New-York tribune., 1910-08-25
MOVE ON GRADE CROSSING
Fatal Accident at Springfield
Cause of Investigation.
ELIMINATION IS PROBABLE
Chairman Wilcox Says Il Is on
) List Of P. S. C.-Fourth Vic
tin Of Crash Dies.

4 searching investigation as 20 the causes
responsible fer the fatal automobile acci-
Gent az Springfield. Long Island. on Tues
da- afternoon. when three persons were
Killed by & collision between an autoTT1o-
bile belonging TO A6oIph Hirsch. OF Far
Rockaway. and 2 construction train OF the
Long Island railroad. viii be made by
Coroner Schaefer, Of Queens County The
coroner VII probably held an inquest next
Thursday afternoon. at which he VIII hear
81 the witnesses Of TIE accident.
Il is thought that John +. Voss. al
sSert Of the Public Service Commission,
VII be the most important witness. He
had been detailed TO watch the SprinE Efeld
crossing by the commission with a view
= gathering data concerning its danger
Gus features, an6 had been stationed at
that point for several days prior to the
accident He was in the immediate vicin-
:tv when the automobile and the train came
together
William Peach. the gateran at the
crossing, who was arrested on Tuesday
evening by the police, charged with Grim
sra negligence because he had not low
ered the gates as the train approached
Va released from the Jamaica jail yester-
dav. IIe had been locked up in default OF
).
and yesterday William s Hall. of Free
po--. treasurer Of the town Of Hampstead
put up The necessary amount Of real estate
20 insure his freedom Peach said he was
oz.v trying to be accommoda ting when the
accident happened. and did not see the
train coming Down on the crossing He
thought that the party IN the Hirsoh auto
mobile vas in q hurry TO pass and raised
nan VII plead that q shanry shut of
rhe sizhr OF the train. and that. as he re-
ceired 10 warning signal from the bell,
7hs VS. not negligent IN raising the gates
Tle fourth victim OF the accident died
yesterday morning II the Jamaica Hospital.
where she had been taken immediately
after the crash she was Mrs Frances
Class. CT No. sol West i03d street. Man
haitian. sister Of Mr.. Hirsch, and was
thrown forty feet when the train hit the
automobile. Mrs. Glass had z fractured
skuu and severe internal injuries. She
never -egaiRed consciousness after entering
yhe hospital
Mss Bella F7i-sch. another sister Of the
owner Of the automobile. is in St. Nary's
Hospital Jamaica suffering from concus-
sion o. the brain and q fracture Of the left
leg TIE surgeons II attendance say that
Miss Eirsch mas al excellent chance OF re-
cover
f. z Wilcox. chairman OF the Public
Service Commission, announced yesterday
that hearings would be held by that body
OF September looking toward the elinlina-
tion Of eighteen Of the most dangerous
gTsde crossings Of the Long Island Rail
1890 The Springfield crossing, where Tues
days accident took place, has been closely
Inspected by TIE commission. Last Sep
tsnaer Tie gates and gaten1an were OF
dere5 placed there by Chairman Wilcox.
buJ before that tine the crossing had only
lssn protected by an automatic gong
asked - 10 the possibility a entirely
eliminating the Springfield crossing. Nj
Wllcsx said:
tbs crossing Is one % q number which
lie commission has on the list for probable
elimination. L is now possible 10 make
SINE progress with grade crossing elinina-
ion IN New York City. for the lasr Legis-
lsru-e appropriated S250,e0o IS the states
po--ioR O. fund established for that pur-
pose Cnaer the law the company pays
one-hsI[. ire state one-quar1er and the city
one-Cuz-te-''
The Public Service Commission asked the
legislature Tor appropriations Of s6l0, coo
lss5 year fsr the purpose Of eliminating all
grade crossings or Long Island within the
city limits, in Kings alsd Richmond couu-
ties. The sum OF S258,00o vas deemed sJffi- I
cent to meet the present needs. At the /
tine he commission asked for the agpro- /
pTau0H there were more than three hun
GREG grade crossings IN Queens County, and
rTentT-nine persons had been killed a such /
crossings II 1895