The New York herald., 1920-01-28
CAR TIE-UP IN SLEET
DELAYS THOUSANDS
Brooklyn Boy Pushed to His
Death Under Train at
Crowded Station.
SCORES HURT IN FALLING
Service on Elevated and Trolley Lines
Stopped and Sparks Start
Many Fires.

Warm weather during most of yesterday
and last night undid what in the early
morning hours had practically tied up the
eitys trolley car and elevated transporta-
lion and resulted IN one death and incon-
venience 20 thousands OF men and women
pound to their offices and shops.
light rain which began falling soon
after midnight froZe as fast as il fell, COW
ering the tracks with a layer of ice IT
was only after many delays that trains
were moved over elevated systems. A
series of fires on elevated trains, orignat-
ing from sparks that showered the track
when brushes failed to make contact with
Ice covered third rails. resulted in jam
ming of traffic until most of the company s
operating equipment was stalled.
Numerous injuries were caused 1by per-
sons falling on the slippery pavement Ber-
nard Rafkind, fifteen years old, of No. 80
Christopher avenue, Brooklyn, was swept
under a Long Island Railroad train and
killed rs the train pulled into the Atlantic
avenue station at the Manhattan junction
crossing at twenty minutes after eight
o'clock in the morning. The police think
that the boy was pushed off the platform
by the crowd, mum bering about two thou
sand persons, who had gone to the Long
Island Railroad when they found that no
trains were running on the Lexington ave-
nue., Broadway. Fulton street and De-
lancey street elevated lines in East New
York
Service also was irregular on the Culver
and Bay Ridge and Fifth avenue elevated
lines, but was not affected on the Sea
Beach. West End Fourth avenue to
I1ighty-sixth street and Broadway MAN
hattan) subways
The effect of the ice the rails and
roadways hampered trolley and bus traf-
fic in Staten Island. but the effect was not
serious
The Brighton "L" in Brooklyn was not
in operation during the early rush hours.
Persons living near this line were COM
pelled to walk in most cases because of
the crowded conditions Of the trolleys.
All streets leading to the Atlantic avenue
subway stations were crowded.
Firemen were put at a disadvantage IN
fighting a fire which started in a seven
story loft building at Nos. A0 and 242
West Twenty-third street early in the
morning. It was some time after the
alarm before the apparatus arrived, owing
TO the slippery condition of the streets.
Tho fire was we'll under way before the
f1remcn were tn a. position to do effective
fighting. and then it was not until they
had worked for an hour that they got it
under control. Damage of $4,000 was
caused to the stock of several clothing
manufacturers.
Following are some Of the most serious
accidents due to falling:-Peter Bearick.
twenty-five years old, Of No. 636 East
fourteenth street. fracture of the skull ;
Abe BIumcn, sixty-four, of No. 81 Prospect
place, bruises of the face and side; Charles
Eliot, thirty-five, OF No. 9N Grant avenue.
the Bronx, cuts OF the kneecap; Francis
]. Fiesel, fifty-eight, OF No. s. East 1Oeth
street, fracture of the shoulder; Alexan-
dor Earsh. thirty-five, of No. 1.24S Wash
ington avenue, sprained left hip. and John
Below. forty-one, Of No. 2ss East 15sth
street. badly bruised