Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-10-06
EXPERTS MAKE
MANY ADMISSIONS

by the counsel for the trolley company |
were of a nature to help the trolley |
people, the sharp cross examination on |
establishing that in Scranton, city |
where the ID. l.. e. w. traffic is ex
tremely heavy, there are many grade |
crossings necessarily more dangerous |
than the Mill street one could ever be. |
After disposing of several minor af-
fairs Judge Little called the crossing
case at 40 O'Clock Saturday morning
and Ex-senator Herring opened it by
calling the Courts attention to the
fact that ExEert Wright was under
cross examination on Friday when the
afternoon session was adjourned. 1t
was agreed that the railroad counsel
will recall him later if the trolley peo-
pie desire to continue his examination.
The first witness called by Attorney
McClintock was E. B. Reed, of Scran-
ton, a street railway engineer, who
said an overhead crossing at Mill street
is possible. He advocates one OF single
post construction. The maps and plans
again were produced to try to establ-
ish that the grade of the proposed over
head crossing would not be excessive.
The witness gave $4,000 ms an esti-
mate of the cost of a Mill street over
head crossing and $4,000 for either
the Ferry street or alley route. Attor-
ney Scarlets questioning revealed the
fact that an overhead crossing in Mill
street would mean the construction OF
block of concrete about 400 feet long,
all told, right in the main business
thoroughfare. The cross examination
further established that water mains,
poles, wires and cables all would have
to be dealt with.
"Have you any grade crossings IN
Scranton?" queried Mr.. Scarlet. The
anwser was: 'At twenty different
points; and over four tracks cars pass
each way every ~ minutes from a
m. to a. m. " The next question Of
the trolley counsel was objected to and
the Court sustained the objection, so
the witness did not have to tell how
many trolley accidents have occurred
in ten years on the grade crossings at
Scranton The next admission secur-
ed from the witness was that on the
Scranton trolley line there are only
five or six overhead crossings and these
are not in the built-up part OF the
town. Engineer Reed was on the stand
nearly an hour.
Lincoln Bush, of East Orange, N.
j., chief engineer of the D. L. q W..
gave a lengthy recital of his engineer
ing experiences and tried to show that
an overhead crossing would be good
thing for Danville. Engineers Begg,
Moser and Dowdy were called next to
prove maps and plans from their notes.
Then Chief Engineer Bush again took
| the stand to state his opinion that de-
railing devices are not efficient. His
estimate of the cost of Mill street
overhead crossing is 50. 900; $l2, 900 for
Ferry street and more than Sl2, 900 for
! the alley route The cross Cxamina-
| tion clearly demonstrated that the
overhead trolley crossings are not with
out elements of danger and Mr.. Bush
! was Obliged to state that in Scranton
four of the d. L. & W. tracks are
crossed at grade.
Engineer A. Fl. Diehl, the next wit
ness, admitted that without the con-
sen; of the Borough Council the over
head crossing could not be made and
that the presence of water mains,
| poles, wires and cables are all OBJ
| structions in the way of the construc-
tion of such a crossing. Then it de-
veloped that not knowing the soil,
whether full Of quicksand and the like,
the costs of the construction of the
crossing can not be estimated and the
estimates given ale in consequence not
to be depended upon.
Attorney Hinckley called the next
railroad witness, Patrick Bowling, the
d. l.. & W. s general road master, OF
Scranton, who rehearsed the doings OF
Thursday night. September % and who
made the charge that Pascoe's men
worked after the injunction was serv-
ed. On cross examination he said the
only work the trolley men did was to
lower a joint to make the crossing
safe and they did it with his consent
and Superintendent Rine's. The ques-
ton arose as to the trolley men work
ing on the D. L. & w. right of way
and the witness could not exactly tell
what is the right of way there.
Jerry Dineen, the next witness, who
tended the Mill street gates. told moth
ing of interest, but Daniel Marsden,
who told of the ride from Northum-
berland made a number OF admissions,
one that the train was running with
out red light, only a white lantern be-
ing on box car. The box cars were
pushed in front of the engine. He al
so admitted that the train was stopped
by red danger signal but proceeded
even after the piled up ties were seen
in the hope of knocking them from the
track. The agent at Northumberland,
he testified, gave the order to run the
cars ahead of the engine.
W. A. CLARK, assistant special agent,
threw no more light on the case and
shortly after 12 O'Clock the court ad'
journed to 80 p. M. just after j. Nj.
Casey had been called to the stand.
At the afternoon session Casey re-
lated the incidents of the og-laying
work Then adjournment was taken
to next Friday at 80 a. IN. when the
trolley people. who have called all OF
their witnesses. will be allowed to pro.
duce letters written by the railroad to
the trolley company The hearing OF
A. .;1o ,y,Il tbo,, Lr tnEnp