A Curve Built For 6 MPH. The Train Came In At 30. Nov 1, 1918 - Horror History Finale Ep4

Horror Stories Today in History - Part 4 of 4 - THE FINALE November 1st, 1918. Brooklyn, New York. 6:42 PM. BRT Train No. 42. 5 wooden cars. Over 650 people crammed inside, many just off work, going home on a Friday. The regular motorman was on strike. The replacement was Edward Luciano, a 25-year-old dispatcher with almost no experience driving this line. He had never driven a train through the Malbone Street tunnel before. There was a curve at the bottom of a steep hill inside the tunnel. It was the sharpest curve in the entire subway system. Speed limit: 6 miles per hour. Witnesses said the train was going at least 30 mph. Maybe 40. It entered the curve and left the tracks. The first car smashed into the tunnel wall. The second and third wooden cars were torn apart, splintered like matchsticks. 93 people died. Over 100 injured. Bodies were trapped for hours because the tunnel was so narrow rescuers couldn't get equipment in. It remains the deadliest subway accident in New York City history, and the second deadliest in all of US history. One date. Four horrors.