New-York tribune., 1920-06-14
One of Three Men Who
Fall From Speeding Car
Clings On and Escapes
Without Mortal Injury
Bodies at Morgue;
Autopsy Ordered
Fatal Accident Occurs at
Astor Pl. Station; Com
pany Blames Victims

Three men boarded the fourth car
o. five-car southbound Lexington
Avenue express train at the Grand
Central subway station at 1880 O'Clock
Yesterday afternoon. They stood on
the east side Of the rear vestibule, two
OF them leaning against the door.
Three minutes later, as the train
reared past the Aston Place station,
the door suddenly slid open. The two
men fell from the train and were in
stantly killed. The third had a mar
row escape from death. He was found
tlinging to the outside of the safety
gate of the fourth car and was rescued
b. guard. He suffered a fractured
srnl and numerous bruises.
The injured man is George Allen,
twenty-five, of SAL Hudson Street.
The dead men, both of whom w,re
friends of Allen, were carried to the
Mercer Street police station. They
we're identified as Walter Killeen, Of
S29 Sackett Street, Brooklyn, and Wes-
ley Price. of $40 Academy Street, Long
Island City.
Their bodies were found lying beside
the fourth and fifth cars of the express
train directly behind the one from
which they fell. Wheels of the sub
way trains had not passed over their
bodies.
Guard Rescues Allen
The open door was discovered by
passenger on the fourth car just after
the train had passed the Astor Place
station He notified a guard, S. Kelle-
her, who rushed to the rear vestibule
Of the fourth car. Kelleher found
Allen hanging to the outside of the
safety gate, scarcely able to hold on.
He caught the passenger by the arms
ard dragged him into the vestibule,
and then gave the emergency cord
sharp tug, bringing the rapidly moving
train to stop with lurch. The mo-
torman, F. Murray, ran back through
the train. followed by passengers in
other cars. A crowd swarmed about
the injured man, who said his two
companions had been hurled from the
train.
Kelleher sprang to the track and
after walking back several hundred
yards found another southbound ex-
press train a standstili. The motor
man, W. Krippe, said that his train
mad been autom atically stopped. He
said that he had not seen the bodies
Of the. two men. A search was started
and the body of one man was found
lying beside the fourth car and the
body Of the other lying beside the fifth
car. The bodies were carried to the
Astor Place station. Allen was taken
10 the Brooklyn Bridge station and
sent TO Volunteer Hospital.
In statement made to the police
Kelleher said that he saw the three
men board the fourth car at the Grand
Central Station, and was convinced
'nat they had been drinking heavily. He
SAID that after the train had left the
Grand Central Station one of the men
leaned between the fourth and fifth
cars kelleher said that he warned
ihe men that they were standing in a
dangerous place and that two of them
leaned up against the east door
Autopsy to Be Performed
Or. George Holman, of the county
medical examiners Office, said last
night that he would order the bodies
aken TO the morgue and that an au-
'opsy would be performed to-day.
II was said that the man who told
Ae!leher that the vestibule door was
open gave his name as J. H. Williams,
ol chicago, an employee of the Pull
man company.
'r.o!o VI tue lNlelDOIOugN fdplO
l,ransit Company said last night that
81 doors on the train from which the
men fell are operated pneuma tically,
ana were Of the opinion that some one
must have done something to set in
door
I; G. o'Connor, an expert mechanic
"a ine employ Of the Interborough, last
sight made an examination of the car
rom which the men fell. He said that
ne FOUND the locks Of the doors on the
car IN perfect order A further exami-
as.ion Of the car will be made by tho
once Of the Public Service Commits
s!oner
Inc Interborough's "no accident
ss@k' closed Saturday night A sub
way accident which occurred Thursday
a. the Freeman Street station, the
bronx resulted in the death OF
mo'orman and the injury Of fifteen
msaengers. This accident was caused
"Asn northbound Lexington Avenue
cypress crashed into the rear car OF
stationary Seventh Avenue train.