New-York tribune., 1902-01-11
TUNNEL TEST AIDS WISKER
FIVE ATTEMPTS TO EXPLODE TORPEDO
FAIL-OFFICIALS FIND SIGNALS
SHUT OFF BY yAPOR.

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The failure Of a torpedo TO explode in tho
Park-ave tunnel at Fffty-ninth-st.. yesterday
at the time OF an official inspection. together
with the discovery that passing trains at times
made the smoke in the tunnel so thick to pre-
vent a view Of ocular signals. led District At
torney Jerome to the conclusion that all the re-
sponsiblity for the dreadful disaster in the tun-
mel on Wednesday could not be laid upon John
NJ. Wisker. the engineer Of the Harlem train-
Wisker has been in the Tonbs. a prisoner held
without bail on the coroner's charge of homicide
1t was decided yesterday afternoon to change
the charge to one of manslaughter. and allow
Wisker to be admitted to bail in $4,000. pend
ing the result of the coroner's inquest upon the
bodies Of the fifteen persons who were killed
in the tunnel accident
A trip for the inspection Of signals in the tun-
mel was made yesterday on the New-York Cen
trails observation locomotive. No. %, called
The Hudson The officials on the locomotive
We're Assistant District Attorney Garvan, Com
missioner Baker and Inspector Schultz. OF the
State Railroad Commission; J. H. Franklin. the
Harlem division superintendent, and c. c.
Paulding. of the Centrars law department The
locomotive left the Grand Central Station at
1910 a. m. and ran UP through the tunnel at
the usual speed Of trains passing through.
From Fifty-sixth-st., as far as the openings in
the roof Of the tunnel extended, there not
smoke enough 10 prevent sight of the signals.
but in the closed northern part of the tunnel the
smoke thick that the men in the OBJ
servation compartment Of the engine could sea
nothing ahead.
After getting through the tunnel the engine
proceeded to White Plains. where Mr.. Gar
van examined some of the railroad employees
who knew Wisker. the engineer under arrest.
The testimony obtained was that Wisker
of steady habits, that he and his fireman.
Fyler, slept at the roundhouse in White Plains
on Tuesday night, that they were called at 6
a. Wednesday, that they both appeared
TO be sober and well when they took charge CT
the locomotive for the of the White Plains
local to New-York, and that the locomotive was
in good condition
On the way back to the city the observation
engine ran through the tunnel on track No 2.
the one on which the White Plains local dashed
into the rear of the NorwaIk accommodation on
Wednesday morning. The following report OF
the trip was made by passenger on the loco
motive who not an official
We found the tunnel clear. At sixty-third-st.
tionary signal before entering the block below. and
the observation engine slowed up until We picked
bell rang and everything seemed to work to a
nicely, all but the torpedo which did explode.
s:, explained & that the observation engine was not
n. m,
70 explode the torpedo as a big passenger locomo-
ton alongside the rail automatically the moment
the red light was shown by the block system, and
of the engine. After a consultation it decided
same size as the passenger engines The engine
came up. the little observation engine was run
through the block Again the torpedo failed to s4
RIoae RSo rney tired tried, II again with the same result
through the block, and not once did the torpedo
saying that the mechanism throwing the torpedo
into place had been pressed out of order. so that
While these tests were being made several trains
the tunnel where the party stood with thick clouds
of smoke and steam John Dolton. the man who
the accident gave testimony that tended to Prove
h shat me White Plans train cut the torpedo and
The officials WHO made the inspection returned
to the Grand Central Station at 1:3O o. m Mr..
Garvan. Commissioner Baker and Inspector
Schultz declined TO make any comments on the
trip. and the railroad officials We're silent abour
it. Mr.. Garvan made a report to District At
torney Jerome IN the afternoon and later the
District Attorney said he would not oppose the
application for the release of wisker on $4,000
bail. The investigation, he said had shown
that the charge of murder in the first degree
could not be sustained against the engineer A
charge of manslaughter in the second degree
HiSHl pc sustained 10 sustain the former
charge in an accident case. he said, 1T would be
necessary TO show a "depraved mind" and no
such accusation could be made in the case of
Wisker. While declining to go further into the
facts OF the case. the District Attorney said:
Our reason for opposing the admission of
Wisker to bail on the day of the accident was
that We wanted TO satisfy ourselves of all the
facts i will not express my opinion at this time
as to the responsibility of persons other than
Wisker. 1 want TO place the full responsib bilty
for the accident where it belongs. I shall not
make public my deductions until there has been
a fuller examination of the facts. II is a fact
that five efforts were made to explode torpedo
in the tunnel to-day, and that there was a fall
ure each time The evidence in our possession
however. tends to show that torpedoes did ex-
plode in the tunnel on the day of the ac-
cident."
About fifteen witnesses in the preliminary IN
vestigation OF the District Attorney were at his
Office yesterday TO sign their testimony He
said the investigation would be continued up to
the time of the coroner's inquest He was asked
If charge would be made against directors OF
the New-York Central in view of the recent
FIRE LADDIES.