The Portland daily press., 1873-12-24

The Coroner's inquest ON the Duck Ba nix
disaster met at s o'clock yesterday morning,
pursuant to Adjournment Mr.. George G.
Yeaton, County Attorney for eight days longer
took charge of the inquest and made a high
toned speech, in which he objected to the
presence of Counsel for the Road and of re
porters. He said the jury was similar to a
gIa I'd jury, and its sessions must be secret.
Mr.. Hubbard protested without avail. The
jury seemed highly pleased with Mr. Yeaton's
unique bit of law, and went into secret ses-
SION The first witness examined was w. w.
Morrison, engineer of train ST, % who testified
substantially as follows:
1 am Wallace w. Morrison, Portsmouth, en-
gineer on No. rs. Have been in the employ of
the Road four years and SIX mouths. Have
been ems lOg eI as engineer Is IN olth,. Laay-
ing time from Portsmouth 1920 Friday night;
WIS II minutes late. All The nformatic re
ceived then was that freight w was at Saco.
broken apart. The conductor gave me orders
to make my time. was few minutes behind
my running time. At North Berwick the con-
ductnr told me that freight w was at Days
siding. AT Kennebuuk be II me again the
freight WAS at Days siding. The operator said
nothing to me. The Waterman told me 1 had
better get on the Kennebnuk turnout as soon
as l could becau " the w eugnes had been up
and would soon be up aga!u. They were then
at Days siding | told him had no right to
go on to the turnout. My ira n was an express,
had the right of way and freight W'mast Ike %
out of nv way. He then said all right He
then asked it my ira was e or +. told
him E. He aglIn said all right / thought
from that it was the local train f that he
meaot to caution. passed E at North Ber-
wick. The conductor told me w was near
Days siding, broken apart, AMI L must haal up
at the curve. The conductor then went up to
the operators office. He ctme blck and told
me | should have to saw" round w ut the
siding, and 1 must look out for it. don't
think could see the distance between two tel
egraph poles that night. I was goiug about II
or 10 miles an hour. Just as passed. the first
curve saw what l thought was a hand Ian
tern. l INSTANTLY reversed the engine and
whistled for brakes. 1t grew larger aud larger,
and L saw it was headlight. We were about
i've cars from the wreck when jumped. There
were no danger signals out at Kennebunk. Had
there been l should have waited.
The next witness was Frank Bachelor, fire.
man of train F. His statement was as fol-
lows
Reside in Portsmouth; have been employed
on the Eastern Railroad about six years; have
been fireman abont six months; was fireman
on freight f Friday night. The first / heard
about freight w was at Kennebunk, when the
conductor said we would pass it at Kennebunk-
port Heard Waterman SIX engineer what he
was there for. He said there was traiu COM
ing up over the hill then. The engineer said
the train had no business there as it was on his
time. Watchman then asked if the train was
"E'' or CT" The engineer said it was an ex-
press train and had the right of way over all
others. The Waterman then said ''all right"
understood by that he had mistaken us for
the local freight. The conductor told the en-
gineer that we should pass freight w at Ken.
nebunkport, days siding,) that they had a
lo,v fr,; oh, ha,,
them. We then went on. When first saw
the head light of w, thought 1T a lantern sent
back to warn u.s. AS soon as 1 found what it
was made lively preparations to get off When
jumped hurt my hip. saw no red light at
kennebunk. had red and white lantern On
my engine. 1t was lighted but not displayed
AFTERNOON PROCEEDINGS.
The jury met at l p. m. and went into session
with closed doors
The Indignation among citizens of Ssco and
Biddeford at the closing of The door against the
public is intense. Very ugly stories re whis-
pered about, and the determination of the jury
to go into secret session is generally attributed
to the Vaccinations of George Yeaton, the
man who is about to be relegated to private
life.
E. w. Wedgewood, Esq, of Biddeford, ap-
Piled to the coroner for admission to the loom
where the inquest was held so he might guard
the rights of White, the operator at Kenne-
bunk, who had engaged him as counsel. Mr..
Wedsewood also expressed the opinion that the
public had some rights in this matter aid
| should be allowed to hear the tt stimony Tue
Coroner said mo, the public have no rights
here. Nobody has any right here except us
aud the witnesses" Mr.. Wedgewood was refus-
ed admttance.
Conductor Pettee of the F. train was recalled
aud repeated substantially his testimony of yes
terday.
Henry L. White, the telegraph operator at
kennebuuk, was the next witnessed called. His
testimony was 10 the effect thar the engines Ut
freight w. came To KenDebunk foi WATER DAY.
olson, engineer OF the Chelsea got of his ell
.lne, and SAID to me, 1--WE ave broken apart
between here and SLco. Hold freight F." /
immediately hung out Il red lantern. In a few
MINUTES TIE engines passed down by IRON the
water station towards Biddeford. Just then
Portsmouth asked me where train W. was. I
sent word back that the engines were here af-
Ter water; that the train bad broken apart
somewhere down the road and asked, shall !
nod train f? Portsmouth asked, ''How many
cars did Ghey leave on the SIde-trackw l sad
none, and again asked If should hold train f.
| line answer was NO / then went out and
took in the red lantern. The engineers OF w.
olun tell me whether they were coming back
| or going on to the Siding When train r. came
| alouc told the conductor that w. had brnken
| apart aud was somewh here below didn't know
| where. Inc conductor asked it / had auy Or
ders to hold him. said no, and the train went
on. The engineers OF w didn't m AXE anv "a.
port to the train dispatcher through me- /
| didn't report to the train dispatcher that "A red
| signal had been hung out before the engineers
| of W. left the depot. l made no report of any
| red signal at all.
| Mr.. Harry B. Wing, night train dispatcher
of the Eastern RAILROAD at Portsmouth, said
have been an engineer about % Years; am
| marhinst by trade aud thoroughly AGO tainted
| with the business Run on the Eastern about
| nine years, eight of VIII CHI We're on night trains
| Witness stated 10 the jury his experience of
the u>a2es il running ira ns in ne I'm t d
States aud Carada. Hal been ia the posi-
| ton of ira n w when inquiries We're made at
| KeDnebunk while 1t was taking water l won d
have reported to the train dispatcher through
| the operator, asked him for orders to 60 for NV
train and return to Kennebunk or keep clear
The orders would have been given in full &C
cordiDg to the rules of the Eastern Railroad r
in fact followed this same course last summer
while engineer. Didn't know that the opera
tor at kennebunk hung out red light until
yesterday, Received no report from train W
at hennebunk;; The operator said that train
what they did with the cars and now MANY cars
they had He said they had no cars but had
taken water and gone back to their train. ASK
ed INN then it there We're any trainmen of
freight w there. He said no; both engineers
and all the men had gone back to the train
After little while word came that freight F
was coming. My question was, how about
| freight wv Nothing frorn freight w yet, was
the answer: This question was repeated every
now and then until u 80, when freight WIS
/ right to the road expired. This being SO, as by
| time card, operator said freight F was there. I
was expecting to hear that train w was com
inr under flags. as it should have come if at