New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-07-04
TRAIN HITS AUTO AND
TWO GIRLS ARE KILLED
Dauqhters CT Andrew Crawford
Meet Instant Death at
Railroad Crossing.
FATHER AND DRIVER HURT
Latter Tried to Cross Ahead OF
Oncoming Long Island Train
When Brakes on Machine
Refused to Work.

Taking a desperate chance yesterday
afternoon. when the brakes of his auto
mobile went wrong, Charles Mense-
bauer, a chauffeur. tried TO cross N
front of a Long Island Railroad train
which was approaching the Merrick
Road crossing at high speed. and failed
The engine struck the machine at the
pants out, killing two of them. Miss
Charlotte Crawford, nineteen years DID,
and Miss 3anet Crawford. seventeen
years old. OF West 253d street. River
dale. Mengebauer and Andrew Craw-
ford, father of the young women, es-
capped with minor injuries.
The crossing at which the accident &C.
Cured has long been known as one OF
the most dangerous to automobiles on
the railroad 1t was here. a few years
ago. that several persons from Brook
Iyn were killed when the tally-ho IN
which they were riding was struck by a
train. Since that time it has been
known as ''TaIly-ho Crossing. Tho
Long Island Railroad has made ir1-
provements at the spot recently. 80 thae
it is possible for approaching autorr1o-
bilists to obtain fairly good view Of tro
tracks. both north and south OF the
crossing. Despite this the car was
driven directly across the path Of the
engine.
Mr.. Crawford and his daughters had
been on a tour of the South Shore yes
terday and at the time of the accident
were bowling along the Merrick Road m
an easter1y direction At the crossing
there is no 7agn1an stationed out an
electric bell has been installed which
rings upon the approach Of train.
Whether the bell failed to work prop
er1v Yesterday has not yet been deter
mined, but it is known that the auto,
mobile approached the crossing with no
Iessening of it's speed
Brakes Would Not Work.
Mr. Crawford was on the seat beside
the chauffeur. and his two daughters &C.
c,,niad the rear of the automobile. When
the car had reached a point within a
hundred yards Of the track Menseoauer
applied the brakes. gradually at nrs',
then with full force. The machlne hau
hean moving fast and was now but d
few wards from the crossing. Wneh
uergebauer realized that the brakes
would not check the speed or MS car He
determined to try to cut across thS
tracks in front of the train
With full power on, the car leaped
forward with increased speed. and IL
seemed as though the Crawford party
zyouId escape the collision BY this tirnes
however. the train was almost upon
them. and although the engineer had
nut on his brakes so Sharply that
the train slid along the tracks with the
wheels locked, it was too late. ana 'ne
heavy engine hit the automobile with
great force
The pilot of the engine struck the tom
neau of the Crawford machine, crushing
il and throwing the car more than NIFTY
feet and clear of the rails. The young
women must have died as soon as the
collision occurred Their skulls We're
fractured by the blow from the engine
and their bodies were mutilated-
Mr.. Crawford and Mengebaner. seated
in the front of the car. escaped the full
force of the impact with the engine. but
were tossed into the air and landed to
the east of the tracks. Mr. Crawford was
severely bruised his ankle was sprained
and a. blood vessel was ruptured. Mense-
bauer received internal injuries
Father Crazed with Grief.
When Mr. Crawford saw the bodies OF
his daughters lying by the roadside. he
became crazed with grief and could
make no connected statement about the
accident. While he was endeavorfng TO
resuscitate them. the engineer OF tha
train and the passengers. who had
rushed to the side of the tracks. carried
the bodies of the two young women 70 a
field and sent for DR.. J. H Foster. OF
Valley Stream. The physician saw that
the young women had been instantly
killed and then turned his attention TO
Mr.. Crawford. trying to quiet him.
Coroner DeMott arrived soon after
ward and took charge of the situation.
He ordered that the bodies of the two
young women be taken TO an undertake
ing establishment at Lynbrook- Mengs-
bauer was taken to the Nassau Hospital
and Mr.. Crawford was sent TO his home.
The Coroner took measurements in or
der to find out how far 1t was possible
to see train from the road These he
will use when the inquest is called.
Mrs. Crawford. mother OF the girls. went
to the Nassau Hospital in motor car late
in the afternoon She was accompanied by
a clergyman. and few minutes later Dr.
Titus OF New York, the Crawford family
physician, arrived. The first word Mrs
Crawford received of the accident said that
her daughters had been badly hurt and
were in the hospital
On reaching there II was necessary 10 tell
her the truth. -This was done by the clergy
man. to whom the facts were first related
Mrs. Crawford broke down and wept Bit
terly for some time. She then hurried back
TO New York to see her husband. whom shs
must have passed on the way out