New-York tribune., 1912-02-26
NINE HURT IN CRASH
OF ELEVATED TRAINS
Failure of Brakes to Work Ap-
parent Cause of Rear-End
Collision and Panic.
ISLAND STATION CONGESTED
Reserves Quell Excitement High
in Air, Three Persons Are
Taken to Hospital and
Traffic Delayed Hour.

Nine persons were injured and traffic
held UP for nearly an hour on the Third
Avenue Elevated Line last night by rea-
son Of rear end collision in which
Second avenue train crashed into the
rear of Third avenue train while the
Third avenue train was discharging its
passengers. at the 166th street station.
Nathan Steinman, sixty years old, OF
No. 1892 Washington avenue, with a
fractured rib and internal injuries, was
taken 10 Lebanon Hospital, as were Sara
Seidenberg, of No. 1874 Clinton avenue.
and Bridget Costello of No. 2050 Wash
jngton avenue The former was injured
about the back and Miss Costello has in
ternal injuries and bruised back and side,
Others who were hurt, but went home
were Bernard Duffy, of No. 1916 Morris
avenue: Anna Borman, of No. 2o2 West
i34th street: Lille Schwartz, of No. 6S1
East 10th street; Anthony Scuaro, Of
No. 212l Belmont avenue; Lena Rosener,
of No. 444 wendover avenue, and Grace
Castle of No 662 East 235th street.
An eight-car Third Avenue train,
northbound. was standing at the lb6th
street station, in charge of Joseph Nc
Donald. a motorman. of No. 491 East
lT5th street. and Fred" Abrahams' con-
ductor. of No. 3159 Bronx Boulevard.
The second train was a northbound Sec
ond avenue train, in charge of William
De Faber, motorman, of No. 5S9 East
18Th street. and Louis Meyer, conductor
of No. 341 East 13Sth street.
De Faber said he saw the train at the
station and attempted to slow up, but
the brakes did not work promptly and
his train crashed into the rear of the
first train. The force of the impact put
out the lights on both trains and there
Immediately followed panic on the
trains.
The passengers on the first train
quickly got to the platform, but the pas
sengers of the second train were kept in
the cars. rs the guards locked the doors
to keep the excited passengers from eX-
posing themselves to the third rail-
There were about fifty passengers on
the first train and seventy-flve on the
second train.
The windows Of the rear car of the
first train and Of the first two cars of the
second train were broken out and many
OF the. pa ssensers got minor injuries
from bits of glass. Patrolman Jansen,
OF the Morrisania station, heard the
crash and the cries of the excited pas
sengers and ran at once to the platform.
Seeing that he could not handle the situ-
alton unaided, he blew his whistle, and
Lieutenant McGorry, of the Morrisania
station. came to his assistance. The heu-
tenant sent word to the station for the
reserves. and directed the work of re-
moving tho passengers and saw that the
Injured were taken into the waiting room
Of the station.
A call for arnbulanoes was sent to Leb-
anon Hospital, and Drs. Faust and Ben
jamin responded with two ambulances.
In the meanwhile the station. with its
island platform. was becoming congested
with excited passengers, who sought TO
depart by the southbound trains. The
police finally found It necessary to clear
the platforms and send the crowd TO the
street below. where they Joined about one
thousand persons who had collected on
hearing there was an accident on the ele-
waited and that several persons were in
Jured
Coroner Schwanneke was one Of the
FIRST arrivals on the scene. and he aided
the police ir quieting the excited crowd
and calming the fears of the relatives OF
the injured ones