New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-30
AFFAIRS IN BROOKLYN.
BRIDGE MANAGERS CENSURED
NO INDICTMENT WILL RESULT FROM THE
FATAL COLLISION,

SHOULD HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED AMI
THE HEADwAy INcREAsED-A TALK
WITH MIR MARTIN
The Kings County Grand Jury. which spent sew
eral DAYS and summoned numerous Witnesses IN
its investigation Of the recent collision at the
Brooklyn end Of the Bridge In which Brakeman
Cooper and MIR Granite. a passenger received
fatal injuries yesterday morning put the results
of that investigation in the following present.
ment before Judge Moore:
Brooklyn. November %, 1850
after making a careful and thorough investigauon
OF the accident having occurred upon the BrSoklin
two persons were Killed. damage OF property in.
CURED and the lives of many endangered hereDE
Whereas Although the cause OF said accident
snd nTG az or 10 the Bridge management
whole 70 MaIIan M censmpe the manage
for the small number of hasmen employ Tra
run during the prevailing conditions OF weather;
and further that We recommend lne auoP'l1S" w.
automatic signal operated from signal station, as
at present that OF block signal or Mt G'n sch the
employment OF more hagmen under such cond,,Sms
whereby everything Possible reps na Of such acct
dents tsrV for Il the safety Of the people large and
the loss OF lie a pARrb efC!AMPBELL Foreman
Tribune reporter yesterday asked c. c. Mar
tin. the chief engineer and superintendent OF the
bridge who knows about the Bridge ana
the accident than any one else TO say something
about this presentment. Mr.. Martin said:
do not see how the management can be cen.
sured justly All the safeguards at our dlsposaI
were used on the morning Of the accident AS l
have said before the dense fog caused the COM
sion We use extraordinary precautions in times
of fog but the fog that morning was an ex-
'fraordinarv one River and railroad men tell me
that Il was the densest Ot any they remembered
end don't remember another one that was quite
So thick | explained matters fully to the Grand
Jury and showed the turymen diagrams eX-
planning the situation the morning In question,
which they examined. OF course, you ana a rne
gpublc don't know what the explanations were
because the proceedings in the Grand jury In
.yestfgation were not divulged. The Bridge man
Agement welcomes the Coroners jury inVestiga-
Mon because then there will be chance to have
fhe proceedings made public and our explana-
1ion known.
Mr. Martin said that the Bridge officers had
settled with several people who had claimed dam
ages in small amounts, such as s25. for slight In
turtles and bruises sustained in the accident. One
man who was seated near the rear end or the
car on which Cooper and Granite were injured,
had two Of his ribs broken and wants $3.50 No
'sero.,nent has been made with him.
Mr.. Martin then took some pains TO explain
exactly how the accident happened, using the
blue prints he had had prepared for the Grand
Jury examination
Now as TO signals, he explained the auto
matte signal system was not operated from the
signal tower, as the Grand Jury evidently mag
ines. and It has not been In operation at the
brooklyn end since the alterations We're begun
there It may be put back again after the al
terations are completed 1t was taken out mainly
because Of the necessity of changing the tracks
Then Mr.. Martin rapidly sketched diagram
showing the position Of the signals
Under this system" he said. there were
+ho+x rhcoa fra CT
cite the platform these levers automatically
threw a set of three signals which were around
a curve. When there was train az me IN
bound platform there were thrown before a
train coming from New-York three signals:
the first green, the second green. and the thrd
red. lights at night and targets in the day
time orders were that train coming in should
slow I'D when the conductor saw the nrst ana
second green signals, and come TO dead stop
II the red signal was before him When me
train ahead moved from the platform the levers
were released and the signals behind 1t showed
safety. Thus 1t was impossible Tor con-
ductor OF following inbound train 10 run INTO
one at the station If the signals were in good
condition and he obcyed orders ..,..
Since the automatic system was taken out
we have stationed fiagman on the curve, so
that without moving he could see the platform
and the Bridge. and thus give safe directions
This man was ct his post at the time cf the
accident. and he is there now
II am determined. however" added Mr. Martin
"never to depend entirely on automatic signal
ling or system alone. and In time OF logs
fagmen have been stationed and Will be sta
tioned at intervals. that active, reasoning
human intelligence will act at the danger points
In addition 70 other systems. | can't tell JUST
what the entire signalling precautions al the
'New-York and Brooklyn ends VIII be when the
terminals completed but they will be the best
we can take. and as many as can be eXpeuleh'S
used"
To return to the accident, however, l want 10
tell you that distance up the incoming
track toward New-YOrk about a thousand rect
from the swtchman at the terminal. was
block signal. The swtcnman on the morning OF
the accident blocked with this signal the hTst
of the two trains In collision-Rosss train He
could not through the fog. however, whether
or not that train Immediately passed the signal
after he had turned ii to safety" SO he could
not throw the danger signal for the next tram
until he knew that the first one had passed the
point. My impression Is that the following train
Saskatchewan q safety signal there for That
reason. and followed on.
In such dense fog as then prevailed II was
impossible for the who threw that block
signal to SEQ 1t or the train there. This was
defect which will probably be remedied by nav
ing bell at the switch-tower, connected by wire
with the track at a point one trains length on
the near side Of the block signal Then. when Il
train passes that signal the bell will ring In
the switch-tower, and the switchman viii there,
by know when train has passed the sigma
and is moving toward the terminal. This VIII
remedy the defect in the block system in times
OF dense fog.
FACTS FOR THE CORONER'S JURY
Mr. Martin said that these and the following
facts will be shown at the Coroner's investiga-
ton In speaking Of the details Of the accident.
he continued follows:
There five signalmen stationed near the
Brooklyn terminal One Of them was seen by
Schaefer. standing on the front platform Of the
second Of the colidng trains. but too late for
him TO stop his train although its speed was
lessencd, undoubtedly. before the crash came
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