The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-05
THE BLAME PLACED
ON THE ENGINEER
Result Of the COroner's Inquest in At
lantic City Disaster.
TESTIMONY REGARDING THE SIGNAL
The Engineer Might Have Saved Him.
self by Jumping, but Died with His
Hand on the Lever Of His Engine.
Tower Operator Hauser's Story.

Atlantic City, Aug. 4.-The testimony
brought out at to-day's session of the
coroner's inquest of the Meadow rail-
road collision seems to fix the direct
responsibility for the accident upon the
dead engineer of the Reading railroad
express, Edward Farr. From the tes-
timony Farr'S action in RUNNING at i
speed of forty-five miles an hour past
danger signal seems inexplicable and
as the man is dead the reason for 1t
will probably never be known.
Farr is given the reputation of hav-
ing been an experienced engineer and
man of exceptionally high moral
character, and not of reckless or care
less disposition. Only two weeks pre-
ViouS to the accident his train was
signalled to stop at this crossing and
he promptly brought his train under
control.
One witness to-day testitied-Con-
ductor Pinkerton of the eXpress-that
F'arr saw the signal set at the crossing
for he heard him give the regular Sig
nal in reply to notify the tower man
that he had the signai-a blast of his
whistle. Conductor Pinkertou mtI-
mated rather than charged that the
signal was suddenly changed on Farr,
as he heard the whistle blow furiously
in Il moment again for what he took
to be another signal blast. Still this
witness was forced to admit that when
he'loOked from the platform Of the car
the danger signal was set and this
position of the scmaphore was cor.
rohorated by every other Witness 1t
was shown that Farr made every effort
10 stop his train when he saw the COM
ing collision and succeeded In reducing
its speed from forty-iive miles an hour
to fifteen miles in a few hundred feet.
He might have jumped after putting on
the air brakes and reversing his en-
gine, but he died with his hand on the
lever of his engine.
HAUSER'S STATEMENT.
Tower Operator George +. Hauser,
who set the signals told a straight
forward story as to the position of the
semaphOreS and declared that he did
not move the signals on the Reading
line from the way they We're set when
he entered tie tower which was at
danger, but only moved those on the
West Jersey road to a clear track.
Witness testified that it is usual to
give first-class express right of way
on railroads over such trains as the eX-
curson and that Hauser did an un-
usual thing in giving the latter train
the right of way. Still as the danger
signal was set for him Farr should
have stopped even if it was usual for
his train to get the right of way. Fire
man HollOhan, of the express, testified
that he did not see the signals until
the train was within twenty-five feet
of the distant signal and is was then
set at danger. He knew nothing of
Farr's actions as he could not see him
from his side Of the cab across the top
of the boiler and saved his own life
by running back to the tender.
Engineer Greiner. of the excursion
train, testified that he got Il clear sig
nal and went over the tracks at the
crossing at the rate of 80 miles an hour.
He did not notice the express particu
larly until ii was nearly on top of his
train as he was attentively watching
for his signals and supposed the eX-
press would stop at the danger signal.
The inquest will probably not conclude
until Thursday.