The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-09

'-AHA'A NAHhN " wv
prey. The front car OF the local tilted
up, and when the wedge was finished thu
fronts OF both cars were within IA few
feet OF each other.
The collld,ng car was not damaged 10
any great extent by the smash. but the
rear car OF the stalled train. which was
lifted from its trucks. was badly crushed.
II was admitted by the railroad officials
that had this car been filled with pas
sengers the loss OF life would have been
great.
Woodwork Set Anr~.
Motorman Kerrigan was pitched head
first GU; OF his cubbyhole and dropped
INTO the shell OF the smashed rear car.
where he vas subsequently found IN
conscious. wedged between two seats.
There was a short circuit the moment
OF the crash, and electric eparks set fire
20 the woodwork. The bang OF the COL
l'sion. the crunching OF the wooden cars.
the dipping n sizzling OF the short
circuit and the ehrieks Of the injured
passengers and their badly scared, but
more fortunate fellow travellers, turned
Third avenue below into a bedlam.
Traffic Policeman John y. Devery.
who was standing below IN the street,
realized In a Jiny what had happened
and sent IN an alarm for fremen and
for the police. As soon as the iremen
arrived ladders were run up TO the ele-
waited and Devery was among the first
to ascend. II was Devery who at the
risk OF his life crawled into the smashed
car and pulled out Kerrigan.
Peter Pierson, an elevator guard. was
found pinned under the wreckaee in the
first a OF the local. He was prac-
tically covered up and was wildly "A
tnD hta hand IN nsgraNf nfsAnsint uFhan
he was dragged out. Pierson was in "A
shower OF sparks and was quite badly
burned.
Firemen and policemen rescued pas
sengers who were imprisoned and es-
corted them along the elevated struc-
ture to the 149th street station, where
they were taken n by one to waiting
ambulances or were turned over to the
ambulance doctors for first aid treat
ment.
Tho police under Inspector Edward
Walsh. acting Captain Winslow of the
Morrlsiania station and Capt. John J.
Mckeown of the Walton avenue station.
directed the rescuing operations u
soon restored order so the firemeu and
policemen could do the most effective
work.
Clash With HedIey.
General Manager Hedley and his men
and District Attorney Martin, Coroner
Flynn and other Interested officials ar
rived at the scene of the crash In short
order and began cparate investigations
to find out what had happened and why.
1t was during the progress OF these in
qulries on the elevated tracks and
station platform that the clash occurred
which precipitated one OF the quickest
Grand Jury Investigations on record.
Assistant District Attorney Seymour
Mark did most OF the hard work for
the District Attorneys office.
MIR. Mork subsequently said that Coro-
ner Flynn was asking questions Of rail-
way employees In order to get at the
bottom OF the wreck when General Man
age Hedley told the Coroner to su to
the hot place. Mr.. Mork said Mr.. He'd
ley ordered railway employees not TO
answer questions. Mr.. Mork told MI.
Hcdley that he. Mork. was acting under
the authority Of District Attorney Mar
tin.
Coroner Flynn said he ordered police
men to take witnesses 10 the platform.
whereupon George Keegan, an Inter
borough official, objected 10 tho takiug
of their statements. Flynn even went
so far as to say that n necessary he
would place keegan under arrest II he
continued to interfere with n Coroner In
the performance of his duty. Mr.. Kec-
gan then had a talk with Mr.. Hedley.
Flynn said. and soon the Coroner and
hot and heavy.
"Hedley and Keegan raised the Ques-
tion Of my Jurisdiction because they said
that nobody had been killed" the Coro-
ner said. II told them that under tho
law l had q right To act In the emer-
gency. and furthermore. word had been
received that the motorman had died in
the hospital.
"Mr. Hedley then said. Thu Coroner
be damned and I told him ! was much
surprised at such language from such
a person"
subpGnas Issued.
~ also told him that before I got
through with him I'd teach him to re-
spect a coroner. then directed the
police to take witnesses to the detective
bureau. and subpoenas were Issued for
MIR. Hedley and other witnesses"
District Attorney Martin made this
statement: I'VE simply wanted to teach
this railway company. as we will teach
any other railway company, that they
are not above the law, We wanted to
teach them that when anything like
this happens they will have to submit
to proper Investigation"
As Mr.. Hedley was waiting to he
called before the Grand Jury he was
asked for his version of tho dispute with
the county authorities. and he replied
Forget II ] have
The witnesses who testified before the
Grand Jury we're Coroner Flynn. Detec-
tive Harry White. MotOrman Waldron
Of the empty train and Morris Flelgner.
an Insurance agent. who was formerly
employed In the signal tower.
Fleigner said the home signal was not
set at danger. AS II should have been. lie
also declared that the signal was
equipped with torpedoes. which would