The times., 1899-12-01
TEE 9RAINMBB BLAMED
Charged With Responsibility for
the Paterson Accident.
brakeman sneddeker and Engineer
Riordnn Accused by the LacIza-
wanna Officials with Gross Care
Ics~ness-Reyised List Of the Dead
Gives Six Yirtims-GyrrHtY-Si Hurt

NEW YORK Eoy 30.-A preliminary
Investigation OF the disaster ON the Della
ware. LackaWauna and Western Railroad,
al Paterson. on wednesday night, was be-
gun by the railroad officials today un-
der the direction Of Superintendent Rob
ort Du Puy
It disclosed nothing new in relation 10
the causes Of the disaster. except that WI
liam Sneddeker. the brakeman OF train
30. 8. which was run into By train No.
s. did not obey the order of his supe-
r.ass. given only two weeks ago, which
was that before coming into stations, when
j is known that another train is close be
hind. a brakeman shall drop lighted green
fuses on 3he track from the rear car, to
warn the engineer Of the approaching train.
Sreddeker was provided. it is said, with
fuses which would run for ten minutes, but
did not use any The officials are strong in
condemnation OF Snedd5keT. They admit
that under the circumstances the fuses
would scarcely have prevented the colh-
sion as they would only have conveyed
10 Engineer John Riordau. OF train No.
g5. information which he already had.
The railroad managers have thrown
practically all the blame for the accident
on Riordan. They say nothing can eX-
tllsa the rate OF speed at which he ap-
preached the Paterson station, and the
fact thar he knew there was passenger
train not far ahead, makes his offence all
the more nagrant. superintendent Du Puy
says IN a statement
We have made a hurried investigation
and find that gross carelessness caused
The wreck. A more careful and detailed
fnveztigat ZION viii follow, OF course. but 1
10 not think il can unearth many more
facts ia relation to this affair than we al
ready have
The men whose gross carelessness
caused this accident are Engineer Riordan
and Brakeman Sneddeker. Riordan is one
OF our eldest engineers, having been on the
road for twenty years. SneddekeT has been
on the road eighteen years Riordan
brought his train into Paterson on the very
heels of No 6. He knew the train was
right ahead Of him. Yet be came Ia there
al a dangerous rate OF speed. His conduct
is beyond explanation. II was only two
weeks ago that on account OF the dangerous
curve az Paterson we adopted the new
system Of green fuse. Il was SneddekeT
duty 10 keep dropping these fuses be-
fore reaching Paterson. He did not do
ihis. probably because he knew that Rior-
dan knew that No. was just ahead Of
him.
A fun list CT the killed and injured was
obtained today. There are six dead and
twenJy-six injured, including several who
are suffering so badly from the shock that
they are unable 10 leave their beds. Fol
lowing is the list Of the dead:
Alexander Craig. fOrty-five years old. OF
Scranton. was business manager OF the
Scranton Tribune, Mrs. Alexander Craig
Esther Craig. aged fifteen, daughter OF
Alexander Craig. Jessie Craig, aged eleven,
daughter OF Alexander Craig; Mrs. Mary
Roe. wife Of David Roe. of Ithaca, who was
badly injured in the wreck; Walter j.
Neilbroek. nineteen years old, student
a. Cornell University, was on his way 10
his home al $50 West End Avenue, New
York city.
s. II. White. q Ithaca, is the on'y one
of he injured now in 81. J0seph's Hospital
who NAY not recover Mr.. White is an
old man. being over sixty. and both OF his
legs Herc broken.
b. lar the most interesting Of the in
jurad ones is Sterling J. Smith, a stock
broker. Of Duluth, Mimi, w1o is nephew
OF Gen Joe" Wheeler Mr. Smith was so
badly injured in the wreck that his left les
had 10 be ampUJated He is forty-seFen
wears old. and had a wife and fami s. De-
spite his misfortune he is very cheerful
David Roe. of Ithaca, whose legs were
broken. was told today Of his Wife's death
Re was heartbroken over the news, but
bore up well and VIII recover.
All signs Of the wreck we're cared
a8ay by noon today.