The Portland daily press., 1871-09-05
M MASSACHUSETTS,
The Eastern Railroad Disaster.
monda,. Te.,im ony before the Inquest.

MONDAYS Testim eny before the Inquest
Boston, Sept. 4-Henry L. Williams, on
| of the Directors OF the Eastern Railroad, wa
called. He testified that he held the offic
/ styled Controller. The duties are a genera
superintendence of the frei sht business at Eas
| Boston, also machine shop, the whole benz
under the direction of the President Tn
question as regards supply OF cars has beef
| talked over between President, Superintendent
and myself; am aware that we were short O
cars; the President has the power and right t,
to purchase cars; Superintendent Prescott ha
| frequently represented the necessity OF having
more rolling stock; four years ago, at an ,ex
pense of $125,000, moved the car shop to Salem
| to enable us TO have an establishment to sup
| pig more cars; build about one car per montt
since January, 1870; twenty-six regular pas
| senger and five Pullman cars have been added
to The rolling stock; camp meeting parties
made contract at a reduced price TO be &C
commodated in going to and from the grounds
| have carried $4,000 to camp ground this year
have paid more attention 10 accommodation vi
travel than to dividends have built twenty
two new stations during the last nine years
laid out 100000 on the Boston station the
object OF new stations is to accommodate the
public and for safety of passengers; have 100
men constantly employed in the car shop and
keep two cars in frame all the time; think the
cause OF the accident can be traced to lack of
cars; have known trains to be DELAYED by the
want of cars to make up trains; never saw so
MANY people in the station as en- Saturday, the
18Th, with the exception of July 4Gh. fFA5
lo reply to MIR. Adams, State Railroad Com
missoner-Have eDdeavored to make this road
complete in all its appointments as Director;
Was not aware that the asles AID cars were
overcrowded; there are thirty-three trains in
aud out of Boston daily; on that SATURDAY. the
Superintendent had 19l trains under his charge
Joan Thompson, master machinist OF the
road, was called and testified he has been con-
nected with the road for sixteen years; his du-
ties were the general care of locomotives at all
times; was on r0ad'shortly after the accident
Saturday did not examine the engine of the
Pullman train carefully; have since and found
der generally used up; cause of the escape Of
steam was the steam pipes being broken and
saiety-vaive knocked OFT; did not discover any
ching in the condition OF the engine that show
ed neglect of the engineer; the engine was re.
versed; could not tell about the brakes they
being so much broken; started the wounded in
Pullman car soon as considered safe; should
Judge from the condition OF the engine it would
scad all in the car; should Judge three quar-
ters OF mile was the distance of straight rail
between Chelsea and Revere; think engineer
Of express train would have seen Beverly train
# IL were on the straight track; if Nowlabd
mad not been at Revere more than minute
and bali he must have been on the straight
track at the same time Brown was, and conse-
quently he must have seen the train.
Question to adams, Entire damage to roll.
ing stock by the accident was $25 600; should
suppose the train was going at the rate of fit
teen or twenty miles per hour. The witness
though If cars had the Westinghouse brake
the train could have been stopped before strik-
ing the accommodation train. The cars were
set on fire by kerosene oil used in the cars; has
direct charge OF all engineers and hires them;
regards Brown as trus.y and safe man, quail
fled for the position and of good character
Hiram Smith, 81 alton agent at Everett, testi-
lied: Had charge OF depot gate at crossing, and
been in employ of company IL years; was on
duty Aug. Goth; could not tell the exact time
OF passing trains; at five minutes OF went to
gate and waited some minutes for Beverly
train which arrived and proceeded to Chelsea,
and my anxiety ceased as to the train follow
ing it soon as heard it stop at Chelsea; then
saw tue Pullman train approaching in an OPP
Doste direction; think it my duty to interfere
If trains are within a mile of each other run
1ing in the same direction; cannot see train at
Chelsea on account of curve, but hear them
When saw the Pullman train Judge it was on
me bridge nearly two miles from the Beverly
train; it passed at the usual rate of speed:
could see tail lights halt a mile; had some anx,
Iety abouttrain till arrived at Chelsea; should
not think it stopped at Chelsea more than
minute, and thought if there was any danger
1t would be attended to after leaving Chelsea;
consider 1t my duty to have stopped them if
they had been within mile of each other. N
Joseph ii. Phipps, flag man at Second street
crossing at Everett, corrObOrdted testimony of
preceding witness as regards time, speed and
other particulars.
Israel p. Williams. depot master at Cbalsaa
testified that Rowland was behind time, not
arriving till after O'clock, but how much after
can't say; when Rowland lefs Chelsea there
was no train in sight; soon as rear lights OF
hls tram passed the abutments of Broadway
bridge think the Pullman train head light came
in view, coming around the curve about 2
miles from the bridge; think Pullman train
was three minutes late, as trains were under
full Roadway and IL miles apart; never gave
it thought that there " as danger; calculated
that the Pullman train was going at the rate
OF rs miles per hour, which is not two thirds
as last as it usually runs; have no right 10 stop
train at Chelsea, but after hearing OF the acci-
dent stopped all down trains. -
Andrew Betters, station agent at Revere,
testified: Have been employed seventeen years
at Revere by the company; was at depot at
time OF the accident; it was 20 minutes past s;
Beverly train had net been standing more than
half minute before the collision; saw the ex.
press train coming and run TO the crossing and
swung my lantern for the train to stop; told
Rowland there was a train coming and imme-
dlately started up the track to stop all trains
approaching; have nine switches to tend and
when l cannot tend all of them freight hands
on train do it; do not think heard the whistle
OF the Pullman tram; saw it first coming I'M
der the bridge; have an assistant whose pame
Is Edward A. Donnelly, who was at his post
and was IN position to see a mile and quarter
and to give signal of danger which could
have been seen by the engineer of the Pull
man train; signal on pole was down; think
the rate OF speed on Pullman train was 25 miles
per hour aud running slower than usual;
switches are promptly tended; have time to do
it; believe train was on the curve at sa me time
that the accommodation was ON the curve near
Revere and the Pullman train was just enter