New-York tribune., 1922-01-10
Transit Board
FavOrs Better
signals for IL
Engineer Proposes Speed
Control System at Cost
of SIS, 100000: Express
Trains Declared Safest
23 Killed in Ii Years
229 Rear End Collisions
Reported in Records of
Subway and Elevated

lhe Transit Commission is in favor
OF 'he installation OF further signal ap-
pi'ances on the local tracks of the Gle
waited system to eliminate the danpcr,
OF rear-end collisions. Chairman Nc
Aneny sand at the commissions hearing
Yesterday.
Mr. McAneny made this announce
ment after Daniel l.. Turner. consult
ing engineer Of the commission has
said:
~ seems to me that we have arrived
AZ the time where it is essential that
we EXHAUST every possibility in an en-
ueavor to find some means of atfordino
better protection to trains moving on
'"e' local lines Of our rapid transit
SYSTEM"
Mr.. Turner prefaccd his statement
WIN testimony showing that during the
'"s, fourteen years on all the subway
an" elevated lines there had been 22e
lear,end collisions. resulting in the
"ea'h OF twenty-threc passengers and
N'a'Hmen and the INJURY of 6Ol per
sons.
cral investigation of all the traction
COMPANIES grew out of the recent col
ilslon on the Ninth Avenue a." which
caused the death Of two and the in
jury OF more than q score of persons.
Wants System for Locals
Mr. Turner said he considered the
sigma appliances on the subway and
elevated express tracks adequate. He
recommended, however, that the com
panles be required to make experiments
that would develop reliable system
for the local tracks The engineer sur.
gested combination speed control and
block signal. which, he said. would
solve shc problem. The disadvantage $
OF such Il combined system he said
would be its high cost and complicated
G,qulpmcnt; TO equip all the elevated
lines in this manner probably would
cost Sl5,000000. he said
On the much discussed subject Of the
relative merits of steel and wooden
cars on the elevated lines. Mr.. Turner
said there was little choice. While the
wooden car possessed the greater fire
hazard, he said, the serious results Of
telescoplng were about equal
MIR. Turner agreed with exports OF
the companies that it would not be sa fc
to operate heavy steel cars on the
elevated structures in their present
condition. lie said he did not believe
the scrapping of all the wooden cars
and the rebuilding of the elevated
structures would be justified.
Harry y. Latey. chief of the COM
, missions bureau of equipment and
operation, concurrcd in Mr.. Turner's
views.
Motorman's Record Fair
1nquiring into the system OF disci
plne followed hy the Interborough
the commission learned that although
A. G. Abratis, motorman Of the collid.
ing train in the Ninth Avenue wreck
had been suspended for total OF
nincty-four days and had been repre-.
manded thirty-ive times during his
sixteen years service, the company con-
sdcred his record "far"
The motorman's record, introduced
by Howard Thayer Kingsbury, counsc
of the commission. showed that Abratis
had been found guilty by the company
of many infractions, ranging from in
attention to taking curves at high
rate Of speed to passing signals ane
stations.
George Keegan, assistant to Franz
Hedlcy, president Of the Interborough
was asked by Commissioner John f
ORyan:
you would not consider it mad
visable for the company to continue
in its employ men as motormcn viii
records like this"
s'O1' course" replied the witness. 9Th.
answer to that is if we had considered
it inadvisable to have done it W.
wouldn't have done it."