New-York tribune., 1910-08-24
Cars Loaded with Balls.


IN some respects the accident was one
OF the most remarkable that ever oc-
Cured between an automobile and a
train. The fatcars knocked into the
ditch were loaded heavily with steel
rails. and when the automobile crashed
into the side Of the train these rails
were thrown about and TO one side,
causing the cars 10 fall over. More
than q, dozen section hands on the train
were crushed and cut by these rails
The train was in charge Of Luke J
Levin. OF No 134 wiIIett street. ia
-1aica- ard was backing southwark
across the Merrick Road at moderate
speed The engineer was leaning out OF
his window. looking down the tracks.
The crossing al the Springfield Station
IS Ike many others on the Long Island
Railroads system. having as its only
protection against accidents = bell and
fagnan At the Springfield crossing,
however. the railroad tracks are in fun
vieH Of passing aUtomobilists on the
Nerrick Road for perhaps q quarter Of q
r2la on each side, but the fagTlan' 8
shauty. which is directly beside the
gates. could shut off the outlook OF a
person almost beside II
William Peach. the fagnan, either did
not see the automobile and the train
approaching. or else he calculated on
their being able TO pass each other with
~ accident. for he made no attempt
70 lower the gates until II was too late
The touring car, a large red machine
Of high power, was bowling along the
NIe--1ck Road toward Far Rockaway at
( speed Of about twenty miles an hour
Be-bou- sitting at the wheel OF his car.
although he was looking straight ahead
L the crossing. apparently made no
effort % bring his machine to q stop. II
+ thought he saw that the gates were
Up, and reasoned that he had the right
Of va. and that the train would stop
lef0re Il reached the crossing.
Neither Lessened Speed.
When the automobile reached q point
about a hundred feet from the tracks
the train was about the same distance
from the crossing. Yet neither diminished
trs speed The automobile leaped for
- arc as II struck the slight rise in the
ground before the crossing. and the front
wheels rolled over the board roadbed be
tween Tire rails.
The train vas by this time but a few
f-er from the point the aUtonoile had
reached. 7h= fats cars. with the section
hands. beinE ahead. None Of the men on
the train gave warning 70 the autoists;
sTuarenrlv either because they did not
have sufficient time 10 shout or because
rhe- thought t7e machine would not at
tempt 70 maze the crossing.
When II was roo late the train crew
saw The automobile squarelv across the
rails and yelled a warning Berhon
realized his desperate danger at the
same instant and made frantic efforts 70
escape The forward fat car struck the
automobile lust forward Of the centre
and the weight Of the train threw the
heavy machine four or five feet into the
sir. finally sending it crashing against
Ire upraieed southwest gate
The blow smashed the heavy iron
bound gate and bent and twisted the
-rcn stanchiou which forms its base
The whole thing had taken place 50
quickly rhst the automobile rebounded
llam the gate before the train had
passed. and fell directly before the sec
ond car Of the train, which ground the
machine 10 bits. As the automobile was
beng dragged along the track by the
tain there was loud explosion, toll
+-sred by sheet of fame forty feet IN
tie air
This aas caused BY the gasolene tank
l-ilz broken
When the ,rain hrst hit the Hirsch