Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-01-18
CUULDN SEE SIGNALS
Reports by Engineers Read at the
Tunnel Inquest.
SMOKE WAS THEIR EXCUSE.
Manager Franklin Of the Grand Gem
trail station Gives Evidence Re-
garding Running of Trains
In the Tunnel.


trail station and track Manager OF the
Harlem railroad from Mort Haven 30
FOrty-second street, was tine first wit
ness at the second days session Of the
investigation of the Park avenue tun-
mel accident. The state railrOad com
| mission was represented by Chairman
Ashley w. Cole and Colonel Baker
District Attorney Jerome conducted
the examination Of Mr.. Franklin.
Ibid you examine the tracks on the
day of the tunnel accident, and was
| there or was there not great amount
Of grease on the tracks that day."
This was the first question and was
! evidently asked at the. request of Mr.
Moss. 1t is known that Mr.. Moss in
tends to make this one of the principal
points in the defense of his client, Wis
kar. the engineer
"rhcre may possibly have been some
grease on the tracks near the signals"
was the reply.
In answer to another question the
witness said that twenty five miles an
hour was the speed contemplated when
the schedule for trains through the tun
mel was made. The testimony which
followed had bearing on the distances
in which trains could be stopped by ap-
plication of the emergency. brakes. The
witness said the distance varied with
the length of the train and the condi-
ton of the track
"Under favorable conditions. in what
distance could the Empire State ex-
press be stopped by the emergency
brakes If running at the speed of twen-
ty-eight miles an hourY' "In six or
seven car lengths"
"How long distance would that
be"' about $50 feet"
This was the distance from the
"home" signal to where the New Ro-
chelle train was stalled on the day of
the accident.
Mr.. Franklin said that the engine
drawing the Empire State express was
superior to those drawing trains much
heavier. He thought, however, that a
local train heavier than the Empire
State express and drawn by an engine
of an inferior type could be brought to
stop in almost as short time.
Action on Longer Train.
"What distance would it take for
train composed of ten cars and drawn
by the ordinary engine to stop by APP
plication Of emergency brakes, sup
posing it had passed the home signal
at the rate of twenty-eight miles an
hour" was asked
The witness said it could be stopped
in it's own length. 600 feet, even under
unfavorable conditions.
ais it not fact that even old engi-
necrs run past danger signals in broad
daylight even on clear day. asked
the district attorney. The witness said
this had occurred.
"Then there was nothing to prevent
an engineer from making such ter
riblc mistakc? Nothing but the sig
mails
"Put is it fact that at times even
the best of engineers, the most careful
and competent men, through some
strange power not accounted for, lapse
into a state where their watchfulnesS
is relaxed?' Witness admitted this
was so.
mo provisions have been made for
such state in engineers. We have
the best signal system in the world. and
then there are the torpedo signals"
The witness admitted, however. that
the torpedoes did not always work
well.
Mr.. Jerome then introduced the orig
inal reports Of engineers showing a
great number of cases where engineers
had run past danger signals and had
given the smoke and stea m in the tun-
mel as an excuse. One engineers re-
port said he had missed the distance
signal run by the green precautionary!
light and whole train length beyond
the danger signal before being able to
bring his train to stop.
On Dec. ), 1901. another engineer re- |
ported that lit was SO smoky and fog
gy in the tunnel that just missed the
signals" Another reported that he had
been four minutes late; that he ran by |
the distance signals and green lights
without seeing them: that the torpedo |
had failed to explode and that he could |
not help running past the danger sig |
nails. There were other cases where |
torpedoes had failed to explode.
These reports had been made to Mr..
Franklin and were brought to the in |
quest on an order by the district attor
ney. ao
VIII Arrest Lynch ON Sight.