New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-07
AN OFFTCIAL ACCOUNT.
FREIGHT CONDUCTOR AND FLAGMAN
BLAMED

WHAT J. D. LAYING. MANAGER OF THE WEST
SHORE, HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE ACCIDENT
At the Office Of the West Shore Railroad IN TINS Guy
an official statement as the cause Of the accident was
given out by the authority of the manager. II vas
scnt from J. p Bradfed. superintendent OF the BuHao
division NJ Syracuse being dated Mt Montezuma' 10
q " Bradley the general superintendent OF the road'
whose Office Is at Weehawken. THIS is IL
Extra freight engine 1917, engineer D. w. "hi.coho,
conductor r. Tohn nagman Edward Connolly lett Fort
pvroo about 10 A. M. 10 make Montezuma for Train
They broke in two 0bout mile east OF Montzuma Ahs'-
neer Whitcomb discovered IL and blew signal TOT hagna
70 90 back lie kept head end moving 20 Monezuma ana
his fireman let him switch. While pulling IN ne
amin ber fac out II was very foggy. Could not see
the len 9TH OF ten cars Before ne could get started back
for rear portion Of rain he heard the crash conductor
Tobin and his Gagman cannot be found, and Engineer
RYAN of No. g. badly hurt to be unable 10 say
n noa was out or not Conductor Kanay was sitting on
forward end OF head sleeper. Says he heard Engineer
Ryan the flag and the next instant almost they
struck the caboose and empty freight cars OF freight
train Engine 1o express baggage car smoker
coach sleeper total loss by fire. which as near as
we can tell caught from engine There nine Italians
and fireman on killed. and twelve Italians and eight
others injured slightly others badly Doctors have
taken injured to hospital at Syracuse.
The Italians all from TOmkns Cove and going 70
Niagara Falls n charge Of Sarrvio ozzatura. The dead
Port Byron in charge Of the coroner The
injured were all hospitals az Syracuse. The
and injured all taken from the cars before the
fre reached them.
From all that can be learned there IL doubt that the
accident result OF the neglect OF the conductor and
faGnsn Of the freight train to observe rule 90, which
says:
"when train Is stopped ty accident or obstruction,
fails TO running time the aqman must Immediately
go back with danger signals to stop train moving IN
the direction. At point One-half mile from the
his train he must place torpedo on the rail no
"a at
me from the Of his train and place two torpedoes
the rail- ten yards apart Zone rail lengthy, when he may
point onehs milo from the rear Of his train
and he must remain there until recalled by the whistle or
bis engine but II passenger train is due within ten
minutes he must remain until IL arrives When he comes
in he win the torpedo nearest to tho train bus
two torpedoes must be left the rail caution
signal any following train"
J. d. Laying manager and vlcepresidcnt OF the road
said 20 a reporter for The Tribune "The accident
occasoncd clearly by the negligence Of the flag
man and the conductor Il the freight train, both OF
whom have disappeared The passenger train left
Syracuse al :5s-hat Is tho scheduled time. and it
was on tlme-and the distance from there to the spot
where the accident occurred, few miles beyond Port
Byron and within mile of Montezuma Is about TWEEN
tyeqht miles. This train must have been travelling
at the rate OF about foltyfour forty five miles an
hour and on this calculation II would pass Port Byron
at about 35 perhaps 40, the freight train hav-
| ing left that place at . 10"
patching Of the fright tran7" Mr. Laying asked.
"Certainly not said he. "Thc freight train left
Port Byron Of least twenty minutes ahead Of the ex
| press and IL only nne-mlnutes run"
"But Mr.. Laying according 10 the dispatches, from
the discovery IN the break Of the freight train until
tho trains crashed together not very many minutes
| couh have elapsed"
",rhat seems TO be apparent, said Mr.. LAYING but
don't think that the passenger train was ahead Of
| time"
| "Was IL on time at Port Byron7'
| alt was not ahead of time Mr.. Laying repeated
| "was II safe for It TO proceed1'
| "Why, OF course IL was perfectly SAFE Tor III 10
| proceed and would have been, even If the breaking
of the freight train could have been Oreseen-altough
| do not say That il would be permitted to do thsf0r
the freight train could have been far enough in advance
| at that time TO give the fagman ample opportunity
| to follow ont his instructions, which imperative,
namely to go back Immediately with danger signals
and stop any train moving in the same direction"
Whether IL was fright injury sudden dementa
| | do not know, but we do know that unfortunately
| this was not done our order is imperative that the
fagman must remain nehalf mile from tho rear of his
| train until recalled by the whistle OF his engine and
furthermore il passenger train arrives within ten
minutes he must remain until it arrives. You see
It is as complete provision against such an accident
as this as could well be devised. This man ought to
: have left torpedoes, too, but lie did nothing"
While Mr.. Laying speaking this dispatch was
| handed to him, sent by the superintendent Of the
Buffalo division: Twenty injured men taken to the
| House OF the Coed Shepherd Hospital, Syracuse. one
OF these whose head crushed, died shortly after
! the ampntation of his leg. The house surgeon says
that the others are I'm fair way OF recovery except
the engineer Ryan, who Is supposed TO be injured in
ternally and quite seriously hurt The majority OF
the patients are only slightly injured
! Who wns in charge when the train left Wee
hawken' ~
| "Wel, that does not concern us at ALL" said Mr..
Laying, for we change crews at syracuse and none
OF the men who took her out from hero was on deck
| when the accident occurred"
"wlat became OF the passengers who were not In
juredi'
We took them back to syracuse and switched them
thence the New-York Central tracks, which you
know almost parallel to there and continued
| onward for about forty miles % Lyons where they
got again to the West Shore track This was done
only with those who wished continue their Journey
| Of course
"Was the freight train a scheduled tdni"
~ believe II was not. Probably three iourths OF
these freight trains not ON schedule time