The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-05
MAYORS WRECK
INQUIRY BEGINS;
5 MORE DEATHS
Holds Motorman and Guard
of B. r. T.-Hears Testi-.
mony Of Great Speed.
MORE ARRESTS PROBABLE
Witness Says Train Dashed
Down Grade So Fast He
Expected Crash. -

sitting as City Magistrate for tho
first time since he actually held that title
and no other. Mayor Hylan began hear
ings yesterday afternoon In the John
Doe investigation OF tho wreck on the
Brighton Beach line. He held the motor
man. Anthony Lewis, In $4,000 bail, and
q guard, Joseph Rosoft. in $1,000 ball, on
charges of manslaughter. John Doe and
Richard Roe also were named as defend
ants, but neither OF those gentlemen was
la court, nor among a host OF lawyers
present was there one asserting himself
SO their counsel. f'
The Mayor heard four. Witnesses, two
OF whom were boys who rode on the de-
rnonshed train, ana who told OF it's mad
speed past danger signals and down the.
sloping curve into the Maloone street
tunnel. He then adjourned the hearing
to IL 4. NJ. Thursday,
Meanwhile Travis II. Whitney. Public
Service Commissioner. made public fif-
teen letters written by the Mayor when
he was a County Judge asking Superin-
tkndent Dempsey OF the b. r. T. to give
Jobs to his friends or thanking Mr..
Dempsey for having done SO. Mr.. Whit
ney also said that when Mr.. Hylan was
a locomotive engineer the b. r. T. ais
charged him for taking a curve at ex-,
cessive speed--t;,e same accusation now
made against Motornan Lewis in 3u-
diciaI proceedings before the Mayor
= In Brooklyn IL was said that this was
true, except that the Mayors employer
IN those engineering days was not the
=. r. r., but its predecessor, the Brook
Ign Union Elevated Railroad Company.
According to the Brooklyn story Engine
Driver Hylan was fired in 1897 for hur-
rying around the Navy street curve, and
several years later, meeting on the street
the man who fred him. he thanked that
man for having given him "a real start
in life
whitman to Aid Prosecutor.
Gov. Whitman is watching develop
ments closely. Yesterday morning at
the st. Regis he promised full coopera-
tion to District Attorney Lewis OF Kings
county, and also talked with Public Ser
vice Commissioners Hervey, Whitney
and Kracke. OF his talk with Mr.. Lewis
the Governor said:
II assured the District Attorney that
l would see he had the full support OF
the State authorities and that had EN-
tire confidence In his ability and integ-
r:ty told him I believed that rcspon-
sibility would be fixed and those GRIM
inaly liable would be brought to justice.
whoever they might be-
THE Public Service Commission" the
Governor added, has 40 authority I'M
Ger the law TO dictate to conlpanies as
70 what men they should employ. The
responsibility for employment 81 proper
operatives rests entirely with the conpa-
MES, and they are civilly and criminally
liable for failure to perform their duty
to the public In this particular"
Instructing the November Grand jury
Court Justice Campbell said the results
VI Mayor llylan's hearings might be
laid before them.
'lf they are, he said. "itis unneces-
sa-y to urge you to do your exact
and sworn duty In placing upon the
really guilty ones the burden of guilt.
If this disaster resulted from criminal
negligence the people OF Brooklyn will
look to you TO place the guilt where It
belongs. and 1 know that you will not
TAIL them
The number of dead was raised to
ninety yesterday by the death OF four
persons in the Kings County Hospital
and one in the Coney Island Hospital.
They we're Alfred Risch OF ;" 152
Martense street. Alvina Edhelm of ssl
Ocean avenue, Nathan Lerner OF l1l&
East Seventh street and Wright Mussen
CO 402 Ocean avenue at Kings County
Hospital and Mrs. Gertrude Harris of
HylRn's Hearing Begins Late,
Mayor Hyian was an hour and thirteen
minutes latein reaching the court room
IN the temporary county court house fsDs
Schcrmerhoi& etreet, where the hearing
was scheduled to begin at 2 O'Clock He
found awaiting him District Attorney
Lewis, George d. Yeomans chief coun-
sci to the L. n. t. William l.. Ransom,
counsel; James y. Walker, secretary of
the Public Service Commission, and
about fifty Others. The two prisoners,
Aiotorman Lewis and Guard Rosoff, sat
with their lawyer. Patrick r. Callaghan.
Motormar Lewis, who for the time
being is the centre Of the inquiry. IL .
tall. dark, smooth shaven, intelligent
looking young man withSa pronounced
Iioman nose. lie sat most or the time,
with his eyes on the floor. Not only ia
lie crushed by his wreck experience
bat Il vas recalled that his baby died
a week ago last Friday, when he was
just getting over an attack of Spanish
Influenza. Guard Rosocf, who Is a minor
figure and probably will be discharged
soon, appeared in his Il. II. T. uniform,
but Lewis was in street clothes. It ap-
peared that Lewis formerly was Antonio
Luciano, but when he was a boy his
father had Anerlcanized the name.
The complaint, signed by Police Lieu
tenant Francis ]. Finn, said that the
true names of John Doe and Richard
lioo we're unknown toAthe deponent but
that they were the agents OF the railroad
having supervision of the operation of
the train and the employment OF the
inotorinan and crew. II was further al
legged that the four defendants knowingly
permitted the train to be operated ''by
an insufficiently trained and inexpe-
.rienced, incompetent and unqualified mo-
t6rman and crew. and upon and over an
improperly constructed roadbed and
track. .the derailment and wrecking of
the said train and the deaths caused
thereby resulting from the unlawful and
cuipabie negligence OF the said Luciano,
Rosofr. John Doe and Richard Roe"
Refuses TO Dismiss Complaint.
Attorney Callaghan pleaded not guilty
for the motorman and guard after
Mayor iiylan had refused to dismiss the
complaint. Secretary Walker of the
Public Service Commission. called upon
Tor a statement of the makeup OF the
Brooklyn transit companies. said the
president Of tho Consolidated Railways
COMPANY, the n. r. T subsidiar,. which
operates the Brighton Beach and other
elevated lines. is j. Fl. Haileck.
Peter German. conductor acting as
towermsn at Franklin avenue ard Full.
tor street on November ]. the day OF
4 ha An