The sun., 1907-12-11
EXTRA FINE BRIDGE JAM
SHUTTLE TRAINS AND TROLLEYS
GO LAME AT RUSH TIME.

Gates Have 60 Be'ClOsed Five Times IN q
Rearing Crowd DT Hungry Long lsIRnd-
ers-Capt. Murtha speaks n Phecs and
Beats ELIAS Hopping Performance.
A series Of petty delays and bitches cul-
minating in a twenty-five minute block
of the shuttle trains on the Brooklyn Bridge
last night caused the bridge police to be-
come fairly breRthless from eXertion and
kept half Of Brooklyn from its supper.
just because it was a damp and foggy
night things had 10 go wrong from the very
start of the homeward rush. At o'clock
a trolley car bound for New York went on
the track on the bridge structure. Trolley
service was tied up till ithO refractory car
could be lacked up and put on the track
again.
About $50 o'clock. when the crush OF
people is at its greatest under ordinary
conditions, the shuttle trains became con-
gested and il was necessary to shut the
gates downstairs three times for brief
periods to keep three people from at
tempting to stand where there was only
room for one
At ten minutes Of a shuttle train bound
for Brooklyn lost its grip on the cable while
climbing the hill leading to the centre OF
the bridge. The train behind IL stopped
in time to avoid collision. 1t was neces-
sary to detach the motor car from the train
and push the stalled train across to the
Brooklyn side. The motor car then had
TO return and pull its own train across.
II took over twenty-five minutes to ac-
complish this and during that time the
gates at the Manhattan end Of the bridge
were closed for the fourth time The up
stairs platform was jammed with people.
Two trains standing beside the platform
ready to start were packed. Two empty
trains stood idly in the pockets.
Back of the railing at the top OF the stair
way was Capt. Murtha OF the bridge
police in uniform. The captain when he
was not busy hopping across the tracks
TO the incoming platform with more agility
than ever Eliza displayed in crossing the
ice was energetically ringing the telephone
bell in an effort to find out what was the
matter Sergt. John Quinn husky man.
raced up and down stairs executing the
captains orders At intervals the captain
would make "a brief speech to those Of the
waiting mob who were near enough to hear
him.
TRAIN stalled on the bridge Lost grip
on cable. May be all right in fifteen minutes,
NAV be in two. Trains on other side run
ming all right" he would announce, and
later: Cant tell how long this will last.
~ anybody wants TO 20 uOWublblTS lileEe
plenty of room this way
A good many people began to filter down
the stairs but most of the crowd waited
in good natured patience. Meanwhile
persons overfiowed downstairs into Park
row. The subway was filed and the trOlleys
so squeezed with humanity that they too
became congested and moved with the
utmost difficulty.
At $40 o'clock. when the gates had been
shut nearly half an hour. the gong sounded
for a train TO leave. low roar of relief
rising from a couple of thousand throats
greeted the gong's stroke. Two minutes
later the gates downstairs were opened.
There followed terrible rush in which
men and women were jammed beyond
endurance. For a few minutes there was
nothing to be seen but contOrted faces.
nothing to be heard but gasps and screams
from women, mingled with the nervous
pleading cries Of the half helpless police
men. Then things eased up a bit.
The gates were closed once more for about
three minutes. In the meantime reserves
from the Fulton street police station. Brook
lyn, called out by Capt. Murtha. had their
hands full at the Brooklyn end Of the bridge.
The shuttle trains were not taken OF until
\ o'clock.