The Washington times., 1918-11-03
BIG ARRESTS INN. Y:
TUBE CRASH IMPEND

NEW YORK. Nov. 3-Important ar
rests last night were believed immi-
nent in the investigation of the
Brighton Beach inter-urban train
wreck in Brooklyn, in which nearly
100 persons died.
Mayor Hylan, sitting as a commit
ting magistrate, heard evidence in the
case yesterday afternoon. Two blank
warrants alleging manslaughter were
sworn out. The probe will be con
tinued tomorrow.
Col. Timothy s. Williams, president
OF the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Com
pany issued a statement asserting that
E. A. Lewis, motorman of the train,
was qualified for that job. 1t had been
charged that Lewis was a dispatcher
who had had no experience as a mo-
torman; that he was working as a
strike breaker, and that this was the
cause OF the disaster.
Mayor Hylan has sent a letter to
District Attorney Lewis de- manding
prosecution of Brooklyn Rapid Tran
sit company officials on the ground
that their action in refusing TO settle
the strike of motormen, in accordance
with the ruling of the War Labor
Board, led to the accident.
Plot Clue Found.
Evidence purporting to show that
the wreck was the result OF a delib-
crate plot, was reported yesterday by
James B. Walker, secretary of the
Public Utilities Commission. He said
that a cold chisel, about seven and
half inches long and one inch in
diameter. was found at the scene of
the wreck Friday night by an inspec-
tor for the commission. II Is the be-
lief OF Secretary Walker that this
chisel was deliberately placed across
the track to derail the train.
The motorman, Lewis, and Sam
Rossof, a train guard, are held with
out bail tonight, charged with homi-
eide. In court, Lewis admitted that
his experience in plotting electric in
terurban trains had been very limited.
The disaster led to a quick ending
OF the strike. At 2 a. m. yesterday.
while the work OF chopping bodies
from the wreckage in the tunnel was
still in progress. the strikers met and
resolved to return to work at once.
MOtOrmRn Near Collapse.
Motorman Lewis is on the verge
Of collapse. After the smash he stood
for some time. watching the res
cuers frantically trying to save some
OF the victims. and listening to the
screams and sobs coming from the
dark heap of debris. Then he dis
appeared. Hours later detectives en-
tered his home and found him sit
ting, pallid and wide-eyed, waiting
to be taken. His wife knew nothing
about what had happened. When she
heard II, she cried:
Friday is our unlucky day. Two
weeks ago my husband was i'll with
influenza. Last Friday our baby died.
And now -"
Seventy of the bodies had been
Identified last night, and the morgue
was still thronged with men and
women searching for missing rela-
tiveS.
The tunnel in which the train
jumped the track and piled up was
still choked with debris. 1t was re-
ported there were still a number of
bodies unrecovered.
Some Burned To Death.
Investigators have revealed that
some of the victims, pinned under
masses of wreckage, were burned to
death by the third rail Some of the
bodies were scorched, and at one time
FIRE started in the litter. The cur
rent in the third rail was not turned
on until half an hour after the wreck
occurred.
Uniformed women of the motor
corps OF America worked side by
side with fremen and policemen res
cueing wounded persons and remov-
ing the dead. At first the dead were
laid in rows on the ground. while the
living were hoisted up out OF the
tunnel in improvised stretchers.
Later the dead were lifted up in the
same manner, and the ambulances
were used for taking them away.
while thousands of men and women
suTged around-held back by the
police many of them weeping for
fear their own people were among
the killed and dying.
Wooden cars are blamed for the
heavy loss of life. The two steel
coaches were intact after the crash.
But the wooden cars, some OF them
thirty-fVe years old. relics OF the
pioneer days OF rapid transit, were
utterly shattered and the passengers
were impaled on splinteTs of the
woodwork and hurled through gaps
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