The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-01-30
SLOW TUNNEL TRAINS LATE.
= MINUTES INSTEAD or 4 ron
TRIP UNDER NEW RULES.
Engineers Say There's More Danger Than
Before -BIanketed by Their Own
Steam-Railroad Commission Ex.
amines Boston and baltimore Experts.

No trains went through the Park avenue
tunnel yesterday at a speed greater than
is miles an hour, the speed recommended
by the Railroad Commissioners, and al
most all trains were more or less late. A
number Of the engineers made a formal
protest TO Manager Franklin that the new
rule instead Of lessening the danger increases
IL. They say that on rapidly moving
trains they are able TO make much of the
journey without steam which gives them
a clearer view ahead, and when they are
Obliged to use steam they get past their
WI steam so that it hardly blankets them
at all. But at rs miles an hour, they say
they not only have to use steam all the
time, but find IL lmost impossible to get
past their own steam. Manager Franklin
will present this complaint to the Railroad
Commission as soon as the new speed re-
strictions have had a fair trial.
The trip, which used to take four minutes,
cannot be made much under seven minutes
now. Manager Franklin thinks that when
the schedules are thoroughly re%srranged
better service may be given, The order
from the Railroad Commissioners. how
ever, gave the road but twenty-four hours
TO make the changes.
All the division superintendent sent in
reports yesterday that they had put on
only engineers who had made at least 100
trips through the tunnel. This relegated
a lot of new engineers back to the apprentice
class.
All the Central and Harlem trains were
equipped with gas instead or oil lamps.
The New Haven road got a ninety-dsy ex-
tension from the Commissioners yesterday
in which TO obey this order.
Before the State Railroad Commission a
the Fifth Avenue Hotel yesterday W. p.
Mason, a chemist, testified that he made
six trips through the tunnel OIL Monday
and Tuesday. carrying a dish Of glycerine
and caught substances that indicated that
the engineers were using soft coal as well
as hard GOA and cok There was no
smoke. but much gas.
Stewart Ness, automatic signal expert of
the Boston Subway, told Of a system used
on the electric roads or the subway to set
automatically by a thrust from the track
the brakes Of any train tina went past a
danger signal. II had not been tried on a
steam road. In case OF a rear end collision
on an electrical road IL would be possible
for the cars to be set afre. II would take
the Central a year TO get the motors to put
electricity In use in the tunnel.
Walter d. Young of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad said that the Baltimore
tunnel. in which electricity is the motive
power, was operated as a single block.
He declined to express an opinion whether
the Park avenue tunnel could safely be
operated as a single block. IL was more
luck than anything else tina there had not
been an accident there for ten years, he
said. The system of running a number
Of trains out under one minute Roadway
and then not sending any trains out for a
long time was a bad one in his opinion
Lawyer Place for the Central road ex-
planned that the demands Of patrons Of
the road made it imperative to run trains
In this way.
Would you advise the Use Of a third rail
system In the yards OF the Central road2T
asked Commissioner Cole.
mo, / would not. The work Of insulation
would be too great
would you feel Il a safe thing TO bind
a railroad by law to run from 800 to 500
trains a day through his tunnel by cleo
tricity onlyf' asked Mr.. Place.
Il would not care 10 he bound by law
in the matter. However, | prefer cleo
tricity TO steam In a tunnel"
Isn't IL a fact that it would require the
largest power station in the world to oper-
ate the trains that go through the Park
avenue tunnel by electricityf'
Il think IL would"
The witness said that he would rather
be in an electrical wreck than a steam
wreck.
Engineer Dougherty Of the New Haven
train which was telescoped on Jan s, said
that although signals In the tunnel were
more or less obscured at times, there never
was a time when he couldn pick out every
signal on the road All IL required was a
little care. he said. On Monday last. he
said. the TUNE was In much worse shape
than 1t was on Jan $. and vet he found his
danger signal az S-eventy--HcOnd street,
and stopped his train within ten feet Of II
Running AZ twenty-five miles an hour wac
safer than running at eighteen miles, b.
cause at the latter speed 1t Was often I'M
possible for a man To get out Of his steam
Ihe investigation will be- resumed al
10 O'Clock this morning