New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-22
CRASH AT BATH BEACH
TRAIN HITS TROLLEY CAR.
Score Of Passengers on Way to
COney Hurt an Collision.

Panic and serious injury to a score and a half
OF passengers followed the latest Brooklyn Rapid
Transit wreck last night at S6th street and
Eighteenth avenue. where there was a bad acci-
dent only three months ago. One will die.
A Bath Beach train and 39th street trolley car
crashed together just past Van Pelt Manor,
where the 39th street trolley line crosses the
tracks of the Bath Beach elevated to Coney
Island.
Nearly every one of the fifty passengers in
the trolley bruised and lacerated. Sim
liar injuries were suffered by nearly all those
who sat on the right side of the train Twenty
five OF the passengers received such severe in
juries that TREY had to be taken to the hospitals
While most of the others went home after being
treated by the ambulance surgeons from Kings
County Coney Island and Norwegian hospitals
THE INJURED.
tusiOns OF both spine: Norwegian Hospital
AHTIDsoN, Ehrck. No 1916 18th street, Brooklyn;
BAKER George No as Goth street Brooklyn pos
f6ts osn,, fracture Of jaw coney Island Reception
BAKER Bv Mrf Isan% MSrsa oddre;s spranod back
compound fracture Of lower Jaw; Norwegian Hos,
ured shouderaud contusions Of right hip.
6@ aafSnne and and % Brook
right S9 a S S sSess s99Yn asps of
CALKEY Joseph No 46s 43d street Brooklyn; fracture
of right thigh: Norwegian Hospital
DALTON George, No. go Second laceratei wound
FITZGERALD, Edward No 427 street Brooklyn
GRANELL. Professor. No avenue. Manhattan.
of NJ the M @ 4f'a nd siFff6 fracture 6sP the eft
thigh may die; Norwegian Hospital.
r@aaa Of i The No S @ 'a H8Pa 6.PG'
A1 xc1nd P Of the no sa t2 ts srge 'oeaed
wound Of the scalp and confessions Of left knee;
STARR. Anna No 81 Park avenue: broken ankle.
THOMPSON; Laura. twelve years old No 212 2oth
ntsTT nfsTnaly severe injuries 10 pack ana '"''
WEST. Grace No, 54I Firth avenue Brooklyn.
The trolley car was bound for Coney Island.
and the train composed Of the familiar summer
cars with open sides. speeding toward New
York. The accident occurred just before
o'clock, as the homeward tide began to surge
up from Coney SO far as the police could learn.
the fagman at the crossing had signaled clear
road to the elevated train Either the motorman
of the trolley car misunderstood the signal. or
took a chance of lodging the train. for he
started his across the track. The train hit
the just behind the front platform slewing
ii around and across the outbound tracks AS
the toppled over II crashed against feed
wire pole. The pole rShted the car but il
snapped off under the strain, and the finally
stuck upright with the jagged stump OF the pole
thrust up through the floor.
Framework floor and sides, ali demoi-
ished and the passengers lay buried under razor
edged spinters of glass and wood. A few sec
onds after the accident it looked as though every
passenger had been killed,
Many Of those penned in tho wreckaEo were
women and their shrin cries mingled with
the means Of the more seriously injured. In
the elevated train there a panic All
those in the forward car fought and scrambled
to get out through the open sides Of the
car II took only few seconds to empty
It. but the floor was strewn with coats and hats
and torn curtains, as well splintered seats
along the right side Of the train. In the rear
car half the passengers were flung from their
seats by tho impact and there was just as
earnest a scramble if less frightened one,
through the sides Of the car TO the street. To
add TO the confusion the trolley poles lost the
feed wires and bumped and swung against
them lighting up the with CHASTITY blue
flames and sending a shower of sparks around.
Before the arrival of the ambulance and the
police reserves from the nearer precincts the
men from Engine Company 143. in Eighteenth
avenue. who had heard the crash. came run
ming up with axe and pick and began to dig out
the injured from the wreckage In a short time
they had taken out eight. all unconscious. a. c.
Otis, proprietor Of the Van Pelt Manor Phar-
macy found Eric Harbinson with an artery in
his leg severed by a fragment of glass. He
held the artery in place until the arrival Of the
surgeons and undoubtedly saved the man from
a fatal hemorrhage.
Captain Lincoln Gray. of the 10Th Precinct
ordered five men detained pending the investiga-
ton to place tho responsibility for the accident
These were Edward Lowenthal the haGman at
the crossing: William Hohe and Curtin Baldwin
conductor and motorman of the train, and
Thomas MurphI and Joseph Sites conductor
ana moto1nac of the trolley car. Later a boz,
thought to be the of the hagman. was ar
rested also.
After examining them, Inspector Harkins let
the two conductors and the boy go home, but
placed the motormen under arrest. Their stories
appeared to put the blame for the disaster on
the shoulders of the motorman of the trolley
car They said that he disregarded the signal
of the hagman to halt.
FIFTY YEARS IN FREIGHT CAR HOME