Morning journal and courier., 1891-02-23
TEE TUNNEL ACCIDENT.

THE TUNNEL ACCIDENT.
The Coronerss Inauest-List of Wit
nesses Summoned fer Tomorrow
Engineer Fowler-His Good Record
His Bonds Furnlshed-What Our
Railroad Omcials Say-Mayor Grant
and the New York Authorities To-
Morrow.
The inquest into the deaths from the
Fourth avenue tunnel disaster will take
place tomorrow at 1890 a. m. William
G. McManus, the signal operator at Seven
ty-second street station in the Fourth
avenue tunnel, was placed in the custody
of Police Captain Carpenter of the Eighty
eighth street station by order of Coroner
Levy until bondsmen can be found in the
sum of $4,000. Fowler, the engineer,
who was arrested Saturday, was also held
in the same amount of bail which was fur
nished by the Consolidated railroad, the
railroad officials having no fear of Mr..
Fowler running away, he having been
long tried and trusted official. Their action
in standing by him is both just and hon
orable.
Preliminary proceedings were, however,
begun Saturday. and the following persons
| and employees of the railway company
were summoned and appeared at the coro-
ner's Office.
New Haven and Hartford road. 1t was was
Fonlers train that ran into the ''shop train" of
cars on its way to New Haven.
William C. McManus, the operator at the seven
ty-second street station, and whose cautionary
signal Fowler is said to have disregarded
Edward J. Breen, operator at the Eighty-sxth
Charles Wellington, fireman on the New Haven
| train, and who was with Engineer Fowler
George Hutchings, conductor of the same
John Franklin conductor Of the shop train"
| Of drawing-room cars belonging to the New York
and Harlem Railroad company:
NJ Craige, brakeman, and John Rely, engi-
Fred Budway, engineer of the southbound light
engine going south and struck the wreckage
a few minutes after the collision.
light engine is an engine that is used for
Ali the employees above mentioned have been
were present o. NJ. Shepard, superintendent of
the New York and New Haven road; J. S. Soho
J. H. Fahnklin. station master of the Grand Cen
None of the companies were represented
by counsel.
Fowler was taken to the corners Office
in the custody of Police Captain Carpen-
ter of the Eighty eighth street station.
far, question of veracity between Fowler
and McManus, he thought the latter was
in just as bad position as the engineer,
and for that reason he would require Nc
Manus to give $4,000 bail and commit
him in the meantime to the custody of
Police Captain Carpenter.
Engineer Fowler arrived home early Sat-
urday evening. He is ffty-five years of
age and has well-earned reputation of be-
ing careful engineer. Mr.. Fowler said he
had not been summoned before the officers
statement of the case to Superintendent
| Shepard of the New York division. He
would decline to make any further state
| ment until the hearing before the coroner
| on Tuesday. When asked about the sig
mails, however, he did say that they were
all right to go ahead. He saw the light
plainly and was sure on that point. He
had not engaged any lawyer and didn't
consider that it was necessary. Superin-
! tendent Shepard had instructed him not to
talk and he had no further statement to
make.
The New York News says of Engineer
Fowler and of McManus The engineer is
handsome fellow. His hair and beard
are dark and fecked with gray. His eyes
are large and brown, and look straight at
you when speaking.
His complexion is ruddy. He is of
medium height and has broad shoulders
He spoke calmly and confidently, and
what he had to say with a respectful but
| self-reliant manner
| William McManus, the signal operator,
insists that the danger signal was exposed
at Seventy-second street, is altogether a
slender build and somewhat pale COM
plexion, and has the appearance of a man
| who is overworked.
Acting Superintendent Scoield, said:
"Fowler has been twenty-one years in the
employ of the New York, New Haven and
Hartford railroad. For eighteen years he
has been an engineer.
che never had complaint made against
him in his whole term of service. He is
absolutely one of the finest, most reliable
and manly engineers I ever met in my
life
Fowler said to New York News re-
porter: "TRe statement 1 have already
made stand by. There was no signal of
danger at the Seventy-second street sta
ton when my engine passed it. Of that I
am sure. My fireman, Wellington, was
looking out of the cab window, and he did
not see any.
ri will say no more than that now. l
don't know who is responsible, but 1 am
not''
Superintendent Shepard said after his
arrival home here: "The shop train that
was wrecked was made up of thirteen
cars. The switcher had big load. There
is stiff grade at that point, and with the
load the train was on the time of the &C
commodation. The question of the acct
| dent all lies between our trainmen and the
tower men. Fowler told me to-day that
his fireman saw the distance signal all
clear. A little later Fowler saw the home
signal to safety. Neither men jumped
from the engine, as stated, for they did
not see the train until they struck it. The
baggage and smoker telescoped nearly the
entire length"
Vice President Reed, speaking of the
disaster, said: Gin a thick day, such as
that of Friday, the tunnel fills with fog
and smoke which descends to the ground,
rendering it almost impossible to see the
signals until close to them. But the ut
most precaution is observed. The rule on
our trains running through the tunnel, is
for the engineer to keep a lookout from
one side of the cab and look after his en-
CINE, while the fireman watches at the
| other cab window for signals. Now, I
don't believe that any danger signal was
set. If danger signal was set the gong
should have rung and it could have been
heard on the train. Everyone on our
train who we have been able to see, says
that no gong was sounded. Engineer
Fowler is an excellent engineer, having
been eighteen or twenty years on the
| road"
WHAT MAYOR GRANT sA1D-NEw YoRK's
BOARD OF ALDERMAN.
NEW YORK, Feb. 22-It seems some
| what singular that the railroad commits
sioners, who were at the chamber of COM
MERGE yesterday considering some unim-
portant matter connected with the Long
Island railroad, should have returned to
Albany last night without taking any
action upon the tunnel horror.
It is not known whether or not they will
take the matter up at all, although it is
difficult to understand how they can avoid
doing SO. There is a profound ignorance
of any knowledge on this subject displayed
at the Grand Central Offices.
The law of the state prohibiting the use
of stoves in railway cars is Torso and de-
cisive, yet, Mr.. Loomis, counsel for the
New York Central railroad, when ques-
TONED regarding it, said it was a matter
which belonged to the past SO far as they
(the New York CentraD were concerned,
and it had passed from his memory Mr.
Barnett, counsel for the New York and
New Haven road, is not in the city.
1t is probable that at the meeting of the
board of aldermen next week resolutions
will be adopted requesting the railroads to
take steps for lighting and ventilating the