The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-08-19
THE WORKING OFRAILROADs
Employees Cannot Agree Upon the
Regulations.
CARELEssNEss ON TRIAL TRIPS.
FURTHER DETAILS OF THE ACCIDENT.
THE KILLED AND WOUNDED


The late deasser the Housatonic Railroad 1ill con
'tinues the theme OF discussion and conversation at
Bridgeport AT the hotels and other pShic places
the sad accident by which many innocent persons
were hurried eternity and others TO tho threshold
OF deaths door, osnvassed with considerable excite
meut Nearly all agree that the disaster might have
been avoided had tho railroad Officials proerly attended
% their duties The evidence already gi7en before the
inquistion assembled Bridgeport goes c prove this Fact
There scarcely any regulations on come Of the ra
roads governing the movements Of engines which go
out on trial trips for short distance. These
regulations If ANY do exist, scarcely ever,
at all, attended TO, and the neglect is overlooked
by those who have tire authority to correct il.
How long the public win submit to such condition Of
things remains to be If life and limb 10 be
1eopardzed for the of little and expen
diture it 10 about time that energetic measures
shouAi be adopted in order bring these railroad off,
cials yheir senses There masl facts which
must be taken into consideration regarding shsssaster.
Que, thata train backing down wssnt -eny proper
intmaton being given Of its approach; and the other,
thai locomotive had sent uriaIsrip without
any direction given TO It's destination or where it
should haul up Where did haul up the details of last
Tuesdays disaster, which published id the HERALD,
viii point ont the spot with finger OF beed and DEATH
THE INVESTIGATION.
On Tnesday "Wednesday last nlqursition sat in
she Fown Hail in Bridgeport, aud proceeded to
anime into the Of the disaster This body is
posed of nnmber Of gentlemen Of the highest respect
ability The following their nanncs:-Fore,nau.
Colonel Dwight Norris; Clerk, s n. Sumner James Il.
Danham w X Sceley, i. NJ. slade Russell romiinson,
William G. Stevenson, James A. Banks, William Way,
Levi Hubbel W. W. Hocomb and George W. Omstead.
yhe bulk of the evidence given these two days
prove the details OF tho disaster have already ap
peared Mr. Charles Hunt, President OF the road who
was in the ears the time Of the accident,
and Mr. H. Plumb conductor OF the passenger
train, the principal witnesses examined From
them have The statement that tho passenger left
Bridgeport a quarter eleven Tuesday morning
At rrumbuil church, at eleven s'o,ock they up
with freight train which bad become disabled and
bitched to it in orr to bring - back there but
single track that this had necessarily be
parsued. When the second CROSSING ut PequoDnock
Mills, the engine Fairfield, which had out on her
trial trip came in collision with the train Wounds and
death were the consequence No signal mad been sent
from the train that il backing up The
sSnGns , was rsnn'ns at ,,, rapid ,o,S rate she
/, mony both came crashing into une another
This is the nature of the evidence given these two
days Yesterday tho examination was resumed, when
further very important testimony was received
THE ExAMfNATIoN YESTERDAY.
AZ nine O'Clock yesterday marning the examination
resumed at the Bridgeport Town Hall
James Wyatt the first witness called Am
pluy ed machinst the Housatonlc Railroad Compa
ny the engine Fairfield by order Of Mr. Wnslow
The day of the disaster engine left the New York and
New Haven depot about half past eleven O'Clock posi-
Rive directions were given as to the distance be rum
went 10 Mr. Winslow at ten O'Clock, and asked !
hm whether would go after the passenger train
after freight he told after the passenger
train he gave me genera, objections 10 run slow and
look out for track repairs and any other distractions
chat might be On th" road did not know how long the
passenger train gone ahead when started
left the Bridgeport depot stopped at the Pacific depot
also stopped three four minutes at the whstng post
and started again the collision few minutes
after; were not going more than six miles hour |
nj the time OF the collision; there were Two |
engineers tue platform At the moment l |
. jumped of; my loot bent uDder and spraned |
ankle; next came my head; Edward Underbll |
reversed the engine and Mr. Lyman put the brakes
had received any instructions flag the preceding
trans occasions Of trial trips knew II always
customary a. do had nothing do with tagging those
trains; had copy of the railroad regulations
placed my hands engineers wore always provided with
these regulations; Mr. winslew had generally given
explicit directions to engineers trial trips 10 slow
did NOT hear Mr. Winsow give nny directions TO the
distance to he the trial trip il was customary
90 run three or -four inies we sometimes ran as
high TriBibu church, miles considered IL a
violation Of the rules u distance with engine
without nagging The preceding train; II inep
tjon to the engine quarter Of mile further than
where the collision TOOK place; " we had not mel with
anv ol-trnciion We Would has To- run az the
of eight fihc 'il. ., !if. knew any di
T,crops 10 b~ given ~, NJ Hunt lrativo ~ the
OF trc engines; we yislic,l AZ r,e whitup port aud
stopped aiterusTd- ! think whtStlcd aeain after
sorting IL my inprss-ion THAI we also rang the bell
.Iuror-Mr. Forcn,sD, ! woudlIke W know whether
outside parties have right to make suggestions as 10
questioning Witnesses II appears TO that IL is i'm
proper has the coc, O: blessing the minds Of mary
The ForemanA Juror ask any question he peasrs
- not customary i"' outsider :" interfere |
MT hyaus evidence tesunied-hr Charles Hunt, |
president VI the Rad knew nothing Of the engine going
out, ne far a. witness knew
George Thompson examined Reside at stanford:
wss quarter Of ,e from the track at The time OF the
Jissster; the locomotive passing before colded
was al work on be hill east OF The pond; the engine
lsseed and stopped after the coming up
she engine having ssain started in the meantime; In his
opinion thought III. engine running the
Of speed the PASSENGER unn which preceded IT, heard
he whistle ~ the Oun ot,vc but could toll whether
before OF after the engine started the seod rDe could
the eng whcu u stopped, bat indged nom the
sossnd that IL had .iop"d tie ebeip. about ten
twelve rods nom ine tin before the collision; did not
heard whistle foni he backing down trpn plainly
hear the report Of the collision ooly The
tram The uaiu dr"ve tie locomotive down three four
rods
WiIhsm p.iany sworr.- Am employed as mschinlst on
tho Housaonic road the cneDe Fairfield NJ tine
accident; started At eleen o'clock had directions
whatever AIRY told pre-, i,nHiy w NJ Mysti
that thrr, would h. irai Lrir on Tuesday On stopping
the whisDs past the had got on 20 examine engine
sud found she al night; tnried ~ agar and In !
four INMATES after the end Of the passenger cnr
turning around the or rate of speed Vt HAS time
fas,er than that nj any time; wbisied sfter the
aud start ur Jvrsn pU'ed tht rope Z" ne
wh,sis At ihs sn'no t'sne re'nrkine ma, y was hdI-
rn remained the engine ortIl the shock war over;
VA kn,Hked "a the engine Wa revcrrsd and Tue |
Shtue blown shen w passenger tram nia'e ~ M.
pearace hsu hsu r.qnspily trial lriIs before hsd
srrdrri
Mr. Charles Hunt r,sal,s Had uot the sighicst iuh-
nstion that tbis engine 10 on her Trial Uip % !
fs day az on ih. day prrvisut lid not know that s,a
trains had gone out sihpu teing feggd, did n"i con
sisr train bs+ins down 10 ofsrciden an cgtm
4nAn
Altman Plumb svorn--f fesslc absu, owe inlrs from
Budkeport; VA wi0n fhor distance " The NJ
acideD on Tuesday she locomotive parsed mo- cane
wnere and stopped ia. men grt o,il of !
a.. engine AID eNsmge H. left srn ss1 dina there and
walled % SHIRT way then heard the tsaiu Nhsiiing:
sooksu bpk ~ what sccp wanid Ds t@ken Ly tbose
81 charge cf ts> engine; psin, - t1oighi got
tsng ~ husiedle the engine wa poffar satorary
shs limo mpposed they hal bsari tss VII site; they
Rvt fhe engine. blew ilisir whsle once 1
md cssnr Dp the trek passed aud of course met
che train IN my opinion the rate at which abe Docootye
wss gong did not reach their speed did think
Abere wa noisr enough made by thr fairbed oeso~n \
che whistle ~ the psarenser woDd have caedout
80 them, but couh not he heard thought probably that
freight train OF logs coniug down and they vert
90 meet ", ahe Fairfield gave short whistle when
sboni ~ stMFt; u was not long, continuous
wh sfle did not whistle ~ ~ passed |