New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-24
FATAL "BOBTAIL" CARS:
FIFTY ACCIDENTS A YEAR ON ONE LINE.
THE coMpANY's BOOK OF CASUALTIES CLOSED

THE coMPANY's BOOK OF CASUALTIES CLOSED
TO THE coRoNER's JURY
Tho inquest into the killing of Mrs Sophia
Levy by q Twenty-third Street "bob-taiP car,
on Tuesday, July 10th, was continued before
Coroner MESSENGER yesterday. George Ferry was
the first witness He is one Of the sureties OF inc
driver Duffy, whose car, No. g." caused tho
tragedy, and stated his occupation as superlntend-
emit of the Twcnty-third Street companys stables
Lawyer McDonough, Of the District-Attorney's OIL
fee, after much probing, ELECTED from him the
fact that the responsible officer OF the company
was Thomas ii. Mclean, secretary and general
manager of the road, whose duties appeared to
include all branches from repairing the track to
counting the money There was, the witness said.
a record kept of all accidents both serious and
trivial that happened on the company's lines, and
the book containing their record would be found
in Mr. McI%an's charge. Duffy, he believed, was
still driver in the employ Of the company.
Thomas H. Mclean, the secretary Of the COM
pany, has had fifteen years experience OF surface
railroad traffic in New-York. In the course OF
his examination he gave general account OF
how bobtail' line is run The man who
aspired to the dual role of driver and conductor
is broken in by two days instruction without
pay on the Thirty-fourth Street line, and two
days on the Twenty third. After this he IS
placed on the extra list and allowed to run trip
pers' as occasion offers until the opportunity pre-
sents itself for acquiring n :" steady car
BREAKING IN THE DRIVERS.
Tho breaking in" is done under the direction
of an old hand and the applicant must be honest
sober. able to read and WRITE and accustomed to
handling horses The first and most emphatic
instruction given to drivers, Mr.. Mclean said, is
TO avoid accidents Duffy was considered an
exceptionally careful man. He had been driver
before he went to work for Mr. Mclean in Novem-
ben 1887 and had always done his duty IN an
acceptable manner. On the day OF the accldenU
Mr. Mclean was at his office and received MS
first intimation that woman had been hurt from
Driver Charles +. Anderson, Of Car No. 81 Inc
witness added:
sent Mr.. at to the scene OF the casually
and followed as soon as c,Md.
O.-Who is Mr. Corror and why was he sentf A.
Mr. Conner is lawyer and expert VINO is re'sihoo w
the company obtain pformati'n, take ahidan's ana
INQUIRE Into every detail regarding accidents on tne
companys tracks We found 1t necessary to protect
ourselves in this way account of so mshy bogus
suits being brought The object Is to get evioenco
on the spot at the moment an accident occurs
Q.-IIcw many accidents have occurred on the
Twenty third Street system within the last ycarf A.
Well perhaps fifty.
o.-Not more than hftv7 A.-There have been
more.
Mr. McDonough then questioned the witness
have IL produced before the Coroner and his jury.
To this proposition Messrs Dennison, House and
Common, lawyers for the company, were seriously
opposed and after consulting with his colleagues.
Mr.. Dennson said that, while they were willing
to produce the accident book for all it contained
relative to the Levy case, they would take fur
ther advice with the regular counsel OF the COM
pany before submitting it to a general overhaul
ing
WANTING THE ACCIDENTBOOK.
Mr. McDonough insisted that the book would
furnish the best evidence to the injuries caused
through the perilous economy Of running " bob
tailedn cars in the streets of crowded city Mr..
Mclean had admitted that there were fifty acct
dents in year, and that there might be more.
and perhaps it would be found on reference to
the official acoident-book Of the company that
there were 800
Coroner MESSENGER ruled that the accident book
must be produced, and said he would take meas
ures to have it open for examination. An attempt
was made by the counsel for the company to show
that more accidents happen with doubleender
cars than with bobtails,n but the Coroner would
not admit the question, be thought it could be
more readily determined when the accidentbook
was in court. The counsel then held that the
duties of bobtail" drivers were the same as those
of the old Broadway and the present Fifth-ave
stages. The case was adjourned until Thursday
at p. M