New-York tribune., 1907-11-26

crowd many serious injuries would undoubtedly
have occurred
The collision will be most carefully investi-
gated by Coroner r. F Mcdonald, and will
probably be taken UP specially by the Public
Service Commission. as it raises a question
Of the safety of subway trains There are two
devices used in the subway that are supposed
70 place the safety Of passengers above the
1allibility of motormen. One of the automatic
'ripper the tracks, which. when the motor
man runs by signal set against him. will con-
Ject with the mechanism of the and bring
the train TO a stop. The only part of the sys-
tenn where this device is used however, is on
the subway tracks between the Brooklyn Bridge
and 96th street. AS the signal was set against
the motorrnan OF the moving train 174th
street the collision would have been prevented
had the automatic tripper been installed IN
that part of the line.
The other safety device. which It has always
been said would prevent an accident in case a
mOtormsn stricken at his post or fell asleep
Is the spring controller, which releases itself
, and shuts of the current when the pressure of
the motorman's hand is removed.
But yesterday the moving train ran by sig
nal H. stop and crashed at full speed into the
forward train, which was held by another sig
nal There were 40 sobstructions to hide the
view Of the forward train. In view, of the fact
that the metorman. Joseph Meyers. of No. 229
18th street. Jersey City, old and capable
employe, Superintendent Merritt of the Inter
borough Company and the coroner's physician
were inclined at first 10 believe that Meyers must
have dropped dead or become unconscious soon
after his train left the l74th street station An
autopsy last night however, showed that there
was no heart weakness. The brain had been
scattered about the car, so it was impossible to
determine whether death had. been caused nv
apopleXy. but DR.. T. H. Curtin, who made the
autopsy, inclined to think that death had
been due to the injuries received in the collision
The body was badly pnangIed both legs having
been torn OF. The motor box had been sobadIy
demolished that it was impossible TO determine
the condition Of the controller at the time of the
accident One thing was certain. The brakes
had not been set The guard Of the forward car.
who saw the train approaching. said thst it
seemed, TO be picking up speed all the tire
The tracks at the poiTt wher- the collision
occurred &C elevated structure The
sound Of ths collision and the cries of those who
had been thrown about the cars-there were
eight or each train--attracted d large crowd to
the scene. The fire department put out slight
blaze. due TO crossed wires and then helped the
passengers to the street by means of ladders.
II was impossible to extricate the body Of the
dead motorman until the car in which he We 9
pinned had been lifted off the one in front 1t
would have dropped to the street then had il
not been for chains, with which it had been
anchored to the structure One wheel fell into
Boston Road, coming within few feet of some
pedestrians.
The following persons were treated by ambu-
lance surgeons for cuts, lacerations and con-
tusions: Sol Bumenthal. of No III East 18th
street; Jackson BolbOn. Of No 210 East 10th
street; Walter r. Cole, Of No 206f Boston Road
George Harrult, of No 104 East 10th street:
Mrs. Mary Scrbner. of No. 2O4 Taylor street.
and John Walpole, of No. 20S4 Boston Road
II was more than two hours before the wreck
age was cleared away enough for the resumption
of regular service. Late in the afternoon Coro-
uer Mcdonald had preliminary hearing and
paroled George Wohl, motorman of the forward
train. witness at the inquest the date for
which has not been set.
Mrs. Meyers told the coroner last night that
her husband had not been home on Sunday
night. He was fond Of playing cards. and the
fact that Sl30 found in his clothes led the
coroner 10 think that he might have been nm
all night at card game.