
lived their usefulness the Central Railroad OF
New Jersey. The audience was the largest that
had ever filed the grandstand and field seats at
the track.
The signal to start the engines was given by
Joseph S. Connolly. the mechanical expert OF the
spectacle at 5:52 o'clock. A second later the
each other from the east and west ends OF the
track. Engine No started by Roy Matthews
at the throttle. and at the same time Engine NO.
answered TO the touch OF Edward Dwyer. AT the
final signal both engineers threw the throttles Woe
open and leaped into the soft. muddy track bed.
while the locomotives rushed together The speed
OF Engine No. was some thirty miles an hour'
while the other locomotive almost left the rails as
it covered the track at some fifty miles an hour
The locomotives little to the westward OF
the halfway point terrific shock and LOUD re-
port were followed by clouds of steam. which hid
the interlocked engines from view.
When the clouds Of steam lifted the two engines
were a heap of scrap iron. welded into shapeless
mass Engine had crashed half way into the
other locomotive, and then. bounding into the air
had dropped 70 one side OF the track The wreckase
was two feet deep in the mud Expert engineers
examined the w-eckage before they announced tnat
the danger of another explosion was past.
struggle followed the engineers examination
Fences were carried away and benches were torn
from their fasenings by the crowd in its eagerness
to see the nass OF metal. The safety lines formed
by the police were swept before the crowd, Whlch
waded knee deep through the swamp inside the
track circle to get souvenirs of the collision. Hand
somey gowned women were carried in the arms OF
their escorts through the marsh to the wreckage'
where everything movable was carried away De-
fore the police could control the crush A panic
was barely averted when those in the rear pushed
forward throwing at least a hundred OF the souYe-
mir hunters into pond. Police inspector Dona4o
Grant realizing the damage, ordered his force or
two hundred men TO drive the crowd from the track
grounds Mounted policemen pushed through the
struggling mob which forced from the IN
closure after a desperate struggle. which fortu-
nately resulted in no accidents. The crowd was
good natured and quick to see the need for ponce
action.
The gates to the racetrack were opened at -
O'Clock to 200 visitors, who had bought tickets IN
advance. The sale Of seats that followed was a
spectacle in ITSELF Thousands filed past the ticket
boxes. filling both the gTandstand and held seats
long before o'clock. the time scheduled for the col
lision.
Inspector Grant directed Sergeant Grossbach to
call for two hundred policemen which. added 10 the
special Brighton Beach police. made force OF 800
men The hour for the collision had passed. when
If vas announced that the spectacle would be post
poned until o'clock. that the racetrack patrons
at Sheepshead Bay could be present vaudeVne
performance kept the crowds good natured Whle the
field was being filed to its capacity. Danger lines
were placed at radius Of 500 feet from the spot
where the wreck was take place. The police formed
three cordons around the track so that the crowds
could be more easily handled in case Of an accident
Outside Of the grounds were 10000 persons.
perched on advertising fences, roofs and YER
andas of hotels. Ocean Parkway was lined with
automobiles, whose occupants waited hours under
the hot sun to witness the crash.
The remaining wreckage will be dynsmited to- to.
built several years ago by the Baldwin Locomotive
Works and were in until purchased by Alfred
A Summerville, the promoter of the spectacle.
No damage done to the racetrack. with the
exception of a deep hole where the engines came
together The wheels Of the locomotives caused
most of this damage, they continued to revolve
after the collision.