New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-04
THE TUNNEL DISASTER.
nrppNcE OF THE SYSTEM NOW IN USE.
,ur ooRoXER's JURY CONTINUES ITS WORK
CHAUNCEY NJ. DEPEw WILL BE ONE

,r coRoNER's JURY CONTINUES ITS WORK
cHAuNCEY NJ. DEPEw WILL BE ONE
OF THE WITNESSES TODAY.
A@ter RESPITE of several days the jury in the
,uauost in the case of the Fourth-ave. tunnel
disaster began again their inquiry yesterday INTO
u.s. cause of the death of Helen Supple and
others who lost their lives in that disaster
The iurymen were all present with the exception
~ John D. Crimmins, who is confined to MS
,ors with a serious cold Daniel Sweeney, oil
N al6 West Forty-seventh-st.. foreman OF lAe
yav.York Central car cleaners at Mott Haven
ave thrilling account Of his experience on the
moruing of the wreck. He rode in the coach
Immediately in front of the smoking car NO.
rs. In the north end of the car was the
heater, and between him and this heater was
Helen T. Supple Others were present, but he
did not remember who they were. The others
killed were back in the smoker. AT the time
Of tho accident Mr.. Sweeney received severe
shock. which rendered him unconscious. On
coming n consciousness he saw about the car
a quantity of redhot Goals, which had been scat
,ered around in every direction. lie then heard
q faint call from Mrs. Supple, who seemed 10
have been pinned in under the seats. Il rusheo
IN n window" continued Sweeney, 10 sec
whether I could find any assistance. couiu
600 M aue and | turned around and saw lha'
flames were bursting forth. The car was uieh
hidden in steam and smoke, and | had TO escdpe
and climb from the top of the car TO 'he Ioa"
above. But think the lamps had something 10
do with the flames
Manager Platt was called TO the stahu enoi'S
after noon. lie has the general SUPERVISION VI a.
the tracks from the Grand Central Depot 10 Mo''
Haven. He testified that he knew OF ho system
of signals better than the one used, ana u HIS
knowledge the company had never consldereu any
plans for dispelling the steam and smoke lfon .ne
tunnel This work, be said, was not uhoer HIS
supervision. He said he had every reason 10 oc-
lieye that the signals were all right on the loin
ing of the collision.
Mr.. Platt's testimony brought TO light ne"
fact in the case. He testified that ne peue'eu
train passing red signal at the rate OIL t"eh'S
five and thirty miles an hour would noV Ting Vne
alarm gong. THAT gong IS placed 'hele u hcP
engineers in finding the danger Signals he s'iu'
" If nm engineer is feeling his way along, and runs
past a signal, the gong VIII INFORM MN Vi IT,
Ru+ il will be different with train running at q
high rate of speed The hammer must then s'iiNe
the aone five or six times in second, and the
ron, Is 60 constructed that it would be impossible
for it TO Go this.
,;on of the, Grand Jury il 1882 with reference 10
.ho bIocl- sve,en, and was asked whether he ala
not believe it would be much safer to have one
h,ock from Fifty-siNth-st. to Ninety-siXth-st. he
admitted that it would In some respects De tnucn
safer but the demands of the road would nov
o1lo,v il IT, would also do away with one SAKE
cuard he said and that was the system OF electric
wires connected with the rails, showing the pres
erca of a pair of wheels on the rails anywhere III
q block. This one block would include the entire
t,nnel and the time occupied by tram IN max
inc the run would be six minutes. Al this f"oe
tho road would not be able TO transact us ousi
moss ON the four roads. In the course Oh MS 'eS'
monv Mr.. Platt admitted that he had Known u
instances when trains had run by red hgh's' 0on'o
times the lights had not worked well 1870,
James Morrissey, whose duty 1t Is 70 ISpleni'l
the fires in the coaches arriving aV oi'e
Central Depot over the New-liaven ROAD, WIS 'n'
first witness of the afternoon. lie testI!e" % "
tbe condition of the fires in the coach ana
which were telescoped in the disaster ~ Dou,
he found the fire quite low. and addeo sno'ei
of coal in each heater. The heater III the sieepe'
was not examined by him. The lamps hc s"iu'
were all out. vt. .o,ro
.on+irr The NewYork Central Mr.. Platt was re-
called TO the stand Mr.. Platt produced copy
of the rules governing engineers on tiils soCit th
of the road and gave further tesIimoIiS miuii
reference TO the safeguards adopted ~ s sne ,h
nanv 10 prevent accidents. The tracks IRONY rom .aS
|;rand Central Depot to Mott Haven he cosiueiuu
tbe hest protected piece OF road ne ever saw
The gong signals used in the tunnei. ne saiu,
rnra oniT extra precautions. All engineers were
wnected 10 be guided By the distance ana nome
s 5igPna lights The first complaint he had ever
heard against the gong was in January IasC VIZ t
an engineer ran by red Hight and reported p H1at
he had failed to hear the gong. Manager ~ ~
hen insisted on having larger gong anu , nn
company furnishing these appliances was lc
,mesteJ to make a gong OF double thickness. a
.iamnIc one was ready for inspection in February,
md the test proved highly satisfactory; Lareer
1nnps were then ordered tpr the tunnel system,
md the company began Week ago to replace the
smaller alarms by these larger ones. =. -
Mr. Patt insisted that the system as IL MY
.+ands is as perfect es any other In the WoIIu.
For half an hour he was called upon to de1eho u
,Sainst almost every juryman in the box any lalI-
rSa In its workings lie said would set danger SIG
nnIs and stop ali traffic lie believed that from
! o'clock i'm the morning until 10, and from 4 TO
O'Clock in the afternoon, the tunnel was crowoed
10 its utmost capacity Under ali ordinary cm-
,umstapces he said he thought one man was SUM-
Gent In the signal-tOwer -, :, po;do,4
Among to-day's witnesses VIII De 1Tcs!ueIlV
Cbauncey NJ Depew and Third Nice-presiGent
Webb Of the New-IOrk Central; and fresueht
E. B. Clark, of the NewHaven road.
THE TUNNEL MUST BE LIGHTED.