The New York herald., 1922-08-07

Tor Camp Mills throughout the war. but
IL rs now one OF the loneliest spots on
the Hampstead line
Train No. 2702 left Flatbush avenue.
Brooklyn. for Hampstead at 40 A M
AS 1t passed through Country Life Press
at thirty miles an hour there was q
ripping noise accompanied by a flash
and the power gave out. The motorman
and conductor got out to investigate.
They found every shoe on the right
side OF the train had been torn off and
about 100 feet OF third rail had been
ripped from its supports
The Long Island Railroad maintains
a wrecking crew consisting OF loco
motive with steam up and half dozen
mechanics. This crew reached the
scene in few minutes and made re-
pairs, while the locomotive towed the
train to its destination.
Half an hour later train No. 2104, on
the same division but on another track
because of the damage, was passing
Nassau Boulevard. 1t ran into stretch
of 500 feet of third rail- that had been
loosened and turned II over. All the
shoes" on this train were ripped off.
but it managed to complete its journey
by means Of an emergency slipper"
Crew Shifts shoes.
The next train to encounter difficulties
was No. 2S06, which is the first morn
ing train to Long Beach. At Valley
Stream 1t hit section of loosened third
rail and tore off It's starboard shoes.
The train crew shifted the port shoes
TO the starboard side OF the train and
got it going again. At Lynbrook the
third rail changes from the right to the
left side Of the track and the crew had
to shift shoes again. The train arrived
at Long Beach one hour and ten min
utes late.
Another Long Beach train - ths
heels of the first ran into the detective
rail at Valley Stream with the sarne re-
suit. The Long Beach line was re-
paired, however, before the holiday rush
began.
At o'clock a train of "empties" left
Rockaway Beach for Pennsylvania Sta
tion. At Liberty avenue, Ozone Park,
IL struck a loose stretch of rail and
ripped off all it's shoes. Immediately
behind 1t was regular train which also
ripped off its shoes. The second train
was carrying $50 passengers to New
York. most of whom were bound for q
Hudson River excursion boat. They
missed the boat.
One car in the train OF "empties"
caught fire opposite Woodhaven June
tion soon afeer IL resumed its journey.
1t was necessary to shut off the power
from 5 so until 8 80 and all the trains
on this division were half an hour to
an hour late. M
A railroad repair man was badly
burned fghting the fire. He was at
tended by the Long. Islands medical
force and taken to the company's pri-
vate hospital in Long Island City.
Short Circuit Trap Laid.
All trouble was reported over and
trains were running on schedule again
at 9:15 o'clock. At IL so p. NJ. a Rock
away Beach train bound for Pennsyl-
,ana station was pulling into Maspeth
when the motc-n,an. who had been told
10 keep sharp lookout, saw a coil of
wire stretched across the track, and
stopped his train 50 quickly that the
passengers were Jolted from their seats.
An investigation showed that care
full trap had been laid by some one
thoroughly familiar with the working of
the electric system. One end Of the
wire was fastened to the third rail and
then attached to high tension cable.
A loop of wire was twisted over the
running rail in such way that IL the
train had run over it a short circuit
would have resulted.
This would have caused a blow out,
according to railroad engineers, and
might have set fire to the train, with
possible injury or loss of life to its
occupants. 1t would have burned out
the cable and the result would have been
a .ieup similar to the one which oc-
Cured during an electric storm two
years ago when every train on the sys-
tenn from the Manhattan Transfer sta
tion of the Pennsylvania Railroad In New
Jersey TO the extremities OF the Long
Islands electrified lines was halted for
hours.
When railroad officials learned that
the train wreckers were still striving to
put the service out OF commission their
watchfulness was redoubled. Two hun
dred extra special watchmen were en-
ployed to guard the track last night. In
addition to hundreds OF city policemen
and the regular railroad force. Formal
complaints will be made to-day to Dis
trict Attorney Dana Wallace OF Queens
county.
Inspector Thomas ]. Kelley in COM
mand of district in Queens. with head
aLa=.ers at Jamaica. notified the Long
Island officials that he had instructed all
precincts in his district to double the
normal patrol along the railroad right
Of way. The road was also notified that
similar increased police protection would
be in force in Brooklyn.
Second fIot Since Strike.
This is the second time since the
strike that the Long Island Railroad
has been attacked with the purpose OF
tying UP or crippling its service. Shortly
after the strike began an unsuccessful
effort was made to tie UP the power
plant in Long Island City officials were
thankful yesterday that the damage was
found and repaired before the rush
hours.
The Pennsylvania Railroad announced
IL also has ordered an extra careful
inspection of third rails on its electrified
tracks between Pennsylvania Station
and Manhattan Transfer. These inspec-
tions will be made early every morning.
IL is understood that the New York
Central and New York. New Haven and
Hartford will take similar precautions
until the strike is over.
Neither the railroads nor the strike
committee issued statements in regard
to the attack on the Long Island yes
terday. AS TO the general situation
railroad officials continued to express
confidence in the outcome Of the strike.
AS to the conference In Washington be-
tween the strikers and President Hard
ing one executive said:
LET them play politics all they went
so long as they keep on running trains.
Several said they thought the Presi-
dent would communicate with the Asso-
citation OF Railway Executives early