New-York tribune., 1921-12-31
Rescuers Use Axes TO Free
Passengers Pinned by
Debris of WoodenCoach
in Ninth Ave. Collision
500 Led to Safety:
! Fire Peril Averted
| ManyReceive Minor Hurts
in Panic as Cars Stalled
Near 10th St. Are Hit

One person was killed and nineteen
xere injured in rear-end collision Of
,outhbound trains On the Ninth Avenue
Elevated road between Fortieth and
rorty-second streets just after r
o'clock last night.
One of the trains, both of which were
ef four cars, had reached Fortieth
Street, when its motor stalled. Motor
man Patrick Garrigan ran back to
investigate the cause and was about
TO return when the following train, in
charge Of Wotormau Anthony Ala
brsitis, tore into the rear coach of
The stationary train at q speed of
eighteen miles an hour.
The forward car oe the moving train
wss of wood. 1t telescoped and pinned
thirty men and women passengers
amid mass or splintered debris The
rear car of the standing train was of
steel. 1t was hoisted on end by the
force of the collision, but remained in
tact.
Passengers Hurt in Rush
Passengers In both trains were
thrown from their seats ana many suf-
fered injury.in the wild scramble for
exits. A short circuit sent blue flames
twenty feet in the air and for a few
minutes danger &C disastrous fire
appeared imminent Quick work ii
communication with the power depart
ment resulted in cutting off electric
current before the shattered wooder
coaches ignited.
There were 500 passengers in ths
eight cars. Virtually all of those il
the forward car Of the moving trair
we're injured One man, an Italian
Inc police believe, was pinned unde,
;smmed seats. He died before being
eatrcated
Traffic or Line Tied I'm
Traffic on the Ninth Avenue line wa.
s;spended following he wreci; Trains
containing thousands of passengers
we're stalled from Forty Street
70 South Ferry. Ten minutes after the
crash orders were issued to stop trains
proceeding north and south.
During the rescue work OF fire ant
Police squads many thousands congre
sated en- Ninth Avenue Police reserve,
experienced difficulty in keeping street:
cleared for ambulances. Fire ladder:
vere elevated against the 81" struc
tg.a for more than a block, and man,
passengers were assisted to the stree
BIZ their use.
Mayor Hylan. after viewing the
Nreck, said:
Responsibility for this wreck rest.
With the Intcrboroush Rapid Transit
Company. If they had not used ole
wooden cars the injuries would have
been iinpcssible.'
Leroy 7. Harkness, transit commits.
sloner, refused to make statement
When asked for an expression as" te
fespons ibllity for the accident he said
there would be time enough when h,
had beer given an opportunity to in
Nestigate It,
An hour after the collision Mayo,
Hylan and Commissioner Harkness
vent Into conference with Robert Ride,
way' chief engineer of the commission
Harry n. Latey, engineer OF equipment
and operation of the Transit Commis
slon. and several inspectors reported
e the Mayor and conferees during the
evening.
Women Spectators Faint
lraitlc was not resumed on north.
eouhd tracks until 10 o'clock. BY that
alme wrecklng crews had tossed the
wreck debris into Ninth Avenue. whence
y was removed by motor trucks.
= curious feature of the excitement
astenolng rescue work was panic ir
sIpaftment houses on both sides oil
Nihth Avenue, tenants of which viewed
'ne wreck from their windows. Sew
Continued OF paae thres)