The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-10-01
THE UNION DEPOT ACCIDENT
CORONER Mfx,S INVESTIGATION
 YESTERDAY.

Concludes That There Was Not Steam
 Enough to Operate the Brakes-Testi-
 mony of Fireman Weed aud Train Hands
 Railroad Authorities Say Coroner's
 Theory is UntenabIe.
 Coroner Mix yesterday afternoon in- vestigated the accident to the Boston express resulting in the death of En- gineer Charles Pierson at Union depot Wednesday. After taking the testi- mony of Fireman John Weed Conduc- tor Hardy and the four train men who were on board the express at the time of the accident, the coroner came to the conclusion that the accident was caus- ed by there not being sufficient steam to operate the air brakes.
 The coroner's investigation brought out the following facts:
 The express left New York for Bos- ton Wednesday morning at 9:05 sched- ule time, with her regular crew of three brakemen and also one dead head brakeman. The only stops made be- tween New York and New Haven by the express were at Stamford, South Norwalk and Bridgeport. Before reach ing Stamford it was found that the en- zine steamed badly and was losing time. The difficulty continued with the engine when South Norwalk was reached, and at Bridgeport the express was fifteen minutes behind time and still steaming badly.
 Realizing that he would not be able to make his time with the engine in that condition, Engineer Pierson tele- graphed ahead from Bridgeport for a relief engine to await him at New Ha- ven. At the Bridgeport stop the air brakes were used and found to work all right. They were not applied again until the Spring street crossing in this city was reached, when they were found not to operate.
 Fireman Weed says he noticed the dial which indicates the pressure of air on the brakes at this time and the dial showed that there was no air on the brakes. Finding that the air brakes did not work from the engine, Engineer Pierson whistled for the trainmen to apply the air brakes, which are placed in every car.
 Conductor Hardy, who was in the rear of the baggage car, stepped back into the coach behind and applied the air brake, but this also failed to oper- ate.
 One of the train hands applied the air brake in the last coach but one, but it did not operate. This would seem to indicate that there was the same trouble with all the air brakes through out the train.
 Finding that the train was not an- swering to the brakes Engineer Pierson whistled again for brakes and reversed his engine.
 Conductor Hardya and one of the train men sprung to one of the hand brakes and set it with all their strength. The brakeman on the last car but one set the hand brake on that car, as did also the dead head train hand on one of the other cars.
 The three hand brakes which were set, and the reversed engine, were in- sufficient to bring the heavy train Of nine cars to 9 standstill. and it was just beginning to slow down when it crashed into the relief engine, which was waiting.
 Coroner Mix's theory is that with his engine steaming badly, Engineer Pier son used all the steam he had in run- ming the train so that there was net enough to work the air brakes. This, . he things would explain the fact that the dial registered no air when Fireman Weed looked at it, and also tue failure Sof the brakes on the coaches to operate,
 Prominent railroad men, however. said last evening that this theory is un- Atenable inasmuch as long as there was ssteam enough to run the train there swould certainly be enough 10 operate Fhe brakes. The pump has an eight inch cylinder and can be operated by Hive pounds of steam, while the cylinder abf the engine is nineteen inches and it sAequires sixty pounds of steam to run < he engine without a train attached. In 7 his case there were nine cars attached tnd it would require 125 pounds of steam to run the train here from Bridgeport, so that there must certain have been enough steam to operate he brakes Such thing as the failure of the brakes to operate for lack of