New-York tribune., 1903-02-06
MANY SAW MUCH STEAM.
TE.STI1fONT At INQUEST.
General Manager of Central De
cEares Douis to Blame for Urech'.
Tpy rr1rGrApH 70 THE TprrUNn.l I

the evidence brought out ~ tiS Sct'i'N
of the coroner's inquest, held IN inc o'""''
chambers here this afternoon
Sixteen witnesses were called. hut IVY VI
then, were III and could not be present. Again
ex-Mavor Charles J. Fisk foreman Of the core
ner's Jury played a prominent part ny ASKING
pertinent questions The Investigation was co'i-
Quoted ny County Prosecutor English. Ihe W.
quest viii be continued tomorrow AFTERNOON
and evening novel feature will he a prac-
tical demonstration of the wreck, without the
collision by two trains for the benefit OF the
jury.
Mrs Emma Harksou. = heroine Of the wreck,
told of Witnessing the collision and of opening
her home 10 the dead and injured. Five died
in her house Efforts stop the express at
Crawford and deliver the orders telling OF the
Faston local ahead were related by Charles
SchuItze station agfnt and John 3. Eick tele-
graph operator and ticket agent. Both testl-
fed that the signals to stop had been placed III
the proper position in plenty of time Etck III
formed the train dispatcher. he said. the mo-
meit the express ran by the signal. William
Nerson, fagmau at the Broad-st. crossing,
Westfield. testified that he had seen the Easton
local stop and had placed his red light on the
track behind it. When the express approached
he had waved the lantern, but without avail.
MUST REACH PHILADELPHIA ON TIME
John f Knapp and George w. Young, both
members of the Westfield police force, were
early on the scene Their story was pracucaHy
the same. They hunted for the engineer OF the
second train and found Davis lying on the bank
According to their testimony, he said II saw the
red lights. thought they would turn white,
but they didn't" Then he had told Young that
he was eighteen minutes late in leaving Jersey
CITY and had been told that he had a clear
track and must make Philadelphia on time
Homer B. Smith, of Prospect-ave- had helped
Davis from the track, and heard him say, 1
could not see because of the steam.
s Arthur Krom, manufa cturer of machinery
in Newark living in West Fourth-st., testified
that he heard Davis repeat several times, L
told him could not see" He also criticised the
methods employed by the master mechanic. as
told the stand the day before. in repairing
cracked steam chest.
The last of the witnesses who saw Davis on
the night of the wreck was his conductor Ed
ward McEwan. of Phila delphia The train had
left Jersey City three minutes late that even
ing, he said He thought the Westfeld police
men must have misunderstood when he said
eighteen minutes. After the accident. he told
of his meeting with Davis the latter lay oil
the bank. jimmy" he asked, how did this
occur?" Il didn't see them until 7 into
them" had come the reply. How was that?"
he continued. Daviss reply was, Il could not
see for steam"
TESTIMONY OF TRAIN DISPATCHER.
Long and exhaustive was the examination to
which Michael H. Meaney. the train dispatcher
who was duty at jersey City the night of
the wreck, subjected. He was in charge of
the line between Jersey City and Somerville, al
though he might call the chief dispatcher in
time of doubt AS the fourth freight track
blocked between Westfeld and Garwood by a
freight train. he had decided run the Easton
local. which usually took track at Gran
ford Junction, TO Dunellen, and allow the Phila-
delphia express to pass it there. He had sent
an order to that effect to Elizabeth to Be deliv-
cred to the conductor Of the local It had been
delivered AS the express did not stop at Eliza
beth, and there was a sharp curve just before
reaching the Eliza beth station, he had sent the
same orders on TO Crawford. where there was Il
long stretch of straight track, to be delivered
the express. This order had been sent at 6:25.
AT 6:21 he had received word from the Crawford
operator that the express had run by and failed
TO take the orders. There might have been
moments delay in getting the word from Gran
ford He Immediately had tried to get Westfield,
and two minutes later had asked the operator
there where the express was. 1t was passing
at the moment. Had it not reached there he
would have wired Immediately TO stop il.
Meaney explained that while the railroad had
depended on the block signals the orders We're
sent out as an extra precautIon- These orders
were not sent out until the last moment so
there should be no opportunity to forget.
Was there anything that you could have
done in the dispatcher's office that would have
prevented this accident" asked Prosecutor
English
power
GENERAL MANAGER on THE STAND.
General Manager William G Besler OF the
Jersey Central explained the system Of electro
pneumatic signals used on the Jersey Central,
how operated the
scene of the wreck HIr. Besler was positive
that it was the duty of an engineer to stop
when he saw a red hight, and that he must con-
slider a signal unseen 5 a. red one. Failure 70
obey the block signals. he declared would result
in the dismissal Of an engineer. Davis had been
examined for his sight and hearing on Feb
ruarv q 1902 and passed excellent exam
nation
Mr. Besler agreed to give practical tllustra
ton Of the way the trains were running for the
benefit Of the jury tomorrow evening. Mr.
Besler also expressed willingness to have the
mate to the engine dismantled in the wreck on
hand so the Jurors could look it over.
Who do you believe is to blame for this &C
cident?" asked the prosecutor
Il believe that the engineer is the man VINO
caused the accident was the reply of the
general manager of the Central
Then the prosecutor went further He wanted
TO know whether Mr.. Besler thought the accl-
dent would have occurred if torpedoes had been
placed on the track and had exploded. MI
Besler declared that that was all matter of
conjecture As 10 the hea ting of the cars, Mr.
Besler said that the last two were heated with
coal stoves and the third by Baker steam
heater
A former engineer Of the Jersey Central, VIII
tam 6 Armstrong. Of No. 564 Nonroe-ave,
Eliza beth, told Of often having steam escape TO
such an extent that an engineer could moth
ing He had been una bic to see signals. When
an engineer did stop repair damages along
the road he was called down