Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1890-03-13
WHAT CAUSED TT
CONDUCTOR H0UGHTALING'S
STATEMENT.
CAUSE OF THE LAKE SHORE WRECK
The Conductor Confesses That Any
One or Three Precautions HouIS
Have Averted the Wreck by Viii. h
Six Lives Were Sacrificed.

BUFFALO, March .22.-The court room
in the morsue building, where was APP
pointed to be held the inquest on the
six passengers who lost their lives by
the Bay View accident last Thursday,
was crowded with curious people and
witnesses when Coroners Kenney and
Tucker and d jury took their seats. Elk.
Senator ID. Ii. Mcmillan appeared for
the railroad. State Railroad Commits
sioner Richard was also present. He is
to conduct an investigation on his own
account.
Conductor John w. Houghtaling, who
had charge of the wrecked train, was
the first and principal witness.
Houghtaling's Story.
81 have been conductor on the Lake
Shore railroad thirty-tive years." said
he. ION March 6 was running train
No. y from Cleveland to Buffalo. We
were fifteen minutes late leaving Cleye-
land. The train was pronounced all
right by the inspector at Erie. After
oiling up at Dunkirk | gave the signal
to pull out: the engineer backed for a
start and when he did start the train
broke in two
The witness saw the head brakeman
readjust the couplings. 1t seemed to be
all right and he so reported. The brake
man arranged the air hose and steam
connections where they had been
broken.
A Fatal Omission.
Then the signal to back up was
i L. Il DO
came together all right as far as could
be seen. The inspect man foil manl
came along and asked him if he had
any air hose. He said he had, and
sent him for it. When he got back and
crawled under to connect it called him
out and said never mind, we've got six
cars with air brakes, and they will hold
us all right.
Coroner Kenney-Then the first cars
could only be handled with the air
brakes: That's all, SIR replied
Houghtaling. Il believed this to be
safe. We ran along all right without
stopping until the accident occurred.
COroner-When you felt the train
stopping did you pull the bell cord or
the automatic brake cord:
Conductor-The bell cord. We stopped
Immediately; very quick stop. Then
/ ran out and saw them a-comlng.
l signalled with my lamp and yelled to
the engineer to 60 ahead. He didn't
start. They came together, the day
coach telescoping the sleeper.
An Impressive Statement.
AS the conductor gave this evidence
the silence was impressive. THE full
length of the day coach went inside the
sleeper Salina,'' said Houghtalng
huskily, lit was driven right in
The coroner-Now Mr.. Houghtaling,
will you swear that you, yourself, did
not pull this automatic cord and apply
the air brakes yourself:
Houghtaling-Y sir; so swear. I
pulled the bell rope only.
Why didn't YOU let that man put on
the air brake connections at Dunkirk
when he was ready to do it," Mr..
Houghtaling answered that he consid..
cred the train perfectly safe and added
that it would have delayed them
q. No Further Precautions
"Well, now, after starting from Dun
kirk what further precautions did you
take beyond telling the engineer that you
had six cars with air brakes" Il took
no other precautions. Were your
brakemen aware that you were running
that way:" 4 don't know
Suppose you had placed one brake
man on the Salina and one on the day
coach facing each other, could the acct
dent have been averted?' 'YeS. sir; l
think so.
Now, if you had allowed the in
spector or oiler at Dunkirk to. put on
the air brake connections, would it
have made the train perfectly .safe:'
Il think so. If the train had broken
with the connections all properly made
the rear portion would have stopped
still on the track. +"
4 Few Minuto,' Time Saved.
SIS that your opinion; if you had had
this connection made properly and lost
a few minutes time at Dunkirk where
the five cars broke loose, would their
brakes have set and stopped the loose
cars Short Yes, sir"
Suppose you had run what you call
straight air through the sleeper Salina
to the rear cars wonld it have set the
air brakes on the rear carsy eyes.
sir" You could have done this"
Eyes, SIR" "You could have run the
air through the train in the rubber tube,
skipping the Salina, could you not?'
Eyes, Sir" "You had authority to
have this done?" Eyes; they were all
under my orders"
Then in reality there are three pre-
cautions you could have used to pre-
vent this accident:" Eyes, sir"
Don't you believe, Dir. Roughta-
ling" asked the coroner, in conclusion,
''that by doing any one of these things
which you might have done, this acct
dent might have been averted.' "There
are chances that it would" was the
reply.
The Engineer Testifies.
Edward Mooney, the engineer, next
testified that he has been an engineer on
the Lake Shore about nineteen years.
When about mile west of Hamburg
he thought he heard the tap of his bell,
to which he paid no attention. Shortly
thereafter he heard another tap of tho
bell. He stepped back to the rear OF
the cab and turned around to look at
his fireman. While there the automatic
brakes were applied to the cars, the
sudden checking of the train throwing
into the front part of the cab. By the
time witness got his hand on the throt-
tie the train was at stand still.
Parliament and American Cattle.
LONDON, March 12.-In the house OF
commons last evening MFR. James w.
porolav mon, har for Eorfarshiro askad