New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-15
Coroner and District At
torney's Office to Ques-
tiOn InterbOrO Heads.
SUBPGNAS FOR
SHONTS AND HEDLEY
Acting Prosecutor Look
ing Into Practice of Run
ming Trains from Rear.

| stances, aroused the authorities yes
terday to unusual activity in their
| preparations to FIX the responsibility.
Representatives of the District A.tor-
ney's Office and the Coroner's office de-
/ clared that they had no intention OF
letting the matter rest with the ar
rests, on charges of manslaughter, OF
/ the motorman and conductor concerne
the Ninth av. wreck last Wedne. day
night, in which two persons were killed
and fifty injured, but that the responsi-
bility would be placed on high officials
Of the Interborough and Manhattan
companies il .he developments of she
investigation warranted such acticn.
James A. Delehsnty, Acting District
Attorney, and Deacon Murphy, Assist
at District Attorney, who has had
charge of the criminal end of the in
vestigstion of Wednesday nights col
lision, said yester ~ that several wit
nesses had been examined, and Others
/ would be, with a view of zscertaining
whether criminal negligence could be
/ legally attributed to the officials Of the
companies controlling the elevated
/ lines.
/ Most of the witnesses examined in
/ the District Attorneys Office will be
/ subpenaed to appear at the coroner's
/ inquest, which Coroner Riordan an
nounced yesterday would probably be
held December %, and il is not likely
that any further action will be taken
by the District Attorney prior TO that
! time.
Coroner Riordan declared last night
that he would spare no one in trying
to fix the responsibility for the col
lision Wednesday night. He said he
intended TO subpoena Theodore p.
Shonts, president of the Tnterborough
Rapid Transit Company. and Frank
Hedley, ce-president and general
manager, for the inquest.
Quiz Shonts and Hedley.
"The statement Of Mcmahon, the
motorman, that the local was oper-
ated from the fourth car was a start
| ling revelation" he said. 81 intend to
/ find out from President Shonts and
General Manager Hedley il it is true
/ that motormen are taught TO run their
| trains from third and fourth cars.
| en- going to examine every witness
who can throw any light on the negli-
/ gent conditions which must have ex-
/ listed TO make such a wreck possible.
/ If Mr.. Shonts and Mr.. Hedley can be
/ proved responsible for these extraor-
/ binary conditions admitted by Nc
Mahon they will not be spared"
Coroner Riordan questioned several
employees of the Ninth and Sixth nv.
elevated lines at his Office yesterday.
Alvin f. Rolls, conductor Of the Ninth
av. local which crashed into the stalled
express at 10th ST., who was held in
s2.500 bail with Mcmahon, was too i'll
Yesterday to appear for examination,
the coroner said. He expects 70 ex-
anime Rolls and the two guards who
assisted in flashing the signals back
70 the motorman In the fourth car Of
| the local to-day.
In the absence yesterday of Chair
man Edward r. Mccall of the Public
| Service Commission and other officials
| of that body, who went TO Pittsburgh
10 inspect steel plants, the commits
sion's investigation was somewhat in
| allowance. A hearing TO look into the
| causes Of the two collisions will be
hold Tomorrow at Q o'clock p. m. The
commission has issued orders TO the
| Interborough Rapid Transit Company
and the Manhattan Elevated Railroad
| COMPANY for them TO appear through
counsel at the hearing.
HedIey Silent on Wrecks.
Clifton W. Wilder, electrical engineer
| of the Public Service Commission,
submitted his report yesterday on the
! ;nvestipation Of the latest collision on
the Ninth av. elevated line, near l5Oth
| 81 Sunday afternoon. Mr. Wilder said
| that confusion in handling the trains
| at the switch at 147th st. and careless
ness in the operation of the Sixth av.
train were causes of the accident. He
i found the brakes and electrical equip
ment of the colliding trains were in
good working order.
Manager Hedley refused yesterday TO
discuss the second collision or the pos
sibilities Of the investigation under
way.
Other representatives of the Inter
| borouoh Company explained the colli-
sion at i50th st. by saying that repairs
on the structure near this point had
been under way for some time, and
| Sunday trains were being shunted to
| the third track, and IL was while the
no., al condition OF service was being
renev ed on the main tracks that the
accident occurred.
Some OF the questions which will
concern the District Attorney and the
/ { roner in fixing the responsibility
will be as 20 whether officials OF the
company were negligent in not having
adequate signals, or block signal sys-
tenn. on the lines; and whether the
company showed negligence in not hav-
| ING INSPECTORS, or other employees, at
certain points along the line to see
| that trains were not run in an unsafe
and improper condition. The question
aa 10 whether the rules Of the company
/ in regard TO continuing with trains dis
abled TO some extent furnish adequate
safety TO the passengers will also
come up.
/ ,--..t- n,.x. I.I..,.a- -pnWerful dis