New-York tribune., 1921-10-31
Car Drops From Grand
Concourse Viaduct, Car
rying Man to Death;
Two Others Badly Hurt
Spectator Topples
Over Wrecked Rail
Crowd May Have Showed
Him; Taxicab Drivers
Wife Killed i'm Collision

n large touring car smashed through
the viaduct railing on the Grand Con-
course, the Bronx, shortly after 6
o'clock last night and plunged thirty
feet to Burnside Avenue, carrying its
three occupants with it. One Of these,
man, was killed instantly, while the
two others, man and woman, are in
Fordham Hospital with injuries that are
expected to result in death.
Herman Neusser, forty-eight years
old, Of 1852 Washington Avenue, a wit
ness Of the accident, rushed to the
broken railing moment after the car
plunged out Of sight, lost his balance
and fell into Burnside Avenue He was
taken to Fordham Hospital, but died be-
fore an emergency operation could be
performed.
The passenger who was killed was
identified as Seymour Skolnck, thirty
years old, of 1853 linton Avenue, the
Bronx. a member Of the general mer-
chandise firm Of J. Silberman & Skol-
nick, of 492 East 14oth Street.
Woman and Man Nav Die
lsadore Eisman, forty years old a
tinsmith, of TOP East 156th Street, was
taken to Fordham Hospital, suffering
from fractures of the ribs, q fracture
Of the skull, internal injuries and
punctured lungs.
The woman, Margaret Holbfnger,
twenty-four years old, of 2O16 Jerome
Avenue, the Bronx, is in a critical con-
dition in the same hospital with frac-
lures of the ribs and punctures of the
lungs. She was returning to her home
after attending an afternoon musicale
when the accident occurred.
AS far as the police were able to
learn, Eisman probably was the owner
and driver of the car, and Skolnick and
the woman we're his guests.
The concourse was crowded with
late Sunday afternoon traffic. vehicular
and pedestrian. The Esman car was
in the line of traffic travelling south,
and according to witnesses going
slowly.
Suddenly the automobile was seen
to swerve abruptly to the right just
as it was crossing the viaduct. 1t
mounted narrow sidewalk, which
fortunately was empty Of pedestrians,
crashed into an iron railing, and dis
appeared over the edge of the struc-
ture. The automobile, carrying nearly
fifteen feet Of the railing with it,
dropped to the tracks of the Burnside
Avenue line of the Union Railway. 1t
was wrecked.
All three occupants, who were pinned
he rto vi tad
police reserves who were dispatched
from the High Bridge and fremont
stations in response to a call sent to
Police Headquarters by witness of
the accident In falling the automo-
bile narrowly missed the roof of
Union Railway crosstown car.
Neusser, who had been at the Elks
Club nearby, was passed BY the Els
man car as he was about to cross the
through the railing just ahead of him
he rushed up, followed by the first OF
a throng of more than a thousand per
sons which gathered
Believe Crowd Showed Him
The police have not been able to
ascertain definitely how Neusser hap
pened to plunge through the opening so
recently made by the car. Detectives
arc of the opinion that he was pushed
from the viaduct by the crowd that fol-
lowed him. Those on the structure,
however, declare that no one was near
Neusser when he fell. One account of
the accident is that he lost his balance
as the result of the rush which he made
to get to the railing in order to see the
falling car. The impetus of his dash
may have carried him to his death.
Persons on the viaduct, however, told
the police that they distinctly saw
Neusser sway undecidedly on the
broken edge of the walk, as if overcome
by the sight of the wrecked car and its
occupants.
When DR.. Donnelly. of Fordham Hos
pital, arrived the three passengers al
ready had been taken from the wreck
age. Skolnick was dead, apparently
killed instantly, and the others were
Continued on PAGE FOUR