The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-08-27

nn..nsslns..ne..
wouid oonsider mo responsible in part with the
oucan, II on train when An accident occurred the
conductor Is responsible TO the superintendent for
the management Of the train; the master Of trans
poIsstion h er ofc,o superintendent In my absence;
In ZONE cases subordinate officer mi1ht interfere
and give orders to conductor about the running OF
the trains. sIo the management thereof and would
not be ceDsuiable or be discharged; q conductor
has discretionary power, and would be justified in
running his train different from the prescribed
printed orders; / would not discharge conductor
who met with an accident obeying the master OF
traLsportation ! cohtersed with Mr. Stevens the
evening before the sccdent relative TO going on the
excursion tram; am positive told him 70 assist
| the conductor on the excursion train; th'nk Mr.
Stevens volunteered TO go, but am Rot p0sInve; l
never visited the switchman. Mr. c. spencer. ut the
| Boston switch, to SEQ il he had good time
| piece there were Instructions given to
MIR. Stevens on the day of the ACCIDENT, ex'
cept verbal ones the condu ;tor would be
governed by his own watch. without reference to
the signal Of the swtchman to start; never send
out extra train without giving those on the road
warning II can AVOID it, II has been done In some
Cases; remember Of no accident occurring IN con.
sequence, except once; one Of our horses was killed
Cd the road at this tune, and the horse car was
broken To pieces; was on the train at the time; 1t
WAS extra freight train; = is the duty OF the Sn
pernteldeDt To manage the time table, It u the duty
OF conductor TO report any dee,t In the working OF
the printed rules; there smay nave been instances
when one train las been run on another trains time
such instance; remember that some two years ago
started train from Valley Falls to tho switch, and
it might have run on the up trains time, owing
to some variation or change OF the time
up knowing the instructions to he switch,
man, | ielt confident we had time, aud order
cd the train down ut sale speed; consider 1t safe
70 TIE trains In accordance with the printed or
ders have not made any alterations in the time table
since the accident collision might occur again If
it was not for the fagman we have stationed there
(atthe cuIve); pay from sixty.two to seventyfve
cents per day for fiagman; understand the cause
of removal (oi Mr. Stesens) was the lack of interest
be manifested in the affairs Of the company on the
day the collision; he uniformly discharged his du
ties to my isaction; am aware that Mr. Garfield
is running his train to day by borrowed watch
am not aware that any director demonstrated against
the appointment OF Mr. Putnam he was moro
blameabe than ybody else for the collision; Mr..
Stevens told me Immediately after the collision
that he thought the train should have stopped at
Valley Falls; we pay 5000 year to our conductors
Putbsm has been conductor about two months, and
received $50 y month.
AS Mathe Va sworn-I am superintendent Of the
StonpRton Railroad have been general superinten-
dent aoout four years; have been connected with
railroads aid employed by them for about twenty
three years; the duties of conductors are to take
is allowed to interfere with them the road if the
conductor should run contrary to written orders,
either at the request or order OF any officer on the
read should discharge him: If the master Of trans
W
the printed orders be ought to be discharged; any
charge OF orders made, it should be done by the
superintendent it would be unsafe to permit any
officer to interfere with conductor; if the master Of
transp IT stiOn was train Of ut the time of
an accident he wouldnot lie held responsible with the
| conductor fer the accident; l Go not consider
| Mr.. Souihwick responsible for the accident on
the Worcester Railroad because he happened
to be in the cars; the conductor has sole charge
of his train the read, unless the superintendent
gives orders to the contrary; If q regular train
was behind time for several days. it would he
the cuy Of the conductor, whose tain was intertrred
with, t. report it; do sometimes send out extra
trans but they have orders to keep out of the way
of all regular uains never allow train TO run on
any po,ton of the road on another trains time; if
conductor should do it, | think should discharge
him; Gen. McNeal, when superhero dent of the
Stonington Railroad did order train out another
train + time; was on board; went ahead on the
track and told the engineer to go ahead no faster
than Old; was apprehensive accide Il might oc-
cur. and took this precautiOn; had been superin-
tepdtnt would not have allowed the train to have
cones; as general rule Go not send extra en-
CINE ahead Of passenger train; do not send
freight train ahead OF passenger train, unless |
know il can keep out Of the way Of the passenger
train.
| Ms. Freeman, sworn-I am conductor on the
| Providence and Worcester Railroad; have known =
| train to anothers time between Valley Falls
and Boston switch; cannot ray by whose orders; 1t
about two years ago; think II was an extra
! train from Worcester; think Mr. Garfield was
Falls had expired. and was just starting my train
when saw the train coming am sure they were run
ming Oh ny time If had not been one aud half or
wo minutes behind my time, collision would have
taken places if the conductors run strictly according
to oioen. and make no additional allowance for
variation Of time from what is provided In the print
ed orders, there would be collision II there any
variation in watches; when am on the road with =
tain ! consider myself responsible, and should not
allow aIy ore to interfere with except the super
| intenoert
Alfleo Garfield swom-I ar q conductor on the
| Providence and Worcester railroad; have known
train TO be run another trains time; it was last
! fall; wa on the train; when we arrived ut the
! Valley Falls staten coming down, thought the
| time wac up; Mr. SOuthwick said the other condu0
tor unoelstood that be WAS to Keep out OF my way;
my oIoers that If could not reach tue Boston
switch by specified time. l must keep out Of the
way; declined taking the train there Mr. Southwick
run il down tn the switch; the Lonsdale train was
| star ding ut the switch when We arrived; Mr. Free
man was conductor OF the LoDsdae train; have had
sone conversation with Mr. Taft relative to my re
sUm,Dg my place as conductor on the road; asked
Mr. TAFT il the directors and president wished me 70
understand that the master Of transportation could
interfere, and tell when to start and when to stop;
il 70, did not wish TO resume my place; Mr.. Taft
said Mr.. Stevens was not discharged because he did
not interfere With the conductor; Mr. Putnam and
Judged from his conversation that he did not con-
slider him responsible for the TRAINS 1 should run
my train according to written orders, without refer
ence to the advice Of superors; if either Of the
conouctors watcneS were one mnuto wrong, ana
the trains (the Uxbrdge down and Worcester up)
run strictly according to orders, nothing would pre-
vent collision; it was the regular train that run
| on anothers time, not an extra.
| Nathan Stevens affrmed-I was on board the
train dosn from Uxbridge on the morning Of the
collision; Mr.. Southwick said nothing 10 me about
assisting Mr. Putnam, the conductor Of that tran /
saw Mr.. Southwick give Mr. P. paper, and sup
posed it was orders about the train; Mr. s. did not
| tell me what the orders were, neither did Mr.. P.
| do not know what time we left Uxbrdge; / had q
watch, but did not compare it with the railroad
| time, and should not have run train by it; do not
| know at what moment we arrived at any place on
the road, or at what time we started; cannot say
how long we o2ped at Lonsiale or Valley Falls: I
did not notice whether any passengers got 10 at
Valley Falls, and did not see Mr.. p. cole It any
tickets; do not think heard the whistle to brake
up; was in the last car in the train, and stepped
out on the foot board just the cana together
did Lot susTect the collision until stepped the
| platform; went Immediately forward, and assisted
| in getting those ont who were killed and injured;