New-York tribune., 1921-05-31
20 Injured
I'm IL w reck::
Train Burns
Continued from pags one)

half swarmed, to the street. He wa,
the first to telephone for fire apparatus
the police reserves and ambulances
He was busy at rescue work when 8
lieutenant noticed his scorched cloth.
ing and bleeding face and hands and
ordered him to get medical attention.
The wreokage around the third rail
had sent shower of sparks shooting
high and wide around the manned
train and set fire to the telescoped sec
ond and third cars.
Shrieks and groans came from the
interior of the jammed cars as the first
firemen scrambled up their ladders
with axes and hand extinguishers.
Men, women and children could be seen
struggling within and some of them
had managed to climb from the win
dows and were hanging perilously over
the street while others sought to crowd
them aside and emerge from the same
apertures.
The fre spread along the wooden
guard above the third rail and threat
ened to extend throughout the whole
tram. Before this could happen, how
ever, the power YVES shut off and then
the tiremen quickly got the best of the
blaze, although smoke curled from the
wreck throughout the rescue work.
Many of those passing in the street
below had narrow escapes in the sud
den deluge of splinters, glass and steel
that came hurtling down. 4 chunk of
iron struck a taxicab and the driver
70 Ia to fn1
Crowds Flock to Wreck
In spite of the danger from falling
glass and other wreckage, the entire
reighborhood turned out and pressed
densey around the elevated structure.
The first task Of the reserves from the
Alexander Avenue and Morrisania po-
lice stations was to clear the streets
so that the rescue work could start. AS
many patrolmen as could be spared
from the job of controlling the crowd
joined the tiremen in helping passen-
gers from the cars and carrying them
TO the street.
Lincoln Hospital sent three ambu-
lances and half a dozen surgeons in
charge of Chief Surgeon Geld. AS soon
as they arrived they established a
dressing station at the elevated sta
tion at 149th Street. Half a dozen
priests from the Church of the I'M
masulate Conception, at 150th Street
and Melrose Avenue, heard the crash
and fastened to the scene believing
that there would be many to receive
the last rites of the Church. None of
those injured were in danger of death,
however, and the priests acted as as
sistants to the ambulance surgeons.
After most of the passengers had
TzHn IL
elevated structure at the Westchester
Avenue switch began to sway beneath
the feet of the rescuers. 1t was feared
that it would collapse and the street
below was cleared, even of the police.
Many Valuables Collected
Before that action Patrolmen Cen
dert and Phillips, of the Morrisania
police station, had completed the task
assigned to them of collecting any
valuables that might have been dropped
by passengers. They were on their
way to the police station with a feed
bag which sagged weightily in their
grasp. 1t was filled with wallets, hand
bags, watches, parcels and other small
artic les which had fallen from the
wrecked cars.
The strain on tne overhead tracks
seemed to be relieved after wreck
ing crew of the Interborough had
hauled the cars which had projected
over the sidewalk back on the roadway.
District Attorney Edward j. Glennon
went to the structure, which has been
the scene of several other bad acci-
dents, with Police Inspector John F,
Sweeney to conduct an investigation.
Not until three hours and half
after the power was shut off above
l49th Street was it restored and the
wreckage carted away.
a number of passengers who were at
tended for slight cuts, bruises, hysteria
ana shock departed without giving their
names.