New-York tribune., 1910-01-06
BAD BRIDGE WRECK
ICY TRACKS CAUSE OF
COLLISION.
One Dead, Several Badly In
jured and Fifty Hurt IN
Stampede.

One man was killed, another so seri-
ously injured that he may die and sew
eral others were badly cut and bruised
last night is one of the worst accidents
in the history of the Williamsburg
Bridge. The wreck occurred at 6 o'clock,
just as traffic was at it's height Follow
ing the accident about fifty persons in a
crowd of three thousand were trampled
upon in a stampede. An Eastern Park
way train, made up of six cars, crashed
into a Kosciusko street train of four
cars, standing at the mouth of the De-
iancey street tunnel, about two hundred
feet from the Manhattan end of the
bridge. The latter was waiting to get
into the terminal Both train- had been
held in reserve for the bridge crush.
The dead man is Henry Frisker. of
No. 914 De Kalb avenue, Brooklyn,
guard on the Kosciusko express. When
the crash came he was thrown TO the
tracks and caught underneath the third
car of his train. Frisker was crushed TO
death One of his arms was severed and
was found some distance from the scene
of the accident. This at first led the
police to believe that a number of per-
sons had been killed, but a careful in
vestigatfon showed that Frisker was the
Cnly one to have lost his life.
Thomas Crane, the mOtorman in
charge of the Eastern Parkway train.
who lives at No. 2162 Fulton street,
Brooklyn, was caught in his box. 1t
was fully twenty minutes before he
could be extricated. DIR. Wiegle, the
house surgeon of Gouverneur Hospital.
found him to be in a critical condition.
He was taken to that institution, and IT
was said that he was suffering from in
ternal injuries, concussion of tine brain
and bruises and abrasions about the
body.
DOCTORS GIVE AID TO FIFTY.
There were in all about fifty persons
more or less injured, but after receiving
medical aid from physicians who re-
sponded from St Vincents. Bellevue and
St. Gregory's hospitals they were all able
to go home.
Had either of the trains been loaded
it is believed that many persons would
badly splintered.
The mOtOrman and two guards of the
Eastern Parkway train narrowly es-
capped death Benedict Matthewson. Of
No. 636 Hamburg avenue, Brooklyn, was
the motorman of the train and Charles
f. Hudds of No. 20 Schaffer street
Brooklyn, and John Revens, of No. 1861
Herkimer street, the guards. Like Crane.
Matthewson was scausht in his box,
while Hudds and Revens were held i'm
prisoned between two cars. Near by. ar
the time. was Henry ]. thinner. city
light inspector. He hurried over and,
with the assistance of several of the
guards of the two trains. who had
jumped to save themselves, succeeded in
getting out the three men, 1t was found
that they had been badly bruised and
cut about the body but after they had
been treated they were able TO make
their way home.
Matthewson was running train of
four cars across the bridge when he was
halted about two hundred feet from the
Delaney street terminal. The Eastern
Parkway train was following close be-
hind. When the motorman of the six
car train saw the one in front of him
had stopped ne threw on his brakes. but
they failed TO work on the slippery
tracks and his train ploughed into the
one ahead. Three cars of the first train
were thrown from the track and the two
forward ones of the Eastern Parkway
train left the rails. The impact was ter
rife and the crash sounded like the roar
of a cannon.
Patrolman Brewster of the Bridge sta
ton, who was in the terminal at the
Manhattan end, was the first on the
scene When he reached the wreck he
found that several cars had caught fire.
Dashing back to the terminal. he grabbed
"a fire extinguisher and managed to put
out the blaze. Everything was in con
fusion in a moment Ambulance calls
We're sent in.
SLIPPERY TRACKS THE CAUSE.
Crane. the motorman of the Eastern
Parkway train. was partly conscious
when found. and from his talk there is
no doubt that he set the brakes ON his
Continued on second page.
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