New-York tribune., 1912-01-08
ONE MAN KILLED AS
TRAIN RUNS AWAY
Brakes Fail to Work on Long
Island RaiIroad-EmpIoye
the Victim.
STREET FLOODED WITH MILK
Wild Cars Wreck Coach, Crash
Through Bumper and Make
Junk of Taxicab in De-
structlve Course.

one man was killed and one man Sc
riously injured last night at Hampstead
when a milk train. due at that station
at los o'clock, ran Wild after the
brakes refused 10 work as the train lett
Garden City. There is a sharp down
grade. with curve directly after leav-
ing Garden City, and the train was
going about thirty-five miles an hour at
the time.
The dead man was Harry Limerman,
conductor OF the train. He lived at
Woodhaven, was married and had a
large family. He is said TO have jumped
from the train just before 1t struck the
bumper He fell under the wheels and
his skull was fractured he was inter-
nally injured and both his legs were
cut off.
John Webber. motorman OF the train.
vas only slightly injured, although he
remained in the cab of his car until the
last When the motor car OF the train
launched itself forward and dropped on
The porch OF Schwenckes real estate Of
flee Webber was shut In his little box
like berth by bent iron and splintered
woodwork \ crew with axes rescued
him.
Thomas r. May, one Of the trainmen.
was so badly injured that IL is believed
he viii not live until morning. He has
fractured skull and other injuries and
is still unconscious. He lives at Wood
haven.
As the train hit the grade the motor
man started 10 apply his brakes as he
approached Hampstead, the last station
on the line. They would not work. and
the speed of the runaway train increased
alarmingly. The train crew tried to
work the hand brakes. but the slippery
coating of snow and ice on the rails rem
dered them powerless to check the speed.
and the train rushed onward.
Coming into the Hampstead station
the train struck an empty passenger
| coach on the main track and demolished
it. The train also ripped up a long sec
tion OF the track and then crashed head
on into the bumper at the end Of the
lie. going through II as if it were paper.
1t is believed that the victims, both OF
whom were members OF the train crew,
were killed as the first car struck the
bumper.
To persons still on the streets in
Hampstead it was a strange sight. They
could hear the shouts OF the train crew
and see the wild train rushing forward to
its destruction. When the first car Of
the train struck the standing passenger
coach there was resounding crash, a
sheet Of fame from the third rail and
the coach was mass of wreckage.
The wild train kept on. ripping up the
rails as it went. but did not leave the
tracks. The heavy bumper under the
freight shed crumpled before the Impact
and the three cars rushed on, until ;hey
crashed through the board fence in Full
ton street.
Just at the other side of this fence was
taxicab owned by Alanson S. Losee. of
Tempstead. The first car hit the taxi
cab, from which Losee had just stepped.
and reduced 1t TO junk. 1t then con-
tinued its course, and landed with
crash on the front porch OF the real
estate Office Of o. l.. Schwencke, finally
coming to a stop there.
Fulton avenue, where the train landed,
was flooded with milk, every one of the
cans having been spilled into the street.