New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-04
Their Three Companions Hurt as
FIange Breaks on Car Of Coney
Island Sensation"
RESERVES RESTRAIN CROWD
Freak Gravity Railway, New to
Coney Island, Tits Passengers
Against Iron Structure,
Then Drags Them On.

! Giant Racer" at Coney Island yester-
| day and three other persons were cut
and bruised when the last car or a
three-car train which was descending
the gravity ride" tilted to one side.
| throwing the occupants Of the car
against the uprights.
An instant after the accident the scenic
ride resounded with the screams OF the
wounded and the terrified cries Of the
other passengers.
Word of the fatal accident spread rap
idly and within a few moments Surf
avenue and 10th street were filled from
curb to curb with pushing. inquisitive.
anxious crowd. II required the utmost
efforts of the reserves from the Coney
Island police station 10 force the thou
sands back and allow the rescuers room
I'm which TO work.
The Giant Racer Is operated by the
International Roller Coaster Company.
according to the police. and has only
been in operation a few weeks. Each
| train is composed OF three cars, each
about eight feet in length. The cars
are drawn TO the topmost track Of the
structure on a cable. and are then freed
| from the cable grips and descend the
eighty feet to the ground in gradual cir
cles by the force OF gravity. No mo-
tormen are employed on the cars. the
speed being controlled by switchmen on
each track level. These men are sup
posed TO have charge Of a system by
means of which the two sets Of tracks
are so tightened when II is desired to
reduce the speed of the trains that tho
wheels cannot revolve.
Supposed to Reduce Speed.
| AS a train approaches one Of the many
sharp curves on the tracks these switch
men are supposed to reduce the speed
| sufficiently to permit of taking the
curve In safety. According to the man
agement these men were at their posts
when the accident happened, and shut
| off the speed of the wrecked train be
! fore it reached the curve near the Surf
avenue entrance. 1t is supposed. how
ever, that the strain on the Hanged
wheels of the last car was too great, and
! that they left the tracks, fitting the car
/ over on its side.
! A party Of four women and one man
| boarded the last car Of a three car train
on the Giant Racer at o'clock and
started slowly to the top. Miss MAY
Kallighan, thirty-five years old. Of No.
/ 14S Meriden street, Scranton. and Mrs.
Alice Provost, forty years old, Of No.
| 227 Morrison avenue. Jersey City. sat in
the last seat In the second seat were
Mrs. Mary Hardin. forty-two years old.
of No III Mott Terrace, Schenectady,
sister Of Mrs. Provost, and her sister
in law Mrs. Ruby Hardin, forty years
old, Of No. 80 James street. Scotia,
y. Y. William ]. Smith. twenty-eight
years old, of No 229 Monitor street.
Brooklyn a nephew Of Miss Kallighan.
was in the third seat
Fatal Descent Begins.
The shouts of laughter OF the women
I'm the car could be plainly heard by
those below as the car mounted 10 the
uppermost point OF the Giant Racer"
| With the downward descent the shouts
increased, the women screaming hysteri-
| cally every time the train took steep
dip. although they were not frightened.
When the train was on the second
level, forty feet above the ground, It had
regained full speed AS it neared the
Surf avenue entrance. and had begun To
straighten out for the dash sea -ard
asaln, there was a grinding, screeching
ha md in, a
the rear car had tilted sharply TO the
right, throwing Miss Kallinghan and
Mrs. Provost almost out OF their seats.
Just what happened in the next instant
is not known, but 1t Is probable that the
women's heads were dashed against ths
steel posts OF the framework, causing al
most instant death.
The two other women and Smith were
thrown violently to one side by the side
swing of the train. but none OF them
was injured seriously. Fortunately for
them. the train came to stop twenty
feet further along the track, the wrecked
car acting AS brake
The bodies Of Mrs. Provost and Miss
Kallighan still remained In the car.
although hanging over the side. Smith
| and the two women in the forward seats
| were too stunned and horrified to rea-
! lie fully what had happened, and white
| they were recovering from shock en-
Moves Of the Roller Coaster Company
swarmed up the structure to the rescue.
Removing Dead and Injured.
| I, was necessary 10 run planks from
the framework to an island platform be-
side which the car had stopped. This
| dome the bodies of the two women were
lowered to the ground aud then the
living ones were helped down by firemen
from Truck IA.
Sergeant O'Connell, of the coney Isl
and station, was passing at the time OF
the accident. He sent in a call for the
police reserves and an ambulance from
the Coney Island Hospital and then ran
| tn the scene AS the dead and injured
wore carried to the street they were
taken IN hand by three surgeons Mrs.
Provost and Miss Kallighan had died
from fractured skulls. Their heads ana
chests were crushed almost beyond rec
| ognition.
,rhe crowds had grown to such an ex-
| tent fby this time that Inspector Doolcy
called out every available patrolman. ana
! the thousands were swept backward. Al
ter the dead had been taken TO the Coney
island morgue the inspector caused Ed
ward j. thinner. manager ot the oiah'
! Racer" to be brought 10 the police sta
tion. where he was asked about the sc-