The New York herald., 1875-07-14
THE RAILROAD SLAUGHTER
Continuation Of the Inquest
at Rockaway.
Mr. POPPENHUSEN ON THE STAND


OF the vicinity and people personally interested
An the inquest was present, ana some OF them
took personally part In the examination OF wit
nesses, as, for instance, Mr.. HInsdalo. The Wee
President OF the Southern Road, who every now
and then helped out Ar. Poppenhusen with con-
yenienS answer. District Attorney Downing
pso helped Coroner Hicks IN the examination.
me most significant testimony was that OF
Barr, the train dispatcher, which tells heavily
against the management Iu tho reduction OF
Lime between Lawrence and Rockaway, IN the
lack OF brakemen, in removing the telegraph
station from Woodsburg, &C.
THE TRAIN DEsPATCHER's STORY.
John j. Barr was the 1rst witness He said he
was -train master" Of the Southern Railroad; he
assisted in making up the time table; be had no
previous inumation that on that day Ton which
she accident occurred) Mr.. Poppenhusen was to
come down and assist MIN; they didnt run trains
by telegraph except when they were behind time
and "badly used up;n generally they ran them
closely BY their printed rules and regulations; no
onicer OF the company had any authority TO run
the trains except In his absence; he thought the
wrecked train, NO. 10, could run from Lawrence TO
kockaway IN three minutes.
FATAL CHANGE IN THE TINE TABLE.
District Attorney Downing-Why did you, on
the 6th OF July, give two minutes less In the run
ming time between Lawrence ana Rockaway than
previ0uslyp Trhe old time table allowed ave min
ntes and the new one only fourl
Wttness-Before July the time betw cen VAL
Icy Stream and Rockaway was twenty minutes;
on the 9th 1t was only sixteen minutes but there
were TWO stoppages less to make / could not tell
you how came to take two minutes OF the time
between Lawrence and Rockaway; sometimes
when we have minute or TWO 70 spare we .stick
1t In any way;n the train to R0ckaway on that
day had lost i've or six minutes when IL reached
Bushwick, but thiuK 1t would still have made
t1e time according TO the table, In three minutes
after the accident ordered the conductor at
Rockaway to uncouple Ghree cars and take the
rest to woodsburg, but he refused, saying that Mr..
Foppenhusen had told him TO take the cars TO
Brooklyn.
PoPPENHUsEN HURRIEs AWAY.
few minutes afterWard Mr.. Poppenhusen
told me TO look after the dead AMI
wounded, and said he would take care OF the
train; eight empty cars In charge OF Poppen-
husen and Conductor stephens were taKen back
to Brookyn In my opinion the conductor should
not have obeyed Mr.. Poppenhusen; neither train
In my opinion, was running at full speed when
she collision occurred; ! DO not thiph two brake
nen were SUFFICIENT to manage seven cars, and
there must have been three cars ON which the
brakes were not applied at all; had there been
Buf1ciens force OF brakemen on the train golng to
Rockaway the loss or hfe would probably have
been lohter; had Conductor Hiooard rung his
beI or oiown the whlsde on leaving Lawrence
the signal would have been heard at Rockaway
and Conductor Holdridge would undoubtedly have
detained his train.
CONDUCTOR H1BBAnD cuLPABLA
Conductor Hibbard had the right to leave any
station between Brooklyn and R0ckawzy, except
one minute late he would not have been justided
In leaving Lawrence, as he had another train to
meet and no means Of passing 1t until Rockaway
was reached Had telegram been sent from
Rockaway to Woodsburg advising that Conductor
Holdrtdges train bad lett the catastrophe would
have been avoided; but when the present COM
pany took charge Of the road they removed tue
telegraph station from Woossburg.
Mr.. Barnabas Hendriekson, an elderly man who
pufered from rheumatism acquired wnile working
Rt the wreck, related ms experiences In q sadJ
Impressive manner.
me inquest was then adjourned until the after.
noon
ness Ia the afternoon. He gave an extended and
iaberious description OF each case treated by him,
the injuries from which the deata OF the victims
PoPPENHusEN's TESTIMONY
Mr. Herman O. Poppennusen, the general man.
black beard and blazing diamonds and dressed
with scrupulous care, said he was on the tram
forty-ave minutes past ten; the train was twenty
minutes late when 1t reached the Neptune House
on the beach; ne returned from the beach on the
charge OF Conductor HoldridEe, and which arrived
At about forty minutes past one at Far Rockaway:
we ought TO have met train at that place, and
as there was no train there got out OF the train
and remarked either to Holdridge or to his assist
pnt Moore that tue tram from New YORK was
very heavy and was probaBly delayed on that ac-
count; the agent at kockaway brought Holdrtdge
despatch, winch | saw, saying that the train
from Brooklyn was fifteen nlnntes late leaving
Valley Stream; Hodridge said we would pass 1t
~ Woodsourg ana that our time to leave was
ave minutes oi two (Which included dfteen min
utes waitng) the other tram had the right TO
come 10 after Ten mlautes delay, put not later;
him to 60 and DO the switching over TO the side
track at once and TO send nSgman out; iol-
lNrA Ad hfn N n q n 10 nA n1lI
20 round the curve, where be would stop the
Train from New YORK; when the train nom the
Beach was on the side rack the engineer BILE "
four whistles TO call the napnan back; at SIX
minutes Of two jumped on the front platform OF
the conductor gave the signal to the engineer to
BtarJ and the train started;
NO CONSULTATION WAS NECESSARY.
did not order him to start nor had had any
consultation with him; there was necessity OF o
that after 1itsen minutes' walsins the train had
she riEht TO start; we had gone only short dis
tAnee-about LOCO feet from the switch-wnen
heard sharp whistle from our engine, q signal to
put on brakes; Iran 70 the rear PATTERN to put
on the brakes and tnat Is the last know, ior
received some bruises on the head and became
unconscious; the first thing remember after the
accident was that saw the fireman carried past;
went along the track TO Hibbard's tram and In
CURED wnere could get the nearest wagon ana
tne nearest physician; before could go TO the
with hand-car, and told them to render All the
assistance In their power; then gave orders TO
accident saw men ie anng over Hibpard,s body
aakng money out OF his pocket, and heard one OF
tnem say, "You give this to the Coroner" alluding
20 some money; shortly after another car came
down from Valley stream.
WHAT PoPPkNHUSBN DID.
Mr. Barr came down In IT, and | asked him to
look out for the dead and wounded, as was ia no
condition 70 do So fer / suffered considerable
pain took the train 10 return, and aL Valley
btream teiegraphed TO BusnwlcG for a wreckage
train az Jamaica Instructed tue agent 20 send
oil the doctors he could get down to the scene OF
tRe accident; sent also the folio wing despatch
90 AT. Barr, which, however, was not sent owing
% the IN terruption 10 the telegraph: -
send Rockaway passengers also from Beach TO Long
Island Railroad. Make no charge tor fares the
Leach.
when I arrived az Williamsburg l washed my
head, aud seeing tnat everything was la order /
went home 10 College Point.
HOW ABOUT cHAMPAGNEf
Mr. W. n. Hibbard tue faLher OF she dead con-
ductor. aaked witness whether 1t was true tnat
instead OF rendering assistance after the accident