The New York herald., 1922-01-06
Rebuilding Roads and Ser
vice Slower. Chief Objec-
tions OF Experts.
INTERBOROUGH DEFENDED
Transit Board and Prosecutor
Both Hear Witnesses About
Smashup.

Engineering ana operative experts
of the staff Of Frank Hedley. presi-
dent OF the Interborough Rapid Tran
sit Company, testified yesterday be-
fore the Transit Commission that it
would be perfectly feasible to equip
the elevated railroads with safety de-
vices which practically would preclude
the possibility Of such rear end col
lsions as that which occurred last
week on the Ninth avenue line.
Human life, they agreed. could be
thus safeguarded by installing on all
the elevated roads, local tracks as We'll
as express, the block signal system at
all points; the speed control and au-
tomato tripper stop devices now in
general use on the express tracks of
the IL" roads and in the subways'
The tripper is an ingenious contri-
vance which automatically brakes and
stops train if it enters block al
ready occupied by another train rum
ming ahead of it.
The same experts agreed. however
that a retarded service would be the
.price that would have to be paid Tor
these safety installations The length
ening Of intervals between trains, when
would be AN inevitable consequence, they
figured when estimated In connection
with the added periods required to enter
and clear stations would cause diminu-
tion in the traffic carrying capacity oil
the "L" roads in rush hours amounting
to 25 per cent.
Witnesses VINO were agreed upon ina!
point were George Keegan. assistant to
Mr.. Hedley; James S. Doyle. superin-
fendent of car equipment for the Inter
borough, and j. NJ. Waldron. Its chief
signal engineer, who developed the
speed control system now in successful
use In the subway express service. Mr
Hedley himself was reported by his
counsel 10 be confined to his bed with a
severe cold.
Light steel Car Designed.
,Ir royle also gave an interesting
niece of Evidence. He testified that af
long ago as 1914. tie Interboroughs en-
ylneers had succeeded In designing an al
steel passenger car light enough to be
run safely on the elevated roads OF the
East Side. though not on those of Sixth
and Ninth avenues, which are OF less
sturdy construction.
He said the intention had been to pro-
duce an all steel car suitable for use in
tercha angeably either in the subway OF
ON the elevated. The car. when loaded
was of a weight o. Si.8S0 pounds. as
compared with ?6.GSo pounds for the
steel cars operated in the subways ano
1850 pounds which Is the weight oi
the heaviest of the wooden cars such as
are used on the East Side IL" lines
In 1914, Mr.. Doyle testified the com
many was running In the subway some
composite cars-that is, cars chiefly o.
wood but with metal frames and sheath
ing in part The then Public Servic'
Commission and the !. r. T. manage
ment. he said. decided the wisest thinl
10 do would be to take the compost,
cars out of the subway. place them OF
the elevated service and in their plac,
contract for all steel heavy type car,
for the subway.
SO the light steel car was neve
developed beyond the experimental stage
Mr.. Doyle said the great objection t.
these light all steel cars was that with
out too greatly increasing their weigh
they could not be equipped with three
sliding doors on each side, but had I,
be restricted to two on a side. This. h
thought, gave II too little loading anC
unloading capacity. and the aim ough
TO be ito minimize the station walt
which Is the factor limiting the trail
schedule movement"
"Our experience Is that we ought e
have as many side doors in a car as W.
can get" he said. The Commissioner
did not ask him IL light steel cars, ever
though they had only two sliding door
on each side. would not have been
better as well as safer factor In accel
Grating the traffic movement than tn
ancient wooden cars now in use whicl
give entrance and exit only through
narrow and old fashioned swing gate
at their platform ends.
Chairman McAneny did say to tn
witness: Then you apparently had over
come the matter of weight i'm that case
you found II could be done?"
Yes. IL could be done on the Eas
Side; but we ran into the objection o
loading and unloading
Could lie Done, WAS Not Done.
You mean you determined the fac
that IL could be done, but you haven
done it?'' asked Col. Howard Thaye
kingsbury. counsel to the commission
who was conducting the examination.
THAT is right" replied the superin
tcpdent Of car equipment
Mr.. Doyle, however by no means con
teu'u iHal stttl Cetih. us Sucn, are fltC
conveyances than wooden ones In th
event of collision. lie freely concedc,
that they are unqualifitdly superior y
case of fire. He cited several accident
when steel cars had toiescoped with los
OF life. one at Broadway and 207th stree
and another on Jerome avenue. In whitl
the metal cars had telescoped for twent
feet.
THE front part of the car being steel.
he said, ut acts as sort OF cleavei
IL cuts right through. destroys all tn
upright posts and shaves off everythin
that is In the car. Describing the Jacl,
son avenue collision OF 1917. he said
1T killed the motorman and Il took u
an hour and n half 70 get him out Q
his steel box. We had TO release III
body with an acctyleue torch. " pcopl
nrc caught in the crumplcd steel {
'"~ecked cars II II very hard 20 get thet
,rt. IN wrecked wooden cirs YOU ca
oi least use saws and axes in the rcscu
work"
In his morning testimony Mr.. Kcesai
who had made an early Investigation a
the scene OF the Ninth avenue smashuI
which resulted In killing one man an
injuring several passengers, placed II
cause squarely upon human fallibili: