New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-08-11
THE BRIDGEPORT TROLLEY ACCIDENT.
EVIDENCE BEFORE CORONER IN REGARD Io
HOW TT WAS cAUsED-coMPANY REPAIRED
Tile n.cKs REFnRE INQrEST

HOW TT WAS CAUSED-COMPANf hEfAlnSD
THE TRACKS BEFORE INQUEST.
Rrideeport, Conn, Aug 10-The inquest into the
cause OF the trolley accident on the Shelton street
Railway on Sunday continued TINS mori'ne
The most sensational testimony was given by
c,aoroA = Halves superintendent Of the Birdseye,
somers &, Co corset factory. Mr.. Hawes testned
that on Monday morning he visited the scene vi
the accident A large number OF men were en-
saeed on filling in and tamping with oirt INC W,
bearing the rails on the eastern approach d. .u
south end Of the bridge The men were divided INTO
,vo oa,gs one Of which worked about ten teet
from the south end Of the bridge and the other
150 feet further on. During the hour WHICH ne y.
malned on the scene, said Mr.. HaWes' TWO 'a'
Of earth were brought UP. dumped and tampeo os-
meath and around the ties
The witness produced photographs, when ne mao
made as the work advanced and which ne oiereo
70 tho turv as evidence. He said that the pnoto-
eranhs were taken merely out OF curiosity. since
they were made however he had seen artcies IN
the newspapers to the effect that htte OF ho'iihs
IN the way OF repairs the approach had oeen
dora hetueen the time the accident occurred ana
vhen the approach was viewed by the coroner
fury He then decided, IN order that the jury mish'
Seva all the real facts in the 70 appear before
,be members tell what he knew OF the conditions
and offer the photographs IN corroboratlon OF MS
testimony. -,
examined the contact box on the front end Oh the
-acLed car WAS next called. Mr. UNDERWOOD
testified that he found the door OF the contact pok
partly opened. The condition OF the oox iidica'ed
that It had been opened with screw drNer' OF
a. similar implement. as the bolts all were VI
broken and in place which hardly would be the
case had the fall from the bridge broken the oox'
thus canning II 10 open. An examination or the
interior OF the box disclosed the fact that some
OF the contact fingers were missing. rendering tho
reverse lever useless. In every other way the poA
was in good condition. The power was turned COM
pletey off, but there was no evidence undS -'n'
power had been reversed
Tho uitness said that only two or three were left
ont Of total Of twenty-seven OF the fingers OF the
controller Some had been freshly broken on OUT
the majority had been removed by means OF
screwdriver II Is possible that those broken ones
might have been broken by the fall OF the car out
in his opinion that was not likely. He was then
asked II there was anything about the car to indi-
cate that it could not have been stopped In time
10 avert the catastrophe He replied:
No I think there time TO stop the car
after Il left the rails. The time was short 70 be
sure but there time enough to stop 1t either
by the use OF the reverse lever or the brake. or
course. If the derailment had tolted the trolley
MOLE from the wire the reverse lever would have
been ineffective as there would have been no cur
rent"
This afternoon the Coroners fury visited the
Bridgeport Hospital and took the testimony or
Mrs Sidney A. Pitt Frank Knapp and Mathew
Robin. of Bloomfield. who were passengers In the
Mrs Pitt. stated that the cal, went down the
grade TO the bridge st a rapid rate. The car
rocked from side 10 side and end TO end as II
was descending the grade.
Before going TO the hospital, Clarence Bakeslee,
of New Haven engineer in the employ Of c.
". Bakeslee & Son. who built the road. testi-
fed that he considered the roads construction Sc
cure; he was satisfied with the condition OF the
approach to the bridge when the road was opened.
The surface perfect Thursday. but he
could not say what was the condition at the time
OF the accident IT. might have settled. As he
remembered 1t, 1t trifs high to permit Of
settling He thought II guard rails of iron had
been used they would have been moro effective.
IL there had been iron channel between the
rails on which the cars ran and the strinser. or
little iron railing fastened top OF the stringer 1t
would have been safer.
Dr. F. VI. Turkey, of Bridgeport, who one of
the physicians that responded TO render what
sistance possible stated that after attending to
some OF the injured he went upon the bridge and
close TO the trests a noticeable depression in
the track
Conkng G. Coley, OF Stratford, testified that
about D m after the dead and injured had been
removed, he examined the bridge, and noticed a
decided depression IN the track close TO the treste
and very little dirt between the ties The third tie
from the trestle shook under his weight when he
stood on it. The hearing will he continued to-
mr.