The sun., 1918-10-12
L. |. TRAIN
PLUNGES OFF RAILS
MotOrman Fatally Hurt and
Many Injured at Wood.
haven Station.
SIGNAL MIXuP BLAMED
Women Hurled About rs Car
Tits Over Embankmcnt-
Struggle to Escape.

A six car steel motor train GA tae
Long Island Railroad, bound for Rock.
away Beach, took an open switch at the
easterly end of the Woodhaven station
at Benedict avenue last evening, and
crashed into a shifting locomotive in the
freight yards of the Lalance a. Gresham
agateware works. The train. which
was well filled with passengers, was rur-
ming at twenty or thirty miles an hour
according to the police. The first three
cars were thrown from the track. the
one In front being tilted over the en-.
bankment at sharp angle. Screaming
men and women were thrown about in.
side like corn in a hopper. They began
a struggle to escape through Window
and doors.
William Unverzagt, motorman NJ the
wrecked train, who lives ut Lefor.s
and Atlantic avenues Woodhaven,
Queens, was taken to St Mary's Hos
pital. Jamaica. with fractured spine.
Physicians there said he was diving A
score of passengers were injured, mona
fatally, It IL believed.
Mixup Over signals.
On the way to the hospital tuyerZagt
told Detectives Nuppernau. Hill and
Krummel that the signals showed he
had clear track. He denied state
ment by Frank Fatscher Of 47A Pros
pect street, Jamaica, a member Of the
switching engine crew. that he had been
stationed two blocks down the line and
had swung n lantern to stop the an.
preaching passenger train, Fatscher
declared that the train not only had
passed him in disregard Of signals, hut
that it also had run through the sta
ton switch despite the red light which
showed the track was not open
The impact crushed the veStbI.c on
the front of the passenger train anl
broke the coupling between the switching
locomotive and its tender. The latter
was derailed, but the locomotive WIS s,rt
'long into the freight yards for ouO
y ards before it came TO a stop Tic fact
that the electric power does not extend
into the Lalance Grosjean premises
probably prevented many Of the paSssn-
gers from being burned as they were
dragged from the wreck. The last ear
came in contact with the third rail how
ever. and there was much flashing ~
sparks until the power was turned III.
Engineer Joseph Amount and his frrren
had left the switching LOCOMOTIVE and
were not hurt.
The influenza epidemic had caused a
scarcity of ambulances in the v,r'y
and help was called from Richmond H.li.
and Brooklyn. The Wuudhaysn
Fire Department was called out and 90
gether with the police the fircm'n a>-
sisted in pas ing the injured througN he
of the cars Private uut0Ho-
biles were pressed into service, VI
physicians in the vicinity responded 70
calls. Three priests--The Rev. william
Ptial, the Rev. Gustav Baer and the R,r.
George Sherman-aided in lc rescue
work.
List of Injured.
Those taken to st. Mary's No p.tal
were:
Edward Miller. &c Catalru street.
Queens; fractured left anh!s
and decorations Of the legs
Emma Klotz, 81 Deiner street E0.,-
away Beach cut about the head agd
body and suffering from shock.
Hattie Klotz, her sister OF the SIMS
address right arm crushed.
George w. Dawson, COZ Ks G4,o
street. Brooklyn; decorations Of Or .naI
and scalp.
Sophie Rrody, Edgemcro, C..,r.;
fractured right leg.
Catherine Stuart, "a Reach lIi.h
street. Rockaway Beach; contus.,g- -
cuts on the face and head
Russell Bauer, $40 Flathu~h ay,"Gs,
Brooklyn, conductor OF the pass, r,r
train Commissions Of the back
David +. Jacobs. 404 Boulevard +. K
away Beach i; Commissions and s@u
Martin Holleu, ll4l Bergen So. prt,
Brooklyn cuts and bruises.
George Woolston. 1li5 Gh,rN.' We
nue., Richmond Hill cuts and shu..
AS many more We're treated for .l't
Injuries by ambulance surgeons a.l 1T
for their homes.