The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-01-28
BAD FOR CHHSSMAN.
He Did Not Warn the
Limited Express With
Torpedoes as the
Rules Require.
THAT P. R. R. INQUEST
Testimony of the Men in Charge Of
the Express Train-Rules Of
the Road.

The evidence taken last night by Corr
onor Parslow in the inquest concerning
the death of Jeffrey Blewitt in the colli-
sion on the Pennsylvania Railroad, west
of the Hackensack bridge, on the evening
of the 10Th. makes it look as If Flagman
Joseph Chessman was hardly less blame
able than Tower Operator George June is
alleged to be. Conductor William J.
Costigan OF The Chesapeake and Ohio ex.
press, which telescoped the Waverlyi
local, testified chat the man sent back I'd
protect u disabled or waiting train is res
quired by the rules to place Uorpedoes onE
the rails at 600 and 1000 yards from the4
rear car, and then to stand 900 yards in
the rear of The train, Chessmau, accord
ing to his own statement, did not use any
torpedoes. Nothing was advanced to ex-
| plain how it happened that June dis
played false signal.
While the Coroner waited, q somewhat
seedy looking man stood up among the
| spectators and asked for permission ''in
| the name of humanity" to show She Jury
| how railway accidents might be prevens-
! ed. He said he was John Chandler Of
| No. ID Garnet street, Brooklyn, a ship
builder and formerly railroad master
| mechanic. After the inquest he was al
| lowed to speak, but he failed 10 disclose
| \ u
| that he was crank referred him to Mr..
| Morris at the Pennsylvania depot, mean
| ing Detective Peter Morris.
| Chandler had diagrams of scheme for
! operating switches at every signal tower
! or given distance, SO that the switch
| would be operated by the weight Of q
| tram on the rails. A train closely fol-
| lowing another woud be sidetracked.
| Railroad men who stopped to inquire for
! Chandler's idea pronounced it imprac-
| tfcable. 1t wonld require too many
switches, and switching in that way at
| q high rate OF speed would be dangerous.
AN ALERT CONDUCTOR.
Conductor William j. Costigan lives at
| No. 2,311 North Fifteenth street, Phila-
| delphia. He was in the baggage car of
| the limited express when. after leaving
the Hackensack bridge, he felt the air
| brakes applied and heard a warning
| whistle. After the crash he sent back his
| f1agman, H. G. Miller, to protect the rear
| of his train and telegraphed from towerW.
4 S. of the accident to the office in Jersey
| City. Then he directed the relief of the
| injured until Trainmaster George Waite
| arrived and took charge. He did not
| notice the signals at the towers. That
| was not his duty but he understood from
| his engineer, Frank Farrell, that the ac-
| cidenL resulted from the display of q
white safety signal on tower Il. B.
| III answer to the Coroner the wit
liz
| the FIRST duty of the conductor is to send
| back hagman TO protect the train. The
| rules require the dagman to place a tor
| pedo 800 yards at the rear of the train and
| two torpedos 600 yards further ,on. Then
\ the flagman must take his stand 500 yards
from the train and wait for the call of
| the engine. After sending the
| f1sgman the conductor must tele-
! graph to the Central Office. The
+, witness was sure that his train did not
| explode anv torpedoes just before that
| collision. He would have heard them.
| Two torpedoes mean to slow up, and one
| torpedo to stop. The operators must
note the time of the passage OF trains
and notify the operator in the direction
| whence the train came, that the track
| was clear. Then he must keep out red
| danger signal until he receives notice in
| time thai the train has passed the next
/ tower.
/ THE COLLISION INEVITABLE.
| William H. Elliott OF No. $3.50 Glenwood
| street, Philadelphia, fireman of the
! Chesapeake and Ohio express, testified
| that Engineer Frank Farrell reversed his
engine, and used The sand lever, but the
| collision was inevitable when the Wayer-
| ly local was discovered. 1t was about
] the length of fifteen cars away. A car Is
| fitGy-six feet long, and Elliott's estimate
4 would make the two trains S2o feet apart
| when the express turned the curve into
| view of the local. Fireman Elliott judg-
| ed that his train could not have been
| stopped in much less than 1900 feet. He
| did not hear any torpedo, nor see the flag
| man. He saw clear signal at tower h.
| B. If a danger signal had been displayed
at tower II. B., the accident conld no5
| have occurred.
About $50 railroad men were present,
among them, Train Master Waite. Tne
| inquest will be continued next Tuesday
| aYpninO