Evening journal., 1896-08-05
FAULT IN THE TOWER.
The Probable Cause Of the At.
lantic City Disaster.
THE TESTIMONY AT THE INQUEST


ATLANTIC CITY, Aug. 5.-There have
heen several new developments in Coroner
MoLaughiin's inquest into Thursday
nights meadow disaster by which "a per-
Sons were killed and as many more in
jured
All the men most nearly concerned in
tho accident gave testimony, including
Night Towerman George H. Hauser, Fire
man Thomas Hallihan and Conductor
Flnkerton Of the Reading express and En
glneer 6roiner and Fireman Newall Of the
West Jersey excursion train Arthur
Stiles, resident of Atlantic City, who
was riding on his wheel along the turn
pike road and saw the collision, also testi-
lied. Nearly all these witnesses agreed
that Engineer Edwin Farr of the Reading
train, who was found dead with his hand
on the throttle, had done everything in
his power to stop his train when he saw
that collision was imminent, and every
one Of them except Greiner stated or in
ferred that the West Jersey train could
either have been stopped after Engineer
Groiner saw the Reading laundering along
toward him or handled so that only the
two engines would have come together
This would have meant the death of the
mon in the two cabs very likely, but IL
would have saved the passenger coaches
Conductor Pinkerton of the Reading
train said this in so many words. Ho also
gave the impression that the signals had
not been properly worked According to
his Interpretation Of Engineer Farr whis-
tie, certain signal had been given the
Reading train and then suddenly changed
to another The first must have keen the
right of way signal and the second the
danger. Farr whistled TO know which was
right, but 1t was too late to stop the train
Conductor Pinkerton said he passed
Pleasantville at 46 at "a rate of 90 miles
an hour They were then one minute late.
He was on the rear platform, when he
heard long blow of the whistle and knew
something was wrong He looked at the
signals and saw that they meant danger.
Then he saw that the train could not be
stopped. but the brakes wero put on, and
when the crash came the speed of the
Reading train had been slackened to / 4 or
10 miles an hour and the West Jersey TO
about l2 When the brakes were applied,
the train was about 900 feet from the
crossing.
Foreman Evans asked Pinkerton IL he
knew anything further, both companies
having expressed a desire that everything
should be told He answered: II know
of nothing else except that / believe that
If the engineer Of the West Jersey train
had put his airbrakes on the two engines
alone would have come together. and the
passenger coaches would not have been
touched.
He added that any man of good judg-
ment would know that at the rate the
Reading train was running it could not
be stoppHd before reaching the crossing.
Engineer Greiner's Statement
John Greiner, the West Jersey engineer,
said that nfter giving the regular crossing
whistle, he received the right Of way sig
nal When be saw the Reading train
bearing down on them, he shouted to the
fireman: Look out My God, he's not
going TO stoplii He was about to Jump
but something told him not to, and this
saved his llfe When witness saw that
the crash was coming, he positively could
not have stopped his train in time in
spite Of what Conductor Pinkerton had
said.
1T is not my business to look out for
other trains there, . be declared with en-
phasis. Hook for my signals, and who
ever gets the signals has the right Of way,
no matter what the result is ] paid no
attention to anything beside the signals
and my train"
Greiner said he had often seen the sig
nails quickly changed at this crossing and
he admitted this should never be done. 1t
had happened to his own train, but COM
ing in, never going out. 1t had never
happened this year
George Mari, tho Wilmington boy, about
whom th,He has hoen such mystery, was
next called He said ne came to Atlantic
City four weeks ago. He first met Hau-
sor at the tower and has been In the habit
Of sleeping there at night He was not
thore the night Of the accident until after
It had occurred. Hu had never touched
any levers or switches and did not know
anything about them.
George II. Hauser the man who gave
the fatal signal to the West Jersey exour-
sion train TO go ahead, then took tho
stand. Hauser testified that he was "a
years old and that prior to June so when
ho entered the service OF the Reading rail
road as an operator at the Meadow tower
he was a motormnn for eighteen months
for the Union Traction company Of pbilo.
delphia. Previous TO being a motorman
he was a telegraph operator for the Penn
sylvania railroad for 2 = years. His work
was on small branch roads
He Was Not Intoxicated.
He was on duty at the time Of the col
lision. He emphatioally declared that he
was sober at the time and had drunk moth
ing Intoxicating that day. He reached the
tower about 6;3S and went inside at once.
Ho could not he declared, by mistake
have pulled the wrong lover and given the
Reading the right Of way. He pulled the
home signal first, giving the clear track
to the West Jersey. He saw the board
como down. Then he pulled the distant
semaphore.
He saw the steam Of the Reading 20
down as usual when it was turned off.
The engineer of tho Reading gave two
blasts OF his whistle, but both trains kept
on, and the collision occurred at 6:4s.
Foreman Evans asked him if he was not
disobeying the rules of the company by
giving the excursion the right Of way.
Hauser answered that considering the rela-
tive distance from the crossing of the two
trains he did not think he did.
Asked If he Thought of the difference
between the speed of the two trains APP
preaching the crossing, he replied that the
danger signal was against the flier and it
should have slowed up. Hauser affirmed
that on tho piuhf fVVO xuoolrc oo.o .x-,o,, tho