New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-24
PRESIDENT JOHNSON,s EVIDENCE
HIS ACCOUNT OF THE NASSAU ROAD ACCI-
DENT BEFORE THE CORONER'S JURY.

DENT BEFORE The CORONEKS JtK1.
The inquest on the victims OF the Nassau trolley
accident at Thirty-ninth-st. was resumed last night
before Coroner Coombs Inspector Williamson
boarded the at Atlantic-ave and rode 10 the
barns. He said the stopped by the reverse.
IN violation Of the rules; he did not report the
motorman because before he reached the Office the
accident had occurred and White had been dis
charged.
President johnson. the president OF the Nassau
Railroad Company. testified that he had been in
this business all his life He knew the car
which the accident happened 1t car
made by Brill & Co.. and the motors and control
ers and all the appliances OF the car OF the
most approved type. The motor was largely his
design, and not the dream of an inventor. but
the result of series of practical and Successful
attempts remedy defects The chain is called
double action. for the reason that It runs on
sprocket wheel, and matter which way the
handle may be turned the effect is the same and
the brake Is applied He had tried both air and
electric brakes and found them impracticable
Electricity too uncertain. The road had
contract for brakes for every car, but the con-
tractor could not live up to the terms Of his guar
antee He had tried track brake and found it
impract.cable. He at the place OF the acct
dent only few moments before 1t happened lie
saw the car soon after the accident. II stopped
against the curbsone He had made an examine
ton Of the In the presence Of fifteen or twenty
men, at least haf-dozen OF whom were reporters
Not a window broken and the paint not
scratched. one wheel broken, but the brake
chains not broken. and the brake was in
working order.
Afterward he went 70 the station house and saw
the mo;orman. He asked White If he reported that
brake in bad condition and he answered that the
brake worked all right On the way up tho hill
ne noticed the power go Off. and heard
say the trolley off Then he gave the brake
turn but II did not hold; then he reversed the
motor and put on five notches. Aferwar1 he told
White that If he had left his reverse alone and
turned his controller. the would certainly
have stopped within two hundred feet. AZ
1t stopped the current would have started the
again and would have stopped again, and
this would have happened all the down the
hill. 1t a popularity of electricity. he said.
that when these conditions occur the motors
work against each other and bring any car 10 a
STOP The stopping OF the car changes the polarity
and allows the to start again. The who
took the handles off said the overhead switch
on and the reverse turned to back up Under
such conditions brake he knew OF would have
stopped that in its flight down tine hill He
was promulgating new rules. and endeavorng
10 run the road carefully possible Motorman
violated rules. and sixty had been discharged this
spring for running top fast. The company has 40
'traii In the depot. but did not run them be-
experience had shown that with "trailers''
accidents more frequent.
The jury went out about 1870.