New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-24
bangles Thirty Feet
Above River as
GirderS Creak.
MANY STRUGGLE
BUT FEW HURT
Women and Children
Flung About in Trains
Signal Ignored.

Where the Second and Third Avenue
elevated tracks meet on the new draw
bridge over the Harlem River at 10th
Street, thirty feet above the water, two
trains. jummed with fair weather
crowds, collided yesterday with such
force that one car was overturned
against the heavy steel work Of the
span.
Inside. rolled like stones in a revoiv-
ing concrete mixer, the passengers were
hurled against the windows in
screaming, lighting mass, in which
there was no thought Of women and
children. Below them. visible through
the beams and ties OF the bridge, ran
tho nurky waters OF the Harlem. a
tugboat sent up puff Of smoke
through the smashed windows, and
cries OF Fire." were added TO the
rroans OF pain and cries Of terror
Many Scared. but Few Hurt.
But the number OF injured and the
nature Of their hurts were oddly out
Of all proportion to the panic and the
circumstances. No one was killed, the
worst injury being a broken leg. Only
four victims required hospital treat
ment. Many lesser hurts and cases Of
fright. all told about twenty, were
IL
The sccident occurred near the shops
and tne change station for train crews
on the elevated structure in l29th
Street. so that there we're many ready
10 give assistance in dragging the in
jured and frightened passengers out
OF their perlous place in the wrecked
cars.
II was in the overturned car that
most OF the injured ones we're found.
Although the front platform OF one OF
the trains was reduced 70 twisted iron
and spintered wood, the motorman
escaped unhurt.
This motorman was Albert Weber. OF
2237 Bathgate Avenue. Upon him was
placed The burden Of tho mishap. He
was sending his train from the Third
Avenue line northward toward the
crossover on the river bridge. ne
signal was set against him to stop, for
q southbound Second Avenue train was
rat,linr across the switches there, IN
charge Of william Ruth. Of 2451 Sec
ond avenue. the motorman.
Train in Crash Upsets Car.
Instead of pausing to let that train
clear the switches Weber plunged
ahead and caught the rear end OF inc
second car in Ruth's train, upsetting II;
81 saw the signal set against me ana
tried to stop" Weber SAID, but my
controller stuck and ! couldn't ~ the
brakes. I could see the train ahead OF
me and could only hope that IL "ould
pass before hit it,
Weber kent his nerve. lie is a man
Of fftv-four and has been employed
BIZ the lnterborough for thirty years;
lie clambered out Of the wreckage and
ioined his fellow trsinmen IN the WORK
Two ambulances from Harlem Hos
pital were soon AT the scene, in charge
Of Drs. Unger and Jennings. Ihey
found two seven-car trains hNed WIN
hurt and scared passengers awaiting
their ministrations. Among all OF the
hundreds Of passengers, the Granam
family contributed three OF the four
whom the doctors found 1t necessary 10
take TO the hospital.
Family Goes to Hospital.
Mrs. Dorothy Graham, OF 5s2 last
14Jst Street, had broken leg ana
many cuts on her face; her husband
John, had a broken arm and numerous
cuts. while his sister, Loretta Graham
Of 474 81, Nicholas Avenue, mad
broken wrist The fourth 10 go TO the
hospital with them was Hyman Da-
mansky. Of sol East both Street SUI
fering from a sprained ankle.
Treated bv doctors on the scene for
cuts and bruises were Harris Berman,
4 Vet 10stb Street; Charles Fenster,
sq7 Southern Boulevard; Max Holman,
1aa Fast l,6th Street; Aaron Levine,
SEQ Jennings Street, The Bronx; James
Noonan. 3Ol7 Perry Street, The Bronx;
Emily Quinn, 772 German Place, The
Rronx. and her mother, Mrs. Margaret
Quinn; Philip Rsbinowitz, 355 East
Eighty-ffth Street. and John walker
$50 East Seventy-ninth Street
In addition, a number of others were
treated. They refused to give tneir
names.
The third-tracking system, which was
indirectly responsible for the accident,
since the new bridge and traching
routes were laid out 10 accommodate
il. also furnished a ready solution 10
the traffic problem.
Newly installed express third tracks
rise at the bridge over the local
tracks. on which the smash-up oc,
Cured. so that travel was restored
within a few minutes. while the WORK
of rescue went on, by running trains
overhead on the express tracks, out OF
use AZ the time, due 70 the fact tnat IL
was Sunday. -.
Frank Hedley. general manager OF
the lnterborough, announced tnat the
collision was caused by Weber running
past signal.
FTORIDA-AUGUSTA BA-sot III
ATLANTIC COAST LINE; -
A1-Si.el Electric Lighted Trans batN "a