The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-10


Down Incline 80 Bridge Than ON
Trips Made Friday and Saturday -
Power Turned or and Brake Partly
set-Car swaycd But Not Excessively
Lost Twenty five Minutes on Prccoed-
ing Trip-Not Allowed Time for Din
Mer.
Bridgeport, Conn, Aug. 9.-Contrafy
to the expectations Of Coroner Doteh
and the jurors who are conducting tae
enquiry into the causes of the trolley
disaster Of Sunday last the examination
OF all the Witnesses was not concluded
to-day and the investigation will be
continued tomorrow. George A. Eiani-
iIton, who was motorman on the ill-
fated car, told his story this afternoon
although previously informed by the
coroner that he need not answer any
questions unless he wished to do 50.
The witness, however, was very desrous
to make a statement, but his testimony
apparently threw no light on the ques-
ton as to the responsibility OF the dis
aster. He was questioned at much
length by the jurors and it is believed
that the information CLEANED will have
considerable weight on the Jurors in ar
irving at verdict. 1t was brought out
that Hamilton had already made two
trips over the line, a round trip being
nearly thirty miles, and that he made
the third trip under protest as Ee was
not given any time to get his dinner and
he did not wish to go four hours longer
without food.
Motorman Hamilton was called to
the witness stand late in the afternoon
and was the last witness of the day. He
testified that he had been in the employ
of the company for the past four years,
working both as conductor and motor
man, but during the last three months
he had been employed as motorman
regularly Last Sunday morning, he
said, he started out on his first trip
from Bridgeport at Sis a. m., made the
return trip and started out on the Sec
ond round trip at 11:15, returning to
Bridgeport at 2:40 p. M, having lost
twenty-five minutes on the second trip.
Started on the third trip at 2:40 Ques-
toned as to whether or not he had been
allowed sufficient time for dinner be-
fore starting on his last trip, witness re-
piled that he had not. He had break
fast at 7:15 that morning and had ex-
pected to be relieved at the end of the
second round trip, but when he reached
the car house the starter Informed him
that the man who was to relieve him
also had returned late on the last trip
and had not yet reported back for fur
ther duty. 1t therefore became neces-
sary for him to continue. making no
stop for dinner Witness said that it
often was the case that motorman or
conductor was not able to get time for
meals, relief not being on hand at the |
proper time. In such a case, he said |
the only thing to be done was to con-
tinue at work
Hamilton said that he had been eau
toned on the Friday evening previous
to the accident to run his car slowly on
all curves and bridges. On the day in |
question he stopped his car at the turp-
out, about six hundred feet from the
end Of the bridge. On starting up he
turned the handle regulating the DOW
er around to three notches just suffi-
GENTLY far to allow Of enough current
to carry the car over the frog ut the
switch. He allowed the handle to re-
main in that position until the car near
ed the incline. The power then was
turned off and the brake was partly set.
Going down the incline the car did not
travel any faster than 1t did on trips
made Friday and Saturday or on the
previous trips that day. He noticed
that the car swayed some, but not ex-
cessively.
Witness was asked IF there was not a
depression at the point where the rails
oil the approach connected with those
on the bridge, and he replied that he
had not noticed, although the car did
jump slightly when passing over that
point. The car did not run fifteen feet
on the bridge before jumping the track.
He Immediately reversed the power, but
found that he lad no contact, the mo-
ors refusing to reverse. When he found
that the power was of no use witness
said he Immediately grasped the brake
handle and did his utmost to stop the
progress of the car. He had almt st sue
ceeded In bringing 1t to a full stop when
it began to topple He then dove off the
front and over the dasher, striking on
his head Oh the bridge. He knew moth
ing more until he came to himself lying
in a hammock.
Hamilton said he was confident that
had the power worked all right he could
have brought the car to a full stop in
half it's length by reversing the motor
If the wheels had remained on the rails
he was sure no more than fifteen feet
would have been required to make a
STOP at the rate the car was running at
the time. Witness said he could give no
eXplana ton for the car running so far |
after leaving the rails; neither could he j
say what caused it to run so far after
having left the irons.
One of the jurors asked Hamilton why
he deserted his post when he saw the
car was in trouble, and the motorman n
replied that he did all in his power to
save the car from going off the trestle.
When he saw the car was going any
way he jumped. The different MEM
bers of the jury seemed to take more .
than ordinary interest in the fact that
The men often did not have sufficient i.
time to get their meals throughout the
lay, and the witness was questioned !.
closely regarding this point He was :
asked whether he thought it would be ,
more satisfactory to the men to do an