The Monitor-register., 1896-08-07

who was relieved from duty but a few
minutes before the accident, was extreme
ly interesting, as being the first testi
mony of an eye witness of the occurrence.
He stated that while walking home, and
about 800 feet away, he saw the train
| approaching the crossing, and was sur
| prised to see the Reading train held up
by the signals and the West Jersey train
given the right of way. Such thing
was unusual. He had no doubt the Read
ing train would stop. He went back to
the tower after the collision, and found
the red set against the Reading, and the
white, or clear signal, given to the West
Jersey train,
Every side of the case Was represented
by counsel For the Coroner, Prosecutor
Perry appeared. Judge Joseph Fhomp-
son. law Judge of Atlantic county, repre-
sented the Reading Company, and Joseph
II. Gaskll looked after the interests of
the Pennsylvania Company.
Thos. w. Trenchard and Mayer Apple
gate, of Bridgeton, were the first Wit
nesses, Tho testified to Identifying certain
bodies.
Mr.. Gsskll here read an agreement
made on June II, 1856, between the Read
ing Railroad and the West Jersey Rail
road, by which the West Jersey was
permitted to cross the Readings tracks
in order to connect with the Camden and
Atlantic. The management and operations
of the crossing and arrangement of sig
nails and the employment OF MEN at the
tower was left to the West Jersey Com
pany. Mr.. Gaskill next read the signal
rules ia substance, as follows:
All engines and trains approaching the
crossing must be carefully prepared to
come to full stop $50 feet from the
crossiag unless the signal of right of way
is displayed. In the case of two trains
coming together, priority is given thus :
First, passenger trains as class second,
freight trains as a class ; third, all other
trains as class; fourth, engines without
trains. The trains of the Reading were
given precedence at this crossing over the
West Jersey, and the latter had prece-
dence at the Baltic avenue crossing.
When the distant semaphore signal, about
1 200 feet from the crossing, is in hori-
zontal position by day, and red light
by night danger is signified, and he must
be prepared to come to a full stop. When
the same signal is in hanging position
by day. or white light shown at night,
safety is indicated, and ne may go ahead.
With the home signals, the same posi-
tions are used, but in case of the danger
signals there, the train must coma to
full stop. Simplified, this means that
the distant danger signal means caution,
and the ''home" danger signal, that at
the crossing, means "stop"
A. o. Dayton, Superintendent of the
West Jersey road, said that by the me-
chanical arrangement of the signals an
operator cannot give two trains orders TO
come ahead at the same time. The
normal position of signals always mes as
danger. When train approached, and
he gives it the right of way, all the other
levers are interiocked aud every other
track is necessarily given the danger sig
nal. To give the second train the right
of way he must countermaud the orders
OF the first by returning the home and
distant signals to the danger position
The inviOlable rule is that " hen the home
signal is in the danger position the train
must come to a fnll stop. When the
clear signal is returned to its normal con.
dition. the danger signals are still dis
played against every track, so that it is
utterly impossible to give more than one
track a clear signal at the same time.
Mr.. Dayton declared the signals could
be seen mile away and that train run.
ming at fifty miles an hour could be
stopped within 800 feet of the point
where the brakes were applied The
operator in a signal tower is supreme so
far as the movements of trains are con-
cerned; providing he obeys his rules, he
cannot produce danger. The rules are
intended to give both roads prompt
movements without delay to the older
road, which has the right of way. In
many cases he is TO use his Judgment as
to which of the two trains approaching
at the same time may cross first, accord
ing to their relative distance to the cross
ing when such distance will not interfere
with the right-of way train. Bat no
matter which has the right of way
the signals are supreme and must be
obeyed. g..
Superintendent Dayton was followed
by Superintendent Dice, of the Reading,
who, after examining the working of the
tower related how he had arrived at the
scene of the accident at 10 O'Clock last
Thursday night, three hours after the
crash. He told how Nicholas Long, the
day towerman, had been relieved by
George Haussr, the night man, at about
6 40 in the evening. Long had been at
the tower about eight years; Il auser had
come there July last. He explained
that no one was permitted to enter the
tower except men to adjust machinery,
and he positively stated that after
thorough investigation he was convinced
that no one was in the tower with Hauser
when the catastrophe occurred. The
Reading train, he said, had left Camden
at 90, which was g minutes late. The
reports showed it passed Pleasantville at
46, ooe minute late. That was the last
record of time. The crew consisted of
Engineer Farr Fireman Hallahan, Con
ductor A. W. Pinkerton, Baggagemaster
Thorne and Rear Trainman Costello.
Farr aud Thorne were killed.
Questioned about the signals, MIR. Dice
said he found danger" on the home and
"caution" on the distant signals of the
Reading, agreed that it vas the ong gineer's
duty to stop before coming to the home
signal if he found the distant signal
against him.
He also produced the sheet of the
towerman, which indicated that the ex-
press train was wrecked at 4S. This,
Mr.. Dice thought must be mistake, as
il the Reading express passed Pleasant
vile at 46, it could hardly have reached
the tower at 6 4S, the run being three and
one-third miles; at least not at sixty
mile gait. SO far as he could learn the
tower apparatus was working all right.
Mr.. Dice also claimed that if the signal
bells warned the toweImau Of the ap,
preaching Reading express it was the
duty of the towerman to give the Read
ing the right of way.
Engineer Farr, Mr.. Dice said, had been
running the train regularly at d fast gait
over the crossing and had never been
called down for not making time.
"Neither road slackens mp when the
signals are clear, does it?" asked Fore
man Evans.
mo; they depend on the tjser man, p
replied Mr.. Dice.
Superintendent Dice said the red signal
could have been flashed upon the train at
the home station after it had passed a
| clear distant signal. The distant signal
is an indication to the train of the condi.
tion of the home signal, and when the
distant sigual is clear it raises the
assumption that the home signal is like
| wise.
Thomas Bodell, road foreman of en-
gines for the West Jersey, said that it is
the duty of an engineer approaching the
| cautionary signal, where it meant danger,
to prepare to come to a fnli stop and wait
| for a clear signal at the home signal
Both the distant and home signals can be
| seen at the same time from distance Of
two miles. Even if the distant signal
was clear, the witness said, they would
look for the home signal. A train of six
cars running sixty miles an hour could
| be stopped in about 1600 feet; fifty
miles, 400 feet; forty, /, 200 and thirty
| five in 600 to 500. On the West Jersey,
| said the witness, firemen are equally re-
sponsible for the proper reading of
signals. They and the engineer are
expected to call them ont to each other.