The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-08-29

terday Afternoon, Wiu be Concluded
 This Morning.
 | It was a most fortunate collision ir | the Cedar Hill freight yard yesterday morning-fortunate for the passengers
 of the train and fortunate for the crews ! of both trains that were involved. As I it was, two engines were telescoped and smashed and one parlor and several l freight cars were put out of business. /! The 150 or more passengers were badly shaken up, and the only injury sus- tained was to an old railroad man who refused to give his name. He sustained | a scratch or cut over the eye, and the \ injury was not serious one.
 E The clock express from New York, which leaves this city over the Air Line at 10:03, was speeding at about twenty | five miles an hour through the freight yards at Cedar Hill and the switch op- orator had left a switch open from the I Springfield division to siding on | which was 6 switch engine with num- | Der of freight cars. The freight train | was but one hundred yards away when the express took the switch and the en-
 gineer did not see the semaphere, which was clearly displayed.
 The air brakes were applied, but there was not sufficient time for tsem to take effect and the passenger train
 crashed into the freight with fearful
 grinding. The fireman and engineer
 escaped with their lives by jumping.
 41,a ,f,ft tn itnl1
 engine were wrecked. The express en-
 zine was slightly damaged, but not so
 badly as to prevent it's backing into the
 Union depot, and after q transfer of
 engines proceeded to Hartford The
 train was not delayed an hour by the
 accident.
 A wrecking train was sent out from
 this city at once and was at the scene
 of the accident within half an hour.
 This train spent about three hours
 clearing up the telescoped freight cars,
 working from the regular Air Line
 tracks, which begin at this point.
 Superintendent Bowman, of the New Haven terminal, happened to be in the
 immediate vicinity of the crash and he immediately had the passenger train
 
 where the cars were examined In prep aration for their journey to Boston
 It was found in looking the train over that the only car that had suffered was the buffet car, No 2,253, which occupied a position on the front of the train be- hind the engine The front platform of the car was smashed to kindlings, and the iron work was badly twisted and broken. To repair it an entire new platform must be built. One of the accordion like sections which encloses the vestibule of the cars was also dam aged
 sOn reaching the depot the buffet car was cut out and after a delay of an hour and thirteen minutes from the time of the crash the train again left the New Haven station for it's journey north at 11:16 q. m.
 It will be and is a question for inves- tigation as to which train had the right of way. The express train left the sta ton on time and the switcher was not upon the right of way, for 1t has the switching to do twenty four hours a day, but sharp lookout is kept for regular trains. No blame has been attached to any one yet and none will be until the investigation is con- cluded This will be some time to-day. Then it is likely that there will be a number lon the carpet
 The only injuries to passengers was to Frederick c. Lum of this city, who l allowed his nose to come in contact with | some obstruction when the trains came .ogether. The blood was flowing free | y from MT. Lum's nose when he ap- | preached Superintendent Bowman, who l s an old friend, but beyond little | discomfort he was not otherwise injur- ,d. One woman was so badly shaken fin her nerves" that she desired to stay | ,ver in New Haven a day. Several ,thers suffered slight scratches and | bruises.
 The block signal at Cedar Hill yard s in charge of Operator Jacobs and II ,witchman Ryan. To a reporter MT. | acobs said: q can give you no infor- nation as to the cause of the accident you can perhaps obtain the facts from he men in the yard. The switch which vas set for the switch engine and the reight cars is, as you see, right in fl ront of the signal tower. The switch vas set as ordered and the semaphore howed red for the oncoming train"
 There is clear stretch from the II ,edar Hill station to the signal tower, H nd the switch semaphore at the june ion of the Hartford and the Air Line il racks, and in clear day like yester- ay this signal could have been seen 1ng way off. At that multitude of witch levers in the tower stood Switch nan Ryan He refused absolutely to H ak about the accident, except to say hat he had operated the switch as or cred and that the senaphore was ,orking. It seems to be acknowledged that all bout the yard knew by long experi- nee that the express train was due, nd why the right of way was given , the comparatively insignificant witch engine and it's few cars in pref renee to the regular train was unan-  Engineer s. S. Landon, of Boston, as at the throttle of engine No. 1S1, hich drew the express and the num- er of the switcher was 1,081. County Health Officers Hoadley, of ew Haven, and Hill, of Fairfield coun- es, were on the passenger train which ! gured in the accident They were en ,ute for Hartford to attend a state | \ eeting of health officers. ' Il. i'm n ,r