Evening star., 1896-08-04
LATE NEWS BY WIRE
Resumption of the Atlantic City
Inquest.
TESTIMONY OF THE TOWER OPERATOR
Why He Gave the Excursion Train
Right of Way.
READING FIREMAN'S STORY

ATLANTIC CITY. N. J.. August 4.-The
official inquisition. rigid and sweeping,
which is to determine who Is to blame for
last Thursdays railway wreck near here,
vas resumed at 10 o'clock this morning by
Coroner Mclaughlin and his six jurymea
IN Odd Fellows Hall.
The dry and technical character Of yes
terday's testimony served to keep down the
attendance this morning. although, as time
progressed. the crowd increased. attracted
BY the hope of something sensational. The
methods of those who are conducting the
inquiry and the order of the witnesses to
be called are known only TO themselves,
but there was a well-defned rImor that
Fireman Ha.lihan of the destructive Read
ing locomotive. and Operator George F.
hauser. who was on duty at the signal
tower when the collision occurred would be
called upon TO tell their story today.
There has been no change in the condi-
ton of the injured at the sanitarium and
this is interpreted as a favorable indIca-
tlon- The report from Bridseton that news
had been received there of the deaths OF
two more victims. Mrs. Kate Freas and
Mrs Lydia Carl. is a trihe awry, as these
two women were among those instantly
Killed in the wreck. and their names were
included in the first list of dead given to
the public.
The officials of both the West Jersey and
Reading roads have delegated to Mayor
stoy authority to provide. at the joint ex-
penSe OF the two corporations, such things
as the injured may need. and to assume in
their behal1 the expense already incurred
by the city hospital in caring for the
wounded A committee has been appointed
for the purpose.
When the proceedings opened. Nicholas
Long, day tower operator. was recalled
Foreman of the Jury Evans questioned him
He said that when he came out of the
tower at GAO he left only Hauser in it and
tnere was no other human being in sight
EE4 hlh lyrN
or cautionary signal. had failed to work,
but not recently Some other questions
We're answered, going over the groun.; al
ready covered. He repeated that on the
West Jersey the home signal gave clear
track and the distant signal caution while
all those on the Reading meant danger He
had known Engineer Farr as a reliable and
steady man. and the same could be SAID of
1lSht operator HauSer.
Operator Hauser's Story,
n buzz went over the room when George
F. Hauser was called. He is a small, slight
ly-huilt man, of twenty-seven years, and
the pallor of his face betrayed the mental
trouble under which he has been laboring
He testified that before coming to Atlantic
City he had lived for two years in Phila-
delphia- He first came to the tower on
June 80 last. having been formerly en-
ployed as motornan for the Union Trac-
ton Company. Philadelphia for eighteen
months. Before that he worked on the
Middletown branch of the Pennsylvania
railroad He had been In this company's
employ altogether about two wears and n
half
He was on duty on Thursday last On
that day he had arisen about noon. gone to
the beach, remained around some of the
boardwalk refreshment saloons for about
three hours. but had not been inside From
there he went home about o'clock. After
supper, at about 5:40 he went to Missis-
sippi avenue. to take the excursion train.
but 1t was delayed, 50 he went out on the
Reading local freight leaving here at 6:35
He emphatically declared that he was
sober at the time and had drank nothing
intoxicating that day He reached the
tower about 6:3S and went inside at once.
The Collision Described.
Day Operator Long was alone when wit
ness got up into the tower. Long fixed his
train sheet and left at 6:41 or 6:42. Wit
ness took off his coat and vest and pre-
pared for work. AS he turned from the
closet the West Jersey Indicator rang. noti-
flying the opproach of a northbound train
Previous to that he had looked at the sig
nails, and all were at danger. He was sure
OF this.
AS soon as the bell rang he looked at the
clock and saw that the Reading express
was due in about three minutes He look
ed down and saw the West Jersey ap-
preaching He did not pull the clear sig
nal right away. as he saw the Reading ap-
the West Jersey was little late and then
gave them the right of way. He could not.
by mistake, have pulled the wrong lever
ana given the Reading the right of way.
lie pulled the home signal first, giving the
clear track to the West Jersey He saw
the board come down. Then he pulled the
distant semaphore- The West Jersey was
then two or three train lengths this side
of the home signal The West Jersey kent
coming Then he saw the Reading round
Ing the curve He expected to see the
Reading slow up to let the West Jersey
over The Reading was then about a mile
and a half away from the cautionary sig
nal. which was set at danger He was
watching the Reading and saw that it kent
Gomins very fast and had not yet shut off.
The bell had rung for the Reading train.
he saw the steam of the Reading 20 down
as Is usual when Ii Is turned Off The
engineer OF the Reading gave two
up. and the collision occurred at 6.4S He
made The entry on the sheet:
Train % wrecked at 6:IS"
he rushed over to the wreck and imme-
olateiy went back to the tower and tried
TO get Atlantic City on the wire which hs
nnaiiy did, getting the Reading first and
then the West Jersey.
He saw no other trains on the meadows
at the time. About eight minutes after.
ward a Camden and Atlantic train came
down and stopped.
The first person he talked with after the
collision was Long. Nobody else was there
L.
not TINS night Previously, he knew of a
boy named George Marr. about nineteen
years old. from Wilmington Del He be-
came acquainted with him about two weeks
peiore, and he had sometimes kept him
company at night He was not near there
tndt hlSnt until after the accident and Wit
EeSS was positive he was not in the lower
occaSionaily witness had given Marr some
OF ms lunch He did not know where the
Doy was at this time. The bow had said
ne was clerk looking for work. He had
told witness he was sleeping in various
places. one of which he called '.BuzzarG
RooSt.'' AAu
AT the time of the collision witness waa
looking toward the Reading He did NOT
Know whether any one jumped from thai
engine before the collision but the chance
was that he could not have seen a iumn
mad there been one The first alarm he
neard was blast of the Reading whistle
II was followed by another Indicating q
warning to the West Jersey train. Pre-
Eious TO that he had seen smoke coming
irom the Reading smokestack. but near the
cautionary signal 1t dropped off,
lie heard no sound of the Reading put-
ting on brakes. He knew the Reading had
tne right or way, but it was so far from,
the other train, which was coming I'D that
ne used his own judgment and let the West
Jersey come.
He DID not know whether there was any
scheduled time for the Reading train n