The Sun and the New York herald., 1920-02-28
FOOL PROOF DOORS
TESTED IN SUBWAY
Multiple Control Device Seems
to be Success, With Mr.. He'd
ley as the Goat.

While a subway express was standing
al the Bowling Green station last night
q passenger who seemed 10 at least one
observer bent upon suicide by a new but
tedious method lowered his head ana
thrust II forward 70 that a sliding side
door OF the car. which was starting 10
close. could not help but smite his
Uranium.
The passenger was prosperous looking
and up to this moment had seemed as
sane as most New Yorkera But there
be was row, deliberately riskinC or in
vitinR decapitation or at least n power
ful blow on the skull. In view OF the
proximity OF the third rail, which could
have saved him all this trouble, his
procedure was not only fascinating but
puzzllEg.
However. the door behaved strangly.
too. Il moved along its groove and
ramrned the lunatic's barred head, but
did not appear to hurt him And in
stead OF driving along against the ob-
stacle IL halted and then started back
in the other direction unit! the doorway
was wide open again. Then this very
polite and intelligent door started clos
ing again The man kept hls head in
the way Every time the door hit him II
recoiled and slid as far back as II could
90, only TO reverse itself ana repeat the
recoiling performance when the mans
head was encountered again.
This might have gone on all night, for
the passengers head was not bruised
and the door knew no fatigue. But as
the sacred train schedule was being In
terrupted and the eEperimenter had con-
vinced himself that this means Of self
destruction was virtually worthless. he
gtralghtened ZIP and allowed the door
TO close without further hndrance. AZ
this point 4 younger man who, it now
appeared, was a companion Of the other.
spoke up:
IT'S no use, Mr.. IIedley.' ne said.
That multiple unit fool proof door Of
yours is hopeless. It has human feel
Lngs. It couldn't hurt a flea. It couldn't
even hurt
Enough. Henry" said Frank Hedlsy.
for II was indeed the president and gen.
eral manager OF the Interborough Rapid
Transit Company. let not your con-
versation savor Of the controversial.
You are quite right about the door; let
US proceed
So the train ran on uptown In the
rush time, and when ii left Grand Gem
tral Station there were 200 persons
packed in each OF the ten cars, and
it IL safe to say that not more than
ter OF these 1000 realized that all the
doors Of the whole train could be op-
Grated by two guards and that the
seven other guards who stood at their
posts were supernuous.
The marlborough is trying to get the
permission OF the Public Service Com
mission TO spend $1,122,000 on equip
ping 9S2 cars with the multiple unit
car door control which Mr.. Hedley in
vented He took reporters yesterday
on regular ten car express train thus
equipped to show them how the thing
works. The train started from Allan
tic avenue, Brooklyn. at 5:ij r. NJ.
Il had the usual crew Of nine guards,
but each alternate one Of these doing
nothing except being on hand for an
emergency and calling out stations.
With his fingers on electric buttons the
guard between the first and second cars
was opening and closing all the doors
Of these two carE. There Is a little
projecting footboard at>the end Of the
car to which the guard steps when
the train stops Standing on this and
leaning forward he can look up and
down the station platform outside the
train and can see for himself or catch
stgnal from the platform guard when
the doors should be closed. Whereupon
the train guard presses his button and
all the doors OF his two cars close at
once,