Evening star., 1942-04-27
MoiorInan in Fatal
Subway Wreck Held
On Drinking Charge
MonsIoushter Count
Also Filed; Five Killed,
262 Injured in Crosh
~ The Associated Press.

Z6Z Injured in Crosh
~ the Associated Press.
JERSEY CITY. N. j.. April IT.
The motorman OF q Hudson River
tube train which piled UP last
night, killing five persons and In
1urfng 262, was held for grand jury
action today on charges OF oper-
attns a public conveyance while
under the influence Of liquor.
Manslaughter charges also were
fled against the motorman, Louis
A. vierbuchen. 20. of Newark.
On srraignnent before Judge An
thony Botti in First Criminal Court,
Assistant Prosecutor william T.
Cahill of Hudson County asked that
the court direct police 10 turn
over to Prosecutor Daniel T. ORE
gan all records of the accidents
for thorough investigation.
The third car OF the heavily laden
Hudson a. M inhattan train from
Newark TO downtown New York
jumped the track and lurched
along 75-feet underground at the
Exchange Place station. Four 9TH
er cars of the six-car train left the
rails after the third was derailed
and only the head car remained on
the tracks.
Daniel Casey. public safety COM
missioner, declared "the RESPONSE
bility Is definitely the motorman's."
Police Chief Harry w. Walsh told
the court Vierbuchen insisted In q
statement that the accident hap
pened at 1908 pm. while he was
operating q westbound train. Chief
Walsh said the accident occurred
at i0:48 and the train was east
bound, toward New York.
Al Deepest Point on Line.
The derailment cut power lines,
plunging the tunnel into blackness
at the deepest point on the line,
just before the train burrows under
the Hudson River. Acrid fumes
gushes from storage batteries in the
wrecked car, which left the track
with d binding fash and burst into
flames. Women shrieked, car win
dows were knocked out. One girl,
pinned under seat. had to be
extricated by acetylene torches.
Mr.. Casey identified the dead as.
Mrs. Anna Stevens, "a, Queens,
N. r.: Morris Huttler, 36, Prov-
dence, r. l.; Christensen Tempe,
81, Jersey City; Rube Greenberg, 81,
Brooklyn, who died In the Jersey
City Medical Center early today of
internal injuries, and an unidenti-
fied colored man about 80 years old.
All but 100 Of those injured were
after treatment for superficial In
,juries.
Police and fire department rescue
squads descenued by elevator to the
scene, setting up fioodlights to re-
move the injured. The fumes were
10 heavy that the rescuers donned
gas masks.
At the street surface buses, taxi
cabs. private automobiles and ambu-
lances were waiting to speed the in
jured passengers to the medical
center.
Youth Carries Out Dead Mother.
The passengers had graphic
stories to relate. Sixteen-year-old
Martin Stevens kicked out q win
dow and carried his mother out of
the third car. unaware that she
was dead. s
Mary Neilan Of Brooklyn, N. Y,
who suffered a shoulder fracture,
recousted she was thrown from
my seat. I remember people step
ping all over me and the dust
was In my throat. It was very
smoky. A man pulled me out of
the window. The next thing re-
member I came to out on the plat
form"
A spokesman for the New York
Telephone Co. announced In New
York that the wreck had smashed
3 Of Its 10 cables in the tun-
mel. severing trunk lines linking
Lower Manhattan with all 1000
telephones In Staten Island, N. Y,
and 25O,000 telephones In Northern
New Jersey.
The tunnel is the oldest in serv-
ice linking New Jersey with Man
haitian. It was completed In 1904
under the administration of the
late William Gibbs McAdoo, then
president of the Hudson g. Man
haitian.
The telephone company estimated
1t would take two days to repair its
damaged cables, although some were
expected to be back in service today
A spokesman explained that each
OF the cables has from $50 to 1900
pairs OF wires and that each wire