The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1919-10-21
CRASH ON q" KILLS
THREE, INJURIES "A;
MOTORMAN ARRESTED


said. that Boyd Jumped from his
cab before the crash"
Mr.. Martin announced also that all
OF the crews OF 5oth trains who are
! able. and all officials OF the INTERIOR
ough. who may have a connection
with the wreck have been called to
/ his ONCE for examination this after
noon. The District Attorney will call
Grand Jury investigation OF the
accident, which he said probably
would begin next week.
INJURED MoToRMAN'S STORY
OF CRASH.
Boyd. Just before being removed to
the operating table at Fordham Hos
pital made the following statement
{ to Assistant District Attorney OF the
Bronx:
/ Il left city Hall at 5.4s o'clock and
maintained a speed not exceeding
eight miles an hour, and sometimes
less, all the way up. II was dark. ]
did not notice any tail lamps on the
train ahead.
"when first applied the brakes
they would not hold on wet rails.
! lost all the air in my brakes and
after that used the reverse. At the
I7Ith Street station the brakes
worked all right. The train was out
OF sight.
There were no hags or nagmen.
/ My eyes were on the tracks all the
time. | was alone in the cab. No
sand had been placed on tho wet
rails. ! was ten feet away from the
train ahead when first saw 1t. !
saw no tail lamps. do not know
whether the train was moving or
still"
Questioned as to his qualifications
ms a motorman. Boyd said he had
/ been appointed in September. 1915.
after several years experience as
fireman and fagman on railroads.
Frank Hedley. acting head of the
marlborough. got to the scene short
ly after tho accident and after an
examination declared the crash was
due 10 Motorrnan Boyd and the
human element"
"As long as we depend on human
beings there will be wrecks" said
I Hedley. 1--WE could swing signals on
every block of our systems, and there
would always be collisions ana
fatalities"
The point OF the collision is mid
wav between the 174th street and
fremont Avenue stations. and those
who coald get out walked to one or
the other OF these stations.
Fallon, the marlborough guard who
was killed, was 90 closely pined In
the wreckage that 1t was after ~
o'clock before rescue parties succeeded
in chopping their way to him. Pas
sengers passing on southbound trains
got gruesome giimpses Of his I'M
nrisoned body. He had evidently
tried to jump out the window.
TRACK STRAIGHT WHERE
WRECK OCCURRED.
Ths fremont Avenue station Ia an
island" express stop, which neces-
states curve shortly before u Is
reached But the spot where the
crash occurred IL on stTalsn'
length of track, and none has oeeh
ohIe to explain why Boyd was unable
to see the train ahead in time.
District Attorney Martin, with MS
assistant, Cohn. Police Captain An
drew Wines and squad Of detec-
tives arrived on the scene early and
CO. operated with Deputy Public ser
vice Commissioner Edward Glennon
The authorities declared officials o.
the Interborough pursued tileli
"usunl tnctics" and that a large
number OF witnesses of the wreck
coulA not be found. Detectives were
scattered in all directions 10 rouho
On anybody who could tell anytnlhs
, OF the wreck. - a.
Deputy Commissioner Glennon de-
clared the wreck undoubtedly wa
the fault of Motorman Boyd.
"There is no question OF boyG
nealiRence," he said. HE adnlt'
himself that the brakes were work
inc in good order when the l14tI
. Street Station was passed.
All trains on the Inte-borouBh sys
tenn are equipped with an anti
r climbing device, the Invention o
Hediey, which Is supposed TO preven
: I the telescoping OF cars In wrecks
: Hedley declared that this morning
. crash was not technically telescope
= but was what Is known as SAND
wich wreck" The fact remains how,
ever, that the rear train cut through
the last car OF tho train ahead IKE
knife going through cheese
Following the wreck, nortnpoun'
traffic was diverted at lT4th stree
/! and shuttled over the southooun'
; t-ocks TO the fremont Avenue sta
|. tion, where normal traffic was re
sumed.
|. No witnesses OF the crash could b
! found TO confirm the charge of Dis
trict Attorney Martin that Boy
!; Jumped from his cab when he say
: an accident was inevitable; Patrol
!, man Carlton Hunger OF the Bath
); gate Avenue station, the first out
N slider TO arrive on the scene, said h
D. found Boyd seated in the second ca
!; OF his train, where nc said he ha
I; been carried by the force OF the col
lision.
;; IL was recalled that about min
4 months ago a somewhat similar ac
4 cident occurred about 100 feet froT
y the scene OF to- days crash. At tina
2 time a girl was killed and sewers
D- ,sS,.av, ,vara infured.