New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-15
THIRD RAIL LIGHTS
MILK TRAIN WRECK
Ripped Up by Steel Hopper OF
Coal Car, It HaItS New
York Central Traffic.
BLOCKS TRACKS TWO HOURS
Vividly Eliminates Scene OF
Accident Near Marble Hill
and Aids Wrecking
Crews.

sixteen ears were derailed and
strewn about over the tracks. holding
mp traffic. both local and express. for
almost tWo hours last night when the
heavy steel hopper Of coal car. when
had been sandwiched into middle sec
ton Of fiftv-one- milk tram.
ripped I'D a 300 foot section OF thlrd
rail on the main line OF the New YORK
Central early last evening near Marple
Hi between Spuyten Duyvil ana
KingsbridGe.
No one was injured. The electric TO-
connective and the first dozen cars kept
the rails and were brought 10 stop
without accident
The accident occurred little after y
O'Clock The long train. composed
mostly of milk cars bound for Manhat-
tan. riimbled through the rock cut az
the foot of Marble Hill at twenty
mile an hour gait and emerged on 10
the sharp grade which skirts the har-
lem River at that point Nithoul
warning TO brakemen or engineer 'he
middle of the train suddenly Jack
knitted and began splitting apart
Cars broke apart with series oil
crashes. rode w on each other ana feH
away ON both sides, blocking both
tracks and even sliding down the steep
embankment toward the river.
ont of the mass of broken cars the
heavy third rail. torn from its fasten-
ings spiralled up into the air with "A
series If rcports and flashes that could
be seen and heard for miles. Dozens
of short circuits rs the rail cam" INTO
contact with the iron and steel OF the
wrecked cars made il impossible for
trainmon To- get near the wrcckage. anu
when the mass Of broken rolling stock
finally came 10 a staudstill the heavily
charged rail stuck out OF the wreckage
twenty feet in the air. flashing ana
shifting like blue beacon light
All Traffic Blocked.
Employees called the nearest power
house on the telephone and had Tue
current shut of. Investigation dis
closed sixteen cars and their contents
s'rown about over both north and soutn
bound tracks. completely blocking trar-
nc and making even their discntancie-
mont 10y Nrcckers problematical. SeN-
craI Of the cars missed trip into the
river hv tho narrowcst possible mar
KIN and others were piled high on the
cmhankmcnt nearest the outbound
track.
calls To the Grand Central Terminal
soon brought wrccking trains. and the
work If opening the line began.
While dlspatchcrs AZ the Grand CEN
trail Terminal stuck 10 their instru-
menis. sending instructions FOR the
Of the constantly congcsting
upstate traffic. series ~ wreckcrs IN
charge 81 hastily organized crews were
being rushed 10 the scene Of the acct
dent. Tho mon in charge ~ the work
soon discovered that they had dliii-
cult job on their hands
The third rail. whose dislocation had
caused the accident. had been torn from
its fastcnings FOR distance Of more
than five hundred feet and had not
only thrown the ears from the track.
piling them mp and demolishing many
81 them. but il had become wound into
the running gear Of several Of the cars
in such fashion that IL held the mass
OF wreckagc securely together.
The result was one of the most ,cri-
Gus crises the local division Of the Dad
has faced i'm wears. From a little after
y O'Clock. when the accident occurred
until 1898 o'clock last night, not "A
train. local or express. passed over
the main Bunalo-New York line. TIL"
officials at the Grand Central Terminal
kept the crowds informed of the prog
ross Of the work and enabled many be-
lated commuters 10 get home by other
routes At 1879 o'clock the wreck had
been cleared away sufficiently 10 per-
init the first train 10 be run through.
and 10y midnight the smashed cars had
been cleared away and the tracks re-
paired sufficiently To allow the com
plcte resumption Of traffic.
The aftermath of the wreck comes
this morning in the form of disappoint-
incnt To some thousands OF New York
ers whose coffee will he without mix.
estimate how many gallons Of the luid
were cmptied by the accident. but il
Will run well into the thousa nds. The
railroad officials will begin an inVcsti-
cation early to-day To determine the
precise cause OF the trouble.