The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-17
R|PONM0NORA|L
ENDS in DISASTER.
Car Coll apses While
Speeding Around
Curve.
PASSENGERS ARE
BADLY INJURED
Men and Women, Unconscious
on Floor of Shattered Car, Are
Trafnpled Upon in Mad
Flight for Safety On
First Scheduled
Trip.
Especial to The Times-Dispatch.l

Especial to The Times-Dispatch.l
New York, July 16.-!The first sched-
uled trip of the new monorail car ply
ing between Bartow-on -the-Sound and
City Island came to disastrous end
this afternoon. Twenty or more pas
sengers were injured, some seriously.
when the superstructure at the top
and bottom, which forms track for
the car. gave way on a sharp curve
near Glover's Rock. midway between
Barlow and City Island.
The car was sizzling along at the
rate of torty-hve miles, and was ap-
parently working smoothly as it ap-
preached Glover's Rock. Suddenly
there was a terrible jolt, then a sound
OF tearing and splintering overhead.
The car stopped. toppled for an In
stant. and then fell over on Its side.
The forty-seven passengers were 1iung
among the debris at the bottom Of
the car, and some of them were PIN
toned in the car-shaped ends OF the
long, thin monorail
There were more than ten women In
the car at the time OF the accident.
That some of them were not killed
In the whistling car Is nothing short
Of a miracle. The marvellous escape
from death OF the passengers is bet
ter understood when 1t is explained
that the heavy seats on either side OF
the car were wreucned loose and
threshed around among the passengers
like fails.
Showers of Broken Glass.
Showers of broken glass from the
windows bombarded the helpless men
and women and inflicted terrible flesh
wounds.
Men and women, bruised and bleed
ing and utterly bewildered. uttered
shrieks of anguish and sought to
trample their way out INTO the open.
Joking few minutes before at the
prospect Of real rapid transit between
their homes and the Pelham Station
of the New Haven Railroad in place
of the antiquated horse car line, which
had been in operation up to to-day. A
dozen men and women lay unconscious
on the floor, and other passengers
trampled them under feet and made
dash for the opening.s
Howard H. Tunis the inventor of
the monorail, and the chief engineer
of the company which manufactures
the car and D. R. Brown, an electri-
Sidii VI llidSo, WStS III Cudl Sc VI til6
car. Beyond q few scratches they
were uninjured. and they soon suc-
ceeded in quieting most OF the pas
sengers.
In the meantime. several passengers
who had witnessed the accident from
Petro's Hotel. a shore resort 100 yards
away, had rushed up. and they lent
their assistance in calming the pas
sengers and succoring the wounded.
The hotel was turned into an i'm
promptu hospital. Telephone calls
had been hurriedly sent out for am
balances. and DR.. Carey, from Ford
ham Hospital, and an ambulance from
Westchester soon arrived. The ply
sicians finally announced that none Of
the passengers had been killed and
only three or four were In a serious
condition.
Just how many were seriously in
jured could not be learned, because
many of the wounded had been taken
away by friends in conveyances which
came from nearby stables and from
City Island.
1t Is belisved that the super
stand the pressure put upon 1t when
the car flew around the curve.
Test Trip Successful.
test trip was made Friday after
noon in which everything went
smoothly. and the five miles from City
Barlow was covered In seven minutes
For this reason, although the inven-
ton had failed to start on its first
test held July last, everybody was
assured of the safety OF the device.
Accordingly, campers from Orchard
Beach and residents of City island
were anxious to have the first ride
over the new system. The car was
crowded
The value of the monorail as
system Is not impaired by the acci-
dent. The fact that car can main
tain a high speed with little friction
on single track has been determined
to the satisfaction of the engineers
the world over. The principle is not
defiance of gravity, simply a plan
of working in accordance with grav-
ity
The American Monorail Company
built and operated the tracks upon
which the accident occurred.
Among the prominent fnanciers In
terested in the project are:
c.. G. Cuyler. of Cuyler, Morgan &
Co.: Robert II. McCarter. Attorney
General of New Jersey; Congressman
samuel Mcmillan, August Belmont and
some OF the officers Of the Inter-
borough