The sun., 1907-08-16
THREE KILLED AT A CROSSING
BROOKLYN TROLLEY CAR AND 4
TRAIN ~ COLLISION.


showed sidewise. Crushed Them Public
service Commission QuicI< TO Investigate
One man was killed outright. man and
woman died of their injuries after being
taken to the hospital and five other per-
sons were hurt seriously as the result OF a
collision at i:4O o'clock yesterday after
noon between DeKalb avenue trolley car
o2i OF the Coney Island and Brooklyn Com
pany and a dirt train OF the Long Island
Railroad at the grade crossing OF the Man
haitian Beach line Of the Long Island sys-
tenn and Coney Island avenue in the region
known as Parkville.
The woman who died was Mrs. Anna
Cohen. about so years old, Of POI Pulaski
street. Brooklyn. The man who was killed
outright was identified last night at the
Brooklyn morgue as Arthur johnson, 10
years old, of 87 Fourth avenue. Brooklyn.
Up to a late hour last night the other man
had not been identified. All the dead and
injured received their hurts because they
jun ped from. the trolley car. None of
those who remained on it was hurt.
At the junction of Coney Island avenue
and the railroad crossing there is a high
board fence TO the west surrounding a
lumber yard and planning mill. II cuts
Oh all view to the west along the railroad
tracks and to the north along the trolley
tracks. A hagman is stationed at the
crossing by the railroad company and con-
ductors Of the trolley line have orders to
run ahead to the crossing 20 signal the
motorman when or when not TO cross.
The railroad tracks run from Sixty
fifth street and were formerly part Of the
Sea Beach line to Manhattan Beach. The
road is now to be part OF the connecting
railroad OF the Pennsylvania to carry freight
around New York from New Jersey and
to cross the East River by a new bridge
over Wards Island. The railroad is maxi
ing excavations in depressing the tracks
for what is known as the Bay Ridge i'm
provement. The dirt is loaded on fiat
cars and after train is made up il Ia run
east along the track and then switched
down on the new Brighton Beach road
elevated tracks where it is used for filling in.
dirt train OF ten cars, with Sanford
Weeks in charge Of the locomotive, had
been filed a short distance west of the
scene Of the accident yesterday afternoon
and was being backed down slowly toward
the crossing. Edward J. Brisach, brake
man. was on the rear end TO give the en-
gineer signals. At the same time the
De Kalb avenue trolley car had come to a
stop just beside the board fence which
screened the dirt train from view. Fred
erick Piaty was the motorman and Gustave
Keggendorf the conductor. Keggendorf
ran to the crossing John Gottschalk was
the Hagman. The dirt train was approach
ing at the rate Of about three miles an hour
Gottschalk and Keggendorf say they
signalled Piaty to stop and that he mis-
understood the signal. He turned on the
current to cross. The Hagman ran TO the
car and tried to stop it. Then he shouted
to come on.
The car had only about twenty-five per-
sons aboard. IL had been loaded heavily,
but large number Of children and grown
folk got OF at Prospect Park to have an
outing. On the irst seat OF the car were
plain clothes men Dukeshire and Phillips
Of the Parkville precinct. They jumped
up and shouted to the passengers 20 remain
seated They thought the car would clear
the dirt train, and Dukeshire says that if
full current had been turned on it would have
done so.
A great screaming arose in the car and
the passengers began dropping on on the
side furthest from the dirt train. They
ducked under the rail that runs the length
of the car to do so.
The trolley car had got three-fourths
across the railroad track when 1t was hit
by the last car Of the dirt train. Engineer
Weeks had received signal from his brake
man to go ON. The running board OF the
trolley was smashed to flinders. the side OF
the car crushed and the last two seats
| doubled up and broken. The momentum
| kept pushing the rear end Of the trolley
| around and it caught those who dropped
OF. The car was pushed about twenty
| five feet and turned completely around
before the dirt train stopped. The in
jured were under the trolley car
Dukeshire and Phillips at once called out
| the police reserves from three stations.
Ambulances came from the Kings County
and the Seney hospitals.
The man killed outright. later identified
| as johnson. was about five feet nine inches
tall, smooth shaven, with blue eyes and
, blue serge coat. He had transfer ticket
| in his clothes from the Broadway and
| Columbus avenue line, and one on the
| Putnam avenue line in Brooklyn. He
also had note addressed to man named
Henry Reichold of Parkville. signed Florence,
enclosing IS and telling Rsichold TO give
| him her dress suit case. The note also
gave directions TO get off at Avenue F.
| He lost his life on the errand.
Mrs. Cohen, who died after being re-
moved to the Kings County Hospital. had
severe internal injuries Fritz Gebhardt.
80 years old, Of l0e East Fourth street,
Brooklyn, had his left leg and body in
jured Mrs Sellick, aged 80, Of s7i Bed
| ford avenue, Brooklyn. had cuts on her
face and body. but was able to go home.
Herbert Rex, q boy Of II. Of ia jefferson
avenue, Brooklyn, had cuts on his head
| and body and was unconscious when tax en-
out Frank Hartz, ~ years old, address
not given, had both legs and an arm frac-
tured He will probably die
An unidentified man, who wore a gray
suit was smoothly shaven, had tan shoes
and socks and who was about 20 years old
was found wedged far under the car and
unconscious. He died soon after being
4 .ka baapitaI Hia sktiu had haax,