The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-01-16
WUECK.PERILS
HUNDREDS IN
HUDSON TUBE
First Car of Train Leaps
Into Open Switch: 19
Persons Injured.
SCENE ONE OF TERROR
Screaming Women, Horror
in Darkness of Subway
Told by Passenger.
SCENE ONE OF TERROR

By United Press
NEW YORK, Jan. 16-The first
car of train in the Hudson tubes
leaped through an open switch to-
day at the Manhattan terminal,
crashed into a dividing wall and
injured all of the nineteen .passen-
gers.
Five hundred persons in the
terminal at Thirty third street and
Sixth avenue were endangered by
choking smoke which spread
through the underground tunnels
after the crash and the car sent
electric sparks into the air.
Switchman Yanishes
Police said the switchman who
presumably was responsible for the
open switch, disappeared immedi-
ately after the accident. They de-
clned to reveal his name.
The train was approaching the
Manhattan terminal on the regular
run from New Jersey points. The
Hudson tubes are subway system,
running to Newark, Jersey City and
other New Jersey points after dip
ping beneath the Hudson river.
Thousands of New Jersey residents
were delayed hours in getting to
their work by the tieup in the line.
Eye witnesses said the front car
OF the train shot through the open
switch and pounded its way into the
dividing wall. The air was blue with
electricity and dense smoke gushed
out into the tunnel.
Women Screaming in Cars
One hundred policemen answered
an emergency alarm and climbed
down a narrow stairway to the
tracks.
Women were screaming and the
persons in the first car were smash
ing at windows in an attempt to
get out.
The doors of the first car could
not be opened. Police edged along
q narrow ledge and lifted women
from out of the first car.
The second car of the seven.ear
train also left the tracks, but did
not turn over or hit the dividing
wall.
In almost every respect the wreck
resembled the one that occurred in
Times square two years ago when
twenty seven persons were killed.
Car Cut In Half
The first car in todays wreck
virtually was cut in half.
1t was five minutes, witnesses said,
before the power was cut off and in
the meantime hundreds of COM
muters in the tunnels became panic
stricken. The danger of electrocu-
ton and the menace of the heavy
smoke terrified passengers.
Arthur Tarsitano, who was in the
first car and suffered cuts ON the
face and arms, described the panic.
Il was standing by the door watt
ing to get out" he said, when there
was terrific crash. was knocked
into the aisle. People fell on me.
"A woman kicked me in the face.
Everybody was kicking and yell
ing.
THE lights went out
"a woman yelled oh, my God,
save me-
"A man was curSing,
Scene of Terror
"A lot of men broke windows and
jumped out. They pushed the wom-
en- away They didn't give the wonn-
en- a tumble.
Somehow don't know howl
got up.
People were piled up in the aisle.
You couldn't see them, but you
tripped over them, and you heard
them screaming and begging some
one to save them.
81 helped a lot of women dowr
1.-THE car was raised so high that
the women lost their nerve and
didn't want to jump. So got out
and ran around and found ladder.
"I put it against the car and
helped a lot of women down. was
the last one out of the car. I feel
like a wreck"