MET THE DEATH
HE HAD FEARED.
WILLIAM BRENNAN IS CRUSHED
BETWEEN STREET CARS.
YEARS WITH THE
METROPOLITAN.
WAS SUPERINTENDENT OF FIF-
TEENTH STREET LINE.
Caught Between Two Cars at Fif-
teenth and Prospect While Mak-
ing a Coupling -- Death
Quickly Results.
WILLIAM BRENNAN.
Meeting the death which he daily feared during the twenty years of service for the Metropolitan Street Railway Company, William Brennan, division superintendent for the Fifteenth street line, was crushed to death between two cars at Fifteenth street and Prospect avenue about 7 o'clock last night, while making a coupling.
After the rush hour the trailers are taken from the cars at Fifteenth street and Prospect avenue, and in strings of two or three are hauled to the barn by a work bar. One trailer had already been coupled to the work car by Brennan and a negro assistant and Brennan was stooping over working with the rear coupler when the second trailer struck him. His breast bone was crushed and he lived only about fifteen minutes after the accident.
It was no part of Brennan's regular duties to assist in coupling the trailers to the work car, the negro who was helping him being employed for that purpose. But in order to keep the lines in his division clear, he frequently took charge of the work in order to hurry it and get the trailers out of the way as quickly as possible.
The cars with which Brennan was working were empty, and there was no one to warn him of the danger, the negro being on the rear end of the second trailer and not seeing Brennan's plight in time to cry out.
It was said last night at Brennan's home, 3815 Dixon avenue, that ever since he began work for the Metropolitan Street Railway Company twenty years ago as a gripman he had feared that he would meet his death in a street car accident.
"He aways said that he was going to die while at work, and I have been afraid for him every day while he has been on duty," said the widow, Mrs. Mary Brennan, last night. But when he was promoted to be assistant division superintendent and didn't have to be on the cars all the time I hoped that the danger was over."
Mr. Brennan had been division superintendent for four years, and was known as one of the hardest working men in the street railway company's employ. He was 50 years old, and leaves a widow and three children, May, Queen, and Harvey. The coroner took charge of the body, and ordered it taken to O'Donnell's undertaking rooms.
