New-York tribune., 1918-05-10
Dashes Down l45th S,r..
Hill Through Auto Into
Trolley Ahead
Company Blamed
By the Motorm,c,
Defects Said to Have Been
Reported; Swami Seek.
Man "Higher Up"

A Union Railway stree.car a. i.
l45th-149th Street crosstown lin.
wild down the FIVE block hill b.,~.-.
Amsterdam and Eighth ayenu.,
145th Street yesterday with a se,.,.
ing load of passengers, smashss J.
automobile to pieces en- rout. =.
killed its driver and Injured
more persons when it concluded i.
dash by crashing into a New w.
Railways car on the track ahead ~ i.
Michael Nolan, the motorm.n 80 :
Henry Fischedeck, the conductor v.,,
arrested last night on a teehni4.,
charge of homicide, after q talk "a
District Attorney Swami. who promi,.a
that a rigid investigation into the :.
cident will be condue,ed to-day.
Nolan told the District Attorn.v a..
he had complained of the condition !,
the car on several occasions, but III,
the officials of the company had ma
no attention to his protests,
I'VE want to get the man hisAs.
up Mr.. Swami said last njsAt
"These fellows have been getting avn
long enough"
Car Runs Wild
The car had stopped at Amsterd,.
Avenue, on the brow of the hill, to let n
passengers. When Nolan threw ON ii,
control lever again to start it, it start,i
all too enthusiastically. The motor.
man then shut off power, but ii.
car continued to gain headway. He a.
piled his brake, but this would nj
work, and the car, under double forc.
of power and incline, began to e,;n
speed rapidly.
Unable to check it, Nolan then shout
ed to the passengers and told them
what had happened There was an in.
mediate rush for the rear door, and ,
few of the more daring threw them.
self off. The last man that jumpei
was taken from his feet by the spsei
and rolled into the gutter. From then
on the passengers who remainei
clung to their seats as the car lurrhei
and staggered, and screamed.
Just before it reached Convent Ave
nue. an automobile owned and driver
| by Charles Gordon, Of 2641 Jerom
/ Avenue, turned into 145th Stree
ahead of it. Nolan's wild Changing d
the gong and the shrieks of the pas
sengers did not reach him in time fol
him to pull out Of the tracks.
Autoist Is Killed
The car crashed into the auto, DE-
molishing it and continued on its vsy
pushing part of the wrecked machmi
along ahead of it. The impact thres
Gordon backward from mis- seat. Ii
burst through the glass of the for
ward platform of the car, narrow;
missing Nolan, and his body FINAL!
came to rest halfway down the aisle
He died fifteen minutes after b
reached Harlem Hospital.
The car ate up the rest of the bill
swiftly. At its foot, near Eighth Ave
nue., stood a 145th Street crosstovE
car, manned by Pacquale Ricco, me-
torman, and Miss Bessie Mccall, con
ductorette. She heard the shouting
that heralded the approach Of the run
away, and, glancing over her shoulder
yelled to Ricco to put on all power
Ricco's car had only just started Z
roll forward when the runaway hit It
Nolan saved himself from injury b
running toward the centre of his en-
Miss Mccall was severely injured. No
lan's car, which was CONSTRUCTED
chiefly of paper mache on . stee
framework, was almost entirely DE-
molished by the shock OF the collision
but it pushed the forward car ahead
for half a block before it was dersiied
and halted by smashing into an eie'
waited pillar.
Ambulances were called from haf.
| lem, st. Lawrence and KnickefDoekef
hospitals and reserves from four pre-
| cincts were summoned to hold pset
the crowd.
Woman Seriously Injured
Physicians found that Gordon "
suffering from a fractured skull. ny
merous other broken bones and !
ternal injuries. Mrs. Carrie Wagne.
of 406 ST. Nicholas Avenue, OF Rieeos
car, was found to be seriously nun
also and was rushed to Harlem nos
pital, where, it is said, she IS suIisi,: si:
ing from fractured skull and posslD"
internal injuries.
Ricco, motorman of the fcfvsD
car, who lives at 407 East 116th stresss
was taken to Harlem Hospital VII VII
! several fractured ribs. Miss Mcoss4
the conductorette, sustained ACE. !.
ated scalp and fractured ribs. Sne
also in Harlem Hospital. -
| Fourteen others received cuts sns
bruises, but were able for the moss
! part to go home.
Three Women injured .