The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-08
The TROLLEY ACCIDENT
AWFUL CAT1STROPRE THE Talk
OF THE WHOLE STATE.

What Some of tho Eye witnesses Say
Views of Contractor RIakesIee of This
City-Bridge Was All Right-Presi-
dent RndeI's statoment-Prcparing
for the Coroner's Inquest.
The terrible trolley accident Sunday
afternoon continues to be the main top
&c of conversation, not only among local
people, but people in every portion OF
the state, and several theories as to the
cause and who is to blame have been
discussed and investigated by newspa-
pers all over the state. Stories OF eye
witnesses and ones near the scene OF the
accident declare that the car was run
ming at a high rate Of speed ana tllat
after the car jumped the track the pow
er seemed to be kept on all the While.
PERFECTLY SAFE.
Engineer w. w. Starr, who superb
tended the building of the bridge, stat
ed yesterday that the bridgr was per-
fectly safe in every respect. In MS
opinion, after thorough examination,
the motorman became bewildered as the
car commenced to travel fast down the
incline, and, finding himself in dan9
gerous situation, lost his head and tutn-
ed the current on.
Instead of this he should have turned
it off. Light stringers, about three
inches high, and within a foot OF the
rails, run along the trestle, and, in his
opinion, these were sufficient to prevent
a car from falling off, unless, it had
attained an unusually high rate of
speed
A BROKEN FI4ANGE.
The possibility of a broken flange is
urged from the fact that, for ten feet or
more on that part of the trestle which
the car passed over, no heavy cuts in
tho ties are apparent, but for some lit
tie distance before the bridge is reach
ed there are signs of the earth having
been torn up near the rail, such as
would have been caused by the rough
edges of the broken flange coming in
contact with the earth.
There is, however, considerable con-
flict of opinion, and the tracks are so
badly smashed that it will be difficult
matter to determine whether or not this
caused the accident.
WHAT MR.. BLAKESLEE SAYS.
G. w. Blakeslee & Sons, the contrac-
tors of this city, had charge of the
construction Of the Shelton Stratford
road, but take no blame for the acct
dent. Mr.. Blakeslee, sr, went to St.at-
ford yesterday. He said yesterday af-
ternoon:
THE trestle at Peck's Mills or on the
Mill River bridge is the highest on the
road and the most dangerous. The
trestle is sixty-eight feet above the mud
level, and the mud at the place where
the car went over is seven feet deep
and soft. There is mud only on the
Stratford side, and the car must have
jumped the bridge close to the shore to
land in it. We spent a lot of time at
that place and drew off the water to
place our stone foundations. The water
had not entirely returned so that there
was a great deal of mud there.
1.-THE rails did not spread, 1 am in
formed by my son, but the car left the
track before it reached the bridge, went |
a few feet and toppled over. The only |
reason for the accident was the care
lessness of the motorman, as the track |
was in first-class condition In every re- |
spect. I went over it only Friday and |
found everything all right, AS far as
the story about the bridge being inse-
cure goes, there it nothing to it. 1t |
was as firm and safe a structure as
there Is in the state, and was perfectly
constructed. The guard rail was plen-
ty wide and in.no way caused the acct
dent
1.-THE whole trouble with the road was
too great anxiety to get it started, and
I warned the company Thursday to go
slow, especially on approaching down
grades There is a steep decline at that
place, and the motorman, instead of
slowing up, let the car go, as nearly as
1 can make out The car must have left
the track before it reached the bridge
and did that only because the motor
man rushed it. The road was built rap
idly and at immense cost, because the
company wanted speed, but the bridge
was perfectly safe. We take no blame
whatever for the accident"
MOTORMAN'S ERROR.
Attorney Allan w Paige, secretary
and treasurer Of the company, says
that the motorman was either disobey-
ing orders by running too fast, or, find
ing himself in a dangerous position, be-
came confused, and instead of turning
off the current made the contrary mo-
ton and turned it on full.
The statement that the road was un-
der the control of the Bridgeport Trac-
ton company is denied by the officials
of that company, who assert that it has
never been purchased or acquired even
by lease. The Bridgeport Traction COM
pany's interests, they claim, will not be
affected in any manner by the accident
1t is claimed that the railroad commits
sioners had not yet examined or accept
ed the road, although they had been no.
titled 1t was completed.
The patients at the hospital were all
reported in very favorable condition
yesterday and no more deaths are ap-
pretended.
STORIES OF TWO MEN
Two Of the men who saved their lives
by jumping told the stories of their :
good luck. They were George w. Can
field, aged twenty-siX, of No. II Acade- !
my street, and John D. Crute, aged
thirty, a mechanic of olivia and Ninth !
streets, Ansonia.
The men We're on a rear seat riding
backward They landed upon the ties
of the treste and escaped without a
al,