Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-02-10
The Railroad Tragedy.
Continuation of the COrOner's Inquest
Evidence of the Conductor of the OIL
Train.

PoUGHKEEPsGE, Feb. 9.-The coroner's inyes-
tlgation of the disaster was continued to-day.
Edgar Underwood, conductor of the oil train
testified: My train was an extra; don't run on
Tune; not being regular train, had tight of way;
the running gear of my train was last exam
lned at Greenbush, and at the water stations we
looked over the train ourselves; examinations
were made with hammers; at Hyde Park went
the whole length of the train on one side, and
two OF my men on the other, making exam
nations of running gear; that night was
on one OF the tank cars the ninth from the ca
boose; had twenty five, all told my atten-
ton was first called to the trouble on my train
by the night Waterman Mt New Hamburg;
as we passed that station he haIoaed
| came out, and put on the rear
brake; l stood on the caboose and kept signal
ing till we got near the draw bridge; | did not
hear the whistle for brakes; if the engineer saw
my signal, it was his business to blow for
brakes; we generally use a signal cord, but that
night there was not safe string on it; zoe had a
short train and thought IL not worth 0hHe; it is
used generally 10 give the engineer information
when the train breaks apart; it is the order of
the road that it shall be strung at all times;
when put on the brake, the speed of the train
was slackened, and we were running slow
enough to get off before we got to that portion
OF the bridge which spans the road north of the
drawbrdge; it is down grade there, and hard
matter TO stop train any way; | had three
brakemen on the train, one on the engine and
two on the caboose the walk for a brakeman
over the top of his oil tanks to the brakes is
about three feet wide; so far as orders are con-
cerned, it was the duty of one of my brakemen
to be in the middle of the train, but a
brakeman cannot stand with safety on
the platform of an oil car; the
brakes in the rear are all good, and we had
them on as soon as we could; when left the
caboose, after the train stopped, went down
very near to the car that was off the track; the
broken car was nearly crOsswise; when saw
the situation l at once ordered a brakeman
down the road with a red light; he could not 90
down on either track, because of the track being
bockaded; he halloaed TO the man on the en-
CINE to go down with a red light the engineer
heard the man and haloaed, call right" il was
not half minute after gave the order to send
the light before the man started and halloacd
AL right" then the man to whom gave the
order halloeed, 'look out, the express train is
comingP' All happened in an instant almost;
when first saw the express, she was about 100
feet off; | dropped my light for a signal, and
think the engineer of the express blowed brakes:
from the time my train stopped until the collis-
ion occurred, not over two minutes had eapsed.
the first thing knew after the collision was,
getting up off the ice in the river, eighteen or
twenty feet from the draw; think the train
had nearly stopped when it struck the oil tank;
there is light signaling "all right" on the
draworldge tower; if the man had been there
don't think he would have had tine to change
it to danger" my engineer must have known
there was something wrong when we put on the
brakes.
Adjourned until Friday
No more bodies have been found nm IN IN.
night Tomorrow morning the locomotive will
be raised; when it is expected that the remains
OF the engineer and friend, said to have been
on the engine with him, and the body of Law
renee Mooney the brakeman, will be found