The sun., 1905-02-13
AGAIN SUBWAY TRAINS CRASH
sol THBOUND LOCAL PLUMPS IN
m STiNDING TRAIN AHEAD.
ya,tIpulcs smashed, Fuse Blows out. Cars
nm with smoke. Passengers Scared but
tnhurt-Lockcd In for Safety Motor
man suspcndcd First offence or Not


H., ,gas another rear end collision
~ local trains in the subway yesterday
sf,ornoon. and the motorman who ran into
a stationary train was, suspended. One
., ,be smashed cars took fire and pas
scn,ers began TO jump out Of both trains
ia nreyent them from counting danger un-
naoe..arily the guards locked the doors
an them There were not many passen gers
and nobody was hurt. but all were seriously
ehaLon in body and mind. Some say the
,,,o,,r,,an came into the tunnel from the
o,o, with dazzled eyes-not dazzled by
s,,osbine certainly; and others that the
.ieot an his windows obscured his view.
us certainly followed rapidly upon the
hoel. Of the train ahead for 1t had not been
h,I,ad thirty seconds, says its rear brake
man. before he hit IT,
n, Inn. If. when local train ran into
another local on the southbound track
n, Worth street, Motorman Pound OF the
rear train was suspended. When the
onolovees' unions made their demands
uron the Interhorough company recently
,bev insisted that Pound should be rein
stated and that no motorman should be
snsnended for first offence. Pound was
rcins,ated and it was reported at the time
,bat all the demands OF tho employees had
been agreed TO.
so far as known. the collision yesterday
was tho first offence of w. H. Wray, the
motorrnnn in charge of the rear train in
the snashup. As soon ns General Manager
Uedley heard Of the collision he ordered
Vray suspended and the motorman went
bomeat )nce. W. L, Jencks, member or the
local lodge of the Brotherhood OF Locomo-
tiy, E,gineers said it was all right to sus-
pend him.
The place Of the collision was few blocks
north of the ll6th street station on the
Broadway line and about half way from
tho omen air at l22d street, where the sub
wav becomes an elevated road over the
valley a, Manhattan street. There are
three tracks at this point.
At ?15 P. NJ southbound local was
disoharcing passengers at 116th street
The next southbound train was following
close. and was held up near lieth street
for the track 10 clear. A third train in
charge Of Motornlan Wray, came across
the Manhattan viaduct under rapid head
way and down into the tunnel at good
speed. Apparently it ploughed into the
waiting train without slowing up.
When the second train OF the series had
come to standstill waiting for the track
to clear the rear guard, Edward Maurier
started TO nun back, according to the rule,
to warn the following train He told Mana
ger Hedley later that all the signals on bis
rear car were set.
I jtrnTpd on TTy-trHfr as soon - It came
10 stands,ill.- he told Mr.. Hedley. "and
ran back with my lantern. 1t was hardly
thirty seconds from the time our train
stopped before the other hit us, l didn't
have time to show my signal
The coliding cars are the old style copper
Fheathed wooden cars. Their vestibules
are neither so heavy nor so strong as in
the later pattern built of steel. The vesti-
bules Of both cars were completely demol-
shed and the first car Of the rear train
pushed It's way well into the body Of the
car ahead the front platform climbing
up over the rear platform OF the other
car.
The forward train was thrust along by
the severe shock and as soon as the train
came to a standstil fuse blew out in the
rear car Of the forward train. There wasn't
much fire. but the cars almost instantly
filed with smoke
The employees in the IlGth street station
saw the smoke almost az soon as they heard
the crash. and seizing the hand grenadee
IN the station ran up the track to put ou,
tho fire With the grenadcs and a patent
FIRE eYtnguisher that one Of them carried
they didn't have much difficulty in putting
it out People who saw the cars later
could see very little sign of fire. No alarm
was sent in and the police had no recorC
u the smash-up at all.
The crash iclted up the passengers in the
two rains pretty well, bet aside from SHOCK
none Of them was hurt Travel was light
early yesterday afternoon and IN ere wert
only two passengers in each OF the collid
ing cars Passengers tried to get out Of
both trains, The guards locked the doors
This added 10 the fri ght Of some Of th'
Passengers and when things had settled
down a little, after the women had PLEADED
with the guards a nc the men had don'
some swearing they were allowed to ge
cut and walk along the tracks to the station
The remarkable thing about the acciden
was Motoman Wray's escape from death
Although the glass in his box was smashed
about his ears enough of the woodwork
stayed in place TO prevent his being crushed
lie said aiterward that when he saw the
crash coming he crouched on the floor Of
his box he declared that he didn't taxi
his hands of the lever or leave his position
IN any way, except 10 crouch on the floor
Mr. Hedley said that Wrsy may hav
failed 10 see the train ahead of him on &C
count Of the change OF light as he cam
into the tunnel from the viaduot, Their
was heavy fall of sleet at the time.
As soon as the two trains we're emptiel
they we're switched of onto the third trac
at liGth street and taken to the barns
The road was blocked for a few minute
only. the third track being used until tn
west track was clear
Supt. Merritt Of the subway division G
the lnterhorough, whose Offices are o.
Niheiy-siXth street near Broadway. wa
quickly al the scene Of the accident. II
telephoned to General Manager Hedley
who got there soon after. They went owe
INC ground and talked 10 Wray, Maurie
and other trainhands. Mr.. Hedley sal
That an investigation viii be held at hi
once to-day. He made this statement:
\ sou,hbound local smashed into an othe
local which was waiting for the track I
clear and was standing just half way be
tween the opening of the tunnel and tn
Station a ffQfh of