New-York tribune., 1915-07-12
CONEY CROWDS
WILD AS WRECK
BLOCKS f. LINES
Trains in nTerminalS Stalled
for Hours When Express
Car Jumps Track.
SCORES OF WOMEN
FAINT, NONE HURT
Thousands Walk Mile or More to
Island from Ulmer Park as
Rain Ruins Finery.

Two cars Of an all-steel, six-car ex-
press train on the Sea Beach line
jumped the track. just before reaching
the COney Island terminal yesterday
afternoon. For almost two hours not
a train moved in or out of the ter
minal. Panic prevailed on the train.
The biggest crowd Of the year at Coney
went wild at the news that half the
lines leading home were blocked
Trains were held up all along the lines
centring at the Sea Beach terminal
and thousands walked upward Of a mile
10 get to the island.
The Sea Beach train was within 100
feet Of the platform. The first car had
already lurched across the switch. The
second car, with the weight of tons Of
steel and humanity behind il, went
off at a tangent. Its forward truck
leaped the rails. The third car fol-
lowed its lead, uprooting tracks and
third rail as it ploughed along. The
train came to jarring stop with one
third its length zigzagging out across
the outbound track.
More than 700 passenger. were
aboard the train. Many Of them were
already on their feet making for the
doors when the train shivered and be-
gan to pound. Great sparks leaped
high above the cars and vivid electric
flashes shot up beside the windows.
Women Faint from Shock.
Passengers sprawled in the aisles.
Women shrieked. The combined wall
of scores of frightened children arose
in every car. When the disjointed
train at last came to halt dozens of
women were unconscious from shock.
Transit employees and policemen rushed
out from the terminal, and when the
doors were opened piloted men. women
and children across the maze of tracks
to the station. Some we're carried. 1t
was found no one was hurt, though
several women were unable to proceed
further than the terminal for some
minutes.
Trains began to pile UP on the Sea
Beach line, the West End line and the
Thirty-ninth Street trolley line, all of
which have the same terminus. To
make the tie-up more complete a
h 49,, fpf a
tracks within fifty feet of the Sea
Beach train less than fifteen minutes
after the first accident.
Sea Beach trains were stalled in the
cut between Sixty-second Street and
Eighty-sixth Street. and in the mead
ows beyond Eighty-siXth Street. 1t
seemed easier to go ahead than to at
tempt to retrace their steps through
the cut. and the passengers picked
their way along the tracks.
Learning of the block. the B. r. T.
ordered Sea Beach trains to stop at
Kings Highway. where the West End
line crosses overhead. Passengers on
the Sea Beach trains were directed to
transfer there to West End trains.
which would carry them to Ulmer Park,
something more than a mile from
Coney Island. The West End trains,
already overcrowded. were completely
swamped by the new hordes.
Summer Finery Drenched.
Pouring out of the West End trains
at Ulmer Park, passengers found they
had a mile and a half to walk to the
island. They walked it. A drizzle set
in about the middle of the afternoon,
drenching the thousands who plodded
along the tracks for an afternoon of
pleasure.
The rain added to the impatience of
the scores of thousands at the island.
Although Surf Avenue, the beaches and
resorts were still jammed as though
not another junketer could find foot
room the plaza in front of the Culver
station was choked with a surging
crowd, clamoring for passage home.
Captain Linden, of the COney Island
police station, had forty men at hand.
For hours they strove to feed the peo-
ple to the train platforms in numbers
which would not overwhelm the service.
Out in the yard wrecking crews were
heaving manfully at the ponderous
cars. At $3.50, one hour and forty min
utes after the accident, one track was
clear. Shuttle trains were run to
Ulmer Park, partly relieving the con-
gestion. Not until late in the evening
was the Sunday schedule restored.