New-York tribune., 1902-01-16
TUNNEL TRAINS
THE MEN WHO WILL HELP THE CORO-
NER IN INVESTIGATION SELECTED.


The coroners jury that will investigate the
fatal collision in the Park-ave. tunnel on
Wednesday morning of last week visited the
scene of the accident yesterday and spent about
hour examining signals, observing smoke
and lodging trains.
Coroner Scholer selected the jury before ii
a. m. from a panel of thirty business men who
had been called to his office in the Criminal
Courts Building. Twelve of the first thirteen
men who examined qualified and were
sworn in One said he had friend con-
nected with the New-York Central and was
excused. Each of the twelve men selected swore
that he was not connected with the railroad
company, owned no stock of the company, had
no relatives who owned stock, never had been
commuter on the road and had not been sub
jected to the annoyance of daily travel in the
tunnel Following is the makeup of the jury:
WILLIAM S. CONCORD, gunmaker, Centre and
Franklin SITS, foreman 49,
ALEXANDER D. HILL, photographer, No GA
Madison-ave.
GEORGE w LYNCH, merchant No. 6S Muir
ray-st.
GEORGE H. ANGUS, restaurant, No West
FOrty-second-st
FRANK H. WARNER hats. Forty-second-st.
and Fifth-aVe.
HENRY JONAssON, cloaks. Broadway and
Tenth-st.
JOHN H DREssLER. retired. No S34 West
CHARLES A. sHAFFER. superintendent of the
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company No. l'Zo
Lexington ave.
John H. LITTLE. furniture. sixth-ave. and
Fifteenth-st.
JOHN F MCsER. real estate, No. 874 West
CHARLES NEUENDoRFER. merchant. No $50
Broadway.
r. j. MAYER. No. As West Ninety-seventh-st'
retired from business.
After the jurors had been sworn in Coroner
Scholer said to them: You are summoned here
to investigate the disaster that occurred in the
New-York Central tunnel, between Ffty-siXth-
st and Fifty-seventh-st., one week ago to-day.
You are TO find out what caused the death of
seventeen persons and MANNED and crippled
others. Then you to fix the responsibility
for the disaster. Now, we Will go up TO the
scene of the accident"
The coroner and members of the jury got on
a Madison-ave car in Centre-st. and rode TO
the Grand Central Station, where they were
joined by Frank NJ. Baker State Railroad Com
missioner; J. H. Franklin. the New-York Cen
trails terminal superintendent; X. T. Slater, the
chief electrician of the company; {. h. Platt,
superintendent of the New-Haven line, and
Frank Moss and o. A Campbell, counsel for
John NJ Wisker the engineer who ran the loco
motive of the Harlem train at the time OF the
accident They all boarded a special train that
took them up through the east dark compart-
ment of the tunnel as far as Seventy-second-st
and left them there.
At Seventy-second-st. there is a distance sig
nal in the main tunnel, and the jurors examined
il before starting to walk back through the
tunnel 10 Fifty-sixth-st. AS the party walked
some of the men showed fright every time a
train dashed through the tunnel and filled 1t
with steam and smoke. There was some lVely
lodging at times and jLrYman had mar
row escape from being hit by a train. Coroner
Scholer and Mr.. Moss had stop watches and
timed the disappearance of each cloud or smoke
that Obscured the signals in the tunnel Some
times the signal lights visible in few
seconds after a train had passed, and at other
times view of the red and green lights was shut
half a minute. Once, after train rushed
hI yEaS fIll min q
could be distinguished through the smoke about
two hundred feet ahead of the party.
Mr.. Moss examined the rails n the tunnel with
care, anG called attention to grease on the
rails saying it was important fact that the
rails in the tunnel slippery. At Sixty
to the green signal light which Wisker said
he did rot account OF the smoke just
before the disaster The green signal was
warning for the Harlem train to slow up. AT
Fifty -ninth-st the red signal that was IN
tended to keep the Harlem train from running
into the stalled New-Haven train at Fifty
sixth-st The distance between the signals was
measured.
On the completion of the trip through the tun-
mel Coroner Schoer dismissed the jurors for the
day telling them TO meet again in the coroner's
office at 10 a m. to-day. when the formal in
quest will begin A large number of witnesses
for the inquest have been subpenaed by the
coroner, and 1t is expected that the inquiry VIII
not be completed before Saturday. Among the
witnesses are several who have been examined
by the District AttOrn ley, and one of Mr. Je-
romes assistants will aid the coroner in ex-
amnng the witnesses at the inquest.
The report of John Cabe signal expert, was
made yesterday to Assistant District Attorney
Rand. but not made public.