The evening world., 1913-08-05
VANDERBILT TELLS
HOW FRIENDS WERE
KILLED IN AUTO
(Continued from First Pa9e.D

~ tAs fatal results Of Sunday nights
ride In the dark than that her husband
10 In Q hospital suffering from slight
wounds. The doctors DO not dare to
break the news that she Is q widow
until Mrs. Laimbeer Il much stronger.
Before the Public Service inquiry
opened Chairman Decker outlined for
an Evening World reporter what he
considered the crucial point to DO de.
terminsd ny his Investigations. lie
said:
WERE THE FRONT OR REAR
CARS LIoHrEc7
THE whole Issue Of responsibility
hinges very largely upon the determine.
tlon Of whether the front or rear cars on
the Long Island train were the ones
lighted. The railroad oficiais soy tina.
II was . seven car train that ran down
the Pell automobile. and that the nrst
two or three cars we're lighted. under
stand that arto!sts who came up to the
scene after the accident are prepared to
state that the front cars Of the train
were darkened. and that only the last
two were lighted for the accommoda ton
Of passengers.
DO the correct one II 10 not hard to
understand how . man driving . car
onto the tracks might bs misSuided by
the rear lighted cars and. not soSlns
the front cars at all. determine hat
the train was further away from him
than 1t really was by four or Ave car
lengths.
The witnesses who testify To-day will
-
Inquest tomorrow.
All hope Of obtaining . statement
from Mrs. Laimbssr. who 10 the sole
survivor Of the accident and who could
throw important light on the question
OF whether or not the train's lights were
visible when the car started to cross the
| track. has been deferred Oh the word
| Of her physician that ut the present time
| she IL too weak to be Questioned on the
| fatality. 1t II extremely doubtful u
Mrs I.aimbeer viii even be able to give
q statement to the Coroner unless he ad-
journs hAs inquiry until such time ~
she has progressed beyond the danger
period Of her convalescence.
VANDERBILT 10 CALLED AZ THE
FIRST WITNESS.
| Charles Pope Caldwell. u lawyer Of
No. q Broadway. appeared At the In.
auiry ~ the representative OF the Peli
| family. Charles b. Addison. secretary to
President Peters. represented the Ions
Island Railroad Company.
william X. Vanderbilt jr. was the first
witness called. lie WAS instructed 20
tell In his own way all he knew abou.
| The accident
Il came down to Long Beach," said
Mr.. Vanderbilt. at 7 o'clock f.. II. to
Join Mr.. and Mrs. Peli at dinner. Mr..
and Mrs. Laimbeer were with them and
also Richard I,etsrs.
After the dianer the party broke up.
They we're going across the way to visit
some place with which l was not ia
miliar ! wasn't feeling very well and
said ! thought l would 20 home. A.
started for my car asked Mr.. IAimbeer
tor q match with which to light the
lamps. He didn't have . match. and
a lille 1 was getting one the whole party
came back. They said they had decided
TO go home.
~ asked Mrs. Psai to ride with me and
she got In the car. l wanted to get my
buster from . locker In the rear. bui
had no key. 70 I sent for . mechanic
to force the lock. This took about ave
minutes, ] should say. The rest Of ths
party. except Mr. Peters. had gone on
IN Mr.. Pslrs car. Mr.. Pell was driving
IL was told sftsrwArd. ! didn't See
them start
How many cars were between me an,
Sta, Pslrs car wAsn ] starred ! do no
know. ~ ] approached the railreaA