New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-11
TROLLEY'S DEADLY WORK.
CAPTAIN @. B. RHoADs KILLED in
EIGHTH-AVE.

sus,.>, ,y,s .o,sc At FULL SPEED AND
DID NOT SEE HIM UNTIL UPON HIM
c.,,.,r George p. Rhoads president OF the Stuy-
vesant Fire Insurance Company. was o.oss"s
r.s,sa,o AT One-hundred and thirty-third-st'
..s,.rdav morning about o'clock when a troiey-
car going at a high rate OF speed anu VIZ ~
eve ringing 10 warn him. nor even a shout 'ioih
tno nootorman hit him sQuarely on the iei' siue'
l,fe Of him into the air and hured MN 10 '"e Pa'
ment more than fifty feet away. Inc car s"o' =.
like a fash and so great was It's momentum 80
the brake could not stop 1t until II hao "ea.
reached one d-and-thirty-secono-sI ihen
Tho mo,orman. John Paris, and the conductor
1Iorrv Enner ran back and found Patroman Muher
bending over the unconscious form OF captain
Rhoads who had landed in heap on the coO'e-
stones in front of No. 247 Eighth-ave'
The first saw Of him ne was Piuiio ia ~
of me-" gasped the motorman.
4 An ambulance was called from the Mammalian
Hospital. and small crowd gathered "heh III
Williams the ambulance surgeon bent over inc un-
conscious man he exclaimed: why ne mas oe'N
drinking! l smell whiskey on him.
mo he has not" replied Muller; 1 saw 'he
motorman try to give him some. but he could no'
swa,Iow IT. Captain Rhoads. whose Skull was
fractured was taken to the hospital where ne oeu
at a. m, without recovering Consciousness III '"o
Harlem Court later in the day Paris was neio ia
81 900 bail by Magistrate simms lot eAaihi"a"0' VIZ
June ID on a charge OF homicide
According to the story told by Muller to the Mag
,strate the troley-car No 1876, was running on
what the railway men call Its dead Trip Inc
motorman had taken 1t TO the ehd OF the 'in0' "
one hundred fifty ffth-st on It's last Trip Io
the night which 1t carried passengers II was
then his duty 10 return 1t to the car Darn az
Fifteth-st and Eighth-ave He was doing TINS
when he ran down Captain Rhoads. The men are
not paid for this final run of about hve hi'es, 50
naturally they send the cars along as fast as they
dare No stops are made for passengers ana as
there are comparatively few vehicles in the upper
part OF that avenue in the small hours OF the ino'
ing. the speed these dead" cars attain sometimes
Is terrific and many persons have had narrow
escapes from being crushed by them Many com
plants have been made to the police ABOUT theIn
The special danger hes in the fact that peoesiahs
even when they see the car coming, 90 no. icuIste
is dead" and almost uncOnsclOusiy cdicuIa n
It's speed at that OF the ordinary car ~ IoAems
thai the car is upon them many seconds before they
are expecting it, and II they have glanced at IL ana ana
then turned their heads away, thinking they hau
plenty of time TO the tracks before It's arrival
as Captain khoads probably ala me sudden lang
OF the gong in their ears, coupled with QUICK jump
Is the only thing that saves them. cha motor.
man thought he had a clear track, as the captain
was concealed from his view by the big iron pillars
Of the elevated road, which line the trolley tracks
on either side In dangerous proximity. Muller
says he saw Captain Rhoads come out OF One-hun.
drcd; thirty hiTd-st and pause ior moeH'
tracted by the 1t fairly rocking with the
speed at when 1t was aPppoaGng sdSeniT Sbe
powerful headlight Of the car which made the
vealed him stepping unconcernedly from behind
a pillar right onto the tracks Al that instant me
motorman saw him too but before the brake could
be applied or the gong rung the policeman even
yell, the heavy steel buffer of the car struck the
man and hurled him heels over head fifty feet
away His identity was established by means OF a
badge of the New-York Fire Patrol which he car
Mr. Rhoads fifty years old and lived s Sl, with
his wife at No 50 West One-hundred and thirtieth
suranee Company at William and h,6e th c s5s
pany since 1865 He was chairman OF the Fire
Patrol Committee OF the New-York Board OF FIRE
member Of the Underwriters Club and the New
York Athletic Club: One year ago se t,uy,1r
Highlands. The young man was law student,
just twenty-one years old, OF great promise; ana
ceased grieye for him The reception room OF
the insurance company was filled several times
friends. who had heard reports OF his death but
seemed unable to credit them.
Regiment, y. G.. \. Y was TO be officer Of the day
on June T. when his regiment arrived at the
He was the senior captain of the resment;s having
the ms Eth as on pTse
on September 7, 1866, and had been member Of the
popular men in the regiment. In January 1895. he
was promoted corporal. and became sergeant In
place Of first sergeant and received his commission
as second lieutenant in May. 1879. From the second
heutenancy he advanced TO the command Of the
company ..... ..-.-,.,-
Referring 10 the ambulance surgeon remarKng
the smell of whiskey Captain RhOads and the
fact that the motorman did not deny having tried
TO give drink OF the liquor to the injured man, a
policeman said that he had noticed in several acci-
dents Of this kind the conductor or inotorman
produce flask of whiskey and attempt to make the
victim drink some To Magistrate Smms Paris
declared that somebody in the crowd which sur
rounded Captain Rhoads produced the flask. and
that he. Paris. offered It to the injured man only
through common humanity He asserted IT would
be ridiculous to suppose that he had any other
motive. or that the company supplied its men with
whiskey for that or any other purpose.