New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-26

to the stand. Mr.. Wellington Is a Young
man, twenty-three years old, and he appeared
very nervous as he took his seat on the
witness stand. lie said that he lived in New
Haven and had been a fireman for three years. His
story was similar to the one told by the engineer.
lie had seen all distance and home signals.
If you have any doubt about your having seen
these signals / want you to tell me- said the Assistant
DistictAttOrncy.
But | have no doubt was his reply. "When l
see n thing | sec it, and all the signals were white.'
Wellington could not tell whether the headlight
Of his engine was burning at the time Of the accident.
lie ,aw it burning last at the roundhouse at the
Central Station. II WAS a question in his mind whether
! the reelection OF the headlight could be seen in the
| tunnel at the time a fog prevailed. lie thought that
il could not be seen. 1T was against the rules OF the
| company, he said. to fire mp with soft coal in the
flannel. lie had always cndcavorcd to have a good
fire burning when entering the tunnel.
John NJ. Reilly, the engineer OF the shop train, told
his story IN a straightforward manner. lie said that
no lived at No. 22i MOttavc., and had been in tho
employ e the Harlem River Railroad for 1--WE years.
ON :Ac II C,nine OF the accident he left the Grand
C,rtIai Dc-lt only seven minutes ahead Of the New
Haven traif. III signal, savo him a clear track and
fine first intimation he had Of the accident was the
shock. which he mistool for the bursting of an
oirb,atc. such a break wo1ld have produced
fine -amc shock. The engineer sent a brakeman back
70 cut out the car which had met with the accident.
and If was not for several minutes that he heard OF tho
real cause Of the shock.
Did Won know there was a train coming behind
Won. and that She came at a high rate Of speed ~ asked
Mr.. Lynn.
"Ycs. I knew she was in the habit Of Waiting
| right out. but the block system should have held her
hack was the engineers reply.
The shock must have occurred at : :0j or . :06 that
morning. lie was asked whether ii was customary
for shop trains to leave Seven or eight minute ahead
...- - .a,li,d 1I,, la han ~aiu loft
whenever the cars were ready. and that the following
engineers had no way Of knowing what kind Of a train
vos ahead of them. lie testified that at tho timo o'
the collision the train was not making moro thah
eight miles an hour. His engine was "a powerful one
but on this morning there was a bad rail- ana nc WI
ascending the grade which terminates at Eighty SKIN
f. Under the circumstances he could not have gone
! faster.
Ioh, ". Franklin, the conductor OF the shop train,
described graphically the part he played in the disaster.
He said he had been in the employ of the company
and engaged in taking out the empty cars Tor TWO
wears and a hale. At the time OF the collision ne Wa
in the third clr from the rear end of his tram. Ih.nt-
diaiely after The accident he FASTENED 10 inc 3l.Iar"t
nj lie Eighty siNth-st. station and inquired what had
happened. IN" operator replied "Ihe NIGnal man a,
seventy sccond-st. Ia, told me that me New lianen
local train has gone by the seventy -sccOnd-si' sI6hdi'
set at danger, and II has MI You. Az
don,e. brpakiug ont and he shouted to some BOYS above
ighly-siXtl-st. 10 call the iilcnren. lie was certain
tina, two red lishts were on. on the rs2r end Oh t tme I r5ta
man. was on the platform al the time of the accident
lie gave il a, his opinion that the escaping steam
cailsed all the trouble i'm the tunnel, and II mattcrrd
lt;Ie what kind Of coal was burned IN the engine.
The steam escaped from the smOke>tlck and imn"dl-
atclV settled i'm the tunnel. In this il was difficult 10
see any kind Of Il light. lie had never known Of the
signal service failing.
III, inquest viii be resumed at II O'Clock this
morning.
The state Railroad Commissioners. william L. Rogers
IsSac Y. Baker. ir. and Michael Richard, came down
from Albany yesterday to Icgin an Investigation Of
the railroad accident in the FOurth-avc. tunnel {. J..
. (Iar. uTlNiGouf of the NpW-N Ork. NcN-lidNcn ana
! Hartford Railroad Joseph :. Schofield, assistant 81
pcrintcndcnt of the New York division Lrclu~ Irtuc'
general manager Of the road: Isaac Bromley, John
Henney. superintendent Of the motive power. and
! Frank Looms. counsel for the New FORK Central. were
ON hand. owing TO the COrOncr'S inquest, which re
quired the presence of the principal witnesses. an
adjournment until Friday. March q, was agreed upon.