Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-13
TOLD STRANGE STORY
Motorman Said Switch Was
Designedly Wrong.
TALKED TO A FRIEND
KELLY HURRIED FROM SCENE OF
THE ACCIDENT.
Saw Thomas Hughes and Charged
That Job Was Put Up
Against Him.

/
| Against Him.
| A dispatch from New York says: There
| will be three separate investigations Of the
| elevated wreck of Monday. when a car
| toppled from the structure at the curve at
| SD street and 9th avenue, killing twelve
| persons and inJuring forty-two others. At
| least one of these will go into the methods
| Of operating the elevated road, the kind Of
| men employed and other matters pertaining
| to operation. This will be conducted by
| Frank M. Baker of the state railroad COM
mission and will begin today in the White
| hall building.
Coroner Scholer told Commissioner Baker
| yesterday that the coroner's inquest would
| not begin for week, as he desired to col
| lect all the data possible before the exam
| nation and give the police every opportu-
| nifty to arrest Paul Kelly, the motorman of
| the wrecked train. who disappeared directly
| after the disaster and of whom no trace
| has since been found. An investigation will
| also be conducted by General Manager
| Hedley of the marlborough.
| What kelly's defense will be when he is
| arrested was outlined yesterday when De-
| tective Weitzfelder of the West 47th street
| station got hold of Thomas Hughes mo-
torman Of the Sd avenue elevated road, liv-
| ing at POI West 10th street. After he had
been thoroughly examined by Coroner
| Scholer Hughes was released 1t was TO
| Hughes house that Kelly went immedi-
! ately after the accident. and that is the
| last trace the police have Of him.
Kelly's Story as Told by Hughes.
| Kelly told his story to Hughes. SO
| Hughes said. and Hughes repeated it yes
| terday to the coroner. According to
Hughes. Kelly was very much unstrung
| and seemed to fear that he would be made
| the scapegoat of the whole affair. Hughes
| said he advised Kelly to go down to the
| company's office and make his report, and
| then give himself up, but the excited mo-
| torman said he wanted day two to
| thing the matter over and see what the de-
| velopments might be. This, Hughes said.
| convinced him that Kelly was still in the
city. He said that Kelly had no money
with which to leave town. This is Kelly
| story. as told to Hughes and by him to
the coroner:
| Il left the terminus three minutes late.
| When l took the train l saw that the sig
| nails for 9th avenue-two white disks-were
| set, and they were not altered at any time
during the run. AT 59th street l got an
| order to skip 50th street on the way down.
| Next stop 42d street l was trying to
make up the lost time, and SO ran at full
speed-about fifteen miles an hour-toward
| the tower at 53d street.
| las 1 approached the tower 1 looked at
the track signals. Both of them-the six
| foot and two-foot signals showed
| green disks. which means clear road
ahead for 9th avenue. AS always do, l
! looked up at my air, and the next moment,
when 1 looked at the track again, just be
| fore I reached the switch. saw that the
signals had been changed and that the
two-foot signal showed yellow olsk'
| which means that the switch was set for
| 9th avenue.
Accuses the Towerman.
Then Hughes made the most remarkable
! statement that has yet come out in the
| investigation. He said that Kelly told him
| he realized at once that Jackson, the tow
| erman, was again trying to do him.
| Asked to explain this, Kelly told Hughes
| that on several occasions Jackson had tried
| the same trick of throwing the signal Tor
9Th avenue after 1t had been set for Sth
| Kelly said he was compelled to back his
| train to the other tracks and that he had
| lost several minutes thereby and had got
| into trouble with the company.
| Il put on my brakes when l saw that
| I could not avoid the curve" Kelly told
| Hughes but the speed Of the train was
| too great to have any effect. and the next
| thing 1 knew the accident had happened
| Hughes asked Kelly If he had set his
| emergency brakes which would have
| brought the train to stop, but Kelly said
| he had not. He did not know why he made
| this error except that he was excited and
| ratified over the alleged throwing of the
| switch,
"A minute after the accident" continued
| Kelly, as quoted by Hughes. while l was
| standing dazed in the motor box. young
| fellow came up to me and said You'd
better get out of here. That crowd Will
| lynch you If they get hold of you. You
get your hat and coat off and come down
with me and take drink to brace you.
I'll that you get through all right:
Kelly said he refused to take a drink.
! but followed the man down the tracks and
fp he Then a
| and went to Hughes house. Hughes said
| that Kelly was so unstrung that he took
him across the street, and hey had two
drinks of whisky. Every one was talking
about the accident. and the boys were cry
| ing extras in the street. and all this got
| Kelly so excited according to Hughes, that
| II impossible to get him to do any
| thing rational. Hughes said he left Kelly
before noon, and has seen nothing of him
since.
| Hughes said that Kelly mad friends in
| Boston and the police of that city were
| asked last night to watch for him.
Railroad Commissions Inquiry.
Preliminary to the investigation by the
| state railroad commission Charles r.
| Barnes, the electrician of the board pre-
pared blue print OF the scene of the
| wreck, which will be used by the commits
| sion. Mr. Baker decided yesterday to go
| on independently of the coroner, and he de-
clared that the investigation would be
| thorough in every particular.
| Mr.. Baker is authority for the statement
| that not only will the Odd street curve and
| crossing come under the inquiry of the
| commission but that the entire elevated
| system will be looked into. Every grade,
every curve, and every condition of the
| system will be carefully examined. Par
ticular attentison will be paid to the curve
| at 10th street. The speed of the trains at
| that point and the swaying Of the new sta
ton there will be Investigated. Health
m assist
Baker in his investigation
According to engineers a very remarkable
condition of fairs exists at SD street and
| 9th avenue on the elevated road They
consider the curve there the most danger
| Gus on the system, for the reason that 1t Is
not banked. From the point where the
curve begins to 53d street is only 125 feet
making a very sharp turn which cannot be
lion b. IixIaSS tha.r running