New-York tribune., 1922-10-15
Cars Grind Man
To Death; 4 in
Auto Party Hurt
Woman Is Mortally Injured
When Machine Is Tossed
Between Tracks and
Crushed by Two Trolleys

Joseph Steele, of 315 Reid Avenue
Brooklyn, was killed, his wife probably
| fatally injured and his two daughters
| and another woman badly hurt when
the big touring car in which they were
| riding last night became wedged be-
tween north and south bound surface
cars OF, the Ralph Avenue line, at Ham
cock Street, after it had been struck
by the southbound car and hurled
twenty feet forward.
The accident was described by the
Brooklyn police as being without pre-
cedent in the borough. The two troll
ley cars were knocked from their
tracks, their passengers thrown into
panic and every pane of glass in both
cars shattered. Half a dozen ambu-
lances, police reserves, fire engines
and a wrecking crew of the Brooklyn
Rapid Transitswere at the scene within
ten minutes after the accident.
Steele was the owner Of the automo-
bile. Those with him in the machine
were his wife, Emily; Marie Steele,
eighteen, and Emily Steele, fourteen.
his daughters; Mrs. Annie Reilly, Of
179 Chauncey Street, Brooklyn, and her
SON, Patrolman Edward Reilly, of the
Gates Avenue station. who had been
on sick leave. Marie was driving the
car.
Try to Beat Car
All occupants of the machine were
returning from the Church of the Holy
Rosary, in Marion Street, between Reid
and Stuyvesant avenues. The Steele
car sped through Hancock Street and
attempted to cross in front of the
southbound Ralph Avenue trolley, in
charge of Motorman Peter Drew and
Conductor William Weiss, which was
moving at rapid rate of speed. The
automobile was struck squarely in the
middle and thrown twenty feet ahead
by the force of the impact. It landed
in the narrow space between the north
and south bound tracks and turned
over. Had this been the full extent of
the accident the result would have been
far less serious, but at the instant the
automobile struck the ground after the
trolley car had crashed into 1t north
bound car, bound for the williamsburg
Bridge, clattered up alongside, and the
southbound car shot forward to where
the automobile lay.
The Steele machine was then caught
between the two cars, moving in oppo-
site directions, and crushed. The inn
pact joited the surface cars from the
tracks, hurled passengers from their
SGauS alG SeuJ kldSS IIASHlSltS 1MoWSE-
ing in all directions. When the cars
were emptied and persons went to the
rescue Of those in the automobile they
found its occupants pinned beneath the
wreckage and the demolished touring
car, now but grotesque derelict,
caught securely between the two cars.
s Girl Rescued First
Fully twenty minutes passed before
the first Of the accident victims was
extricated. This was Marie Steele,
the eighteen year-old driver. Anthony
Bondy, n fireman attached to Engine
Company 233, Brooklyn, had been
standing short distance from the
scene when he heard the crash He
dragged Marie from the debris, but
much against her will. s
"Iehnle stay here she begged tear
fully, father is in there aad he IS
dead She was sent TO Beth Moses
Hospital in the first ambulance to
leave tho scene.
Mrs. Steele, Emily Steele and Mrs..
Reilly were extricatad shortly after
ward and removed TO Bughwick Hoss
spital. Patrolman Reilly escaped with
. few scratches. Steele, according TO
the doctors, was instantly killed. Mrs.
Steele suffered fracture cf the skull.