Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-12-28
Comissioners' Report on Recent
Trolley Accident in This City.
1 OnductOr and Motorman, latter with.
out Sufficient Experience, Were
Running Car without Amy orders
accumulation Powericss.

Athletic Park on October :. The report
places the blame of the accident upon tho
company but concludes with the statc-
| mcnt that the commissioners arc unable
to make any rules or regulations cover
ing such cases because Of lack of lcsls-
lation. Tho report is as follows:
In the matter of tho rear end collision
which occurred on the electric railway
of the Burlington Traction company in
the city of burlington October !, 1900
4 public investigation into the cause
OF this collision was held at Burlington
on November 3. 1905, By Commissioners
Smith and Bingham. A. IT, Sherman
states attorney for the county of Chit
tcrdcn, appeared for the state of Ncr-
mont and presented the evidence before
the commissioners; the Burlington Trac-
| ton company was represented by a. c.
Whntemorc
On the evening of October :. 1905, n
| regular car. No. 16, left postoffco square
at ten O'Clock and thrty-ilve minutes
1t proceeded toward Winooski via. the
lower road to "A switch or turnout be-
stopped on the main Inc to meet u car
| from Winooski bound to burlington
| Extra car No. T.. with Motorman Frank
r. Hunt, left postofficc square about two
| minutes after regular car No 16 and pro-
| cceded toward Winooski. Both these
cars were heavily loaded with people
| from the audience at The Strong Theatre
| When car No. /. came in sight of the
ttrv1,t
! ing at the turnout hcrcin.boforc mon
| toned. All efforts 10 bring thu ear TO
n stop tailed and u collision resulted
| in Nhic.i sixteen persons were more or
| less seriously injured.
| Car No. |. was equipped With hand
brakes which, according To- the tcsti-
nony, were In good working order.
Motorran Hunt testified that he applied
the brakes but tho wheels spped he
, then applied sand TO tho rails but tho
wheels still slipped Then ho reversed
| the power bu: faled To- make tho stop
| in time to avoid the collision. The slip
ping or sliding Of the wheels WAS at
| t'butcd to leaves from trees which had
| fallen upon tn" rails and which j. Il
we'll known cause of greasy or slippery
| rails.
If there were no facts brought out by
| the evidence introduced before the COM
| n,ssioners, this cause might reasonably
account for the accident. But it appears
| that MotoIman Hunt and his conductor
left the postofficc square without recciv-
| ing any orders from any source what
| ever directing them to meet any car at
the turnout where the accident occurred
| The testimony showed that on occasions
when an entertainment is being held al
The strong Theatre III Burlington it is
sometimes the custom for the military
post cars to run one switch beyond the
usual meeting place. BY the regular
schedule, car No. II, wnich left post
| Office square at 1885 y. m. would meet
| the military post car at a turnout near
| the Porter screen factory, and If extra
No. T. was following ON tho time OF
| No. IL il would also meet the milital, -
post car al the las, named turnout. No
orders changing the regular meeting
place were given either to the conductor
! or motorman of extra No. II. Motorman
Frank T. Hunt testified that his on
pericnce as Tnotorhlan had been limited
tn ono years service as a spare man
and Il regular run during the summer Of
1905 down to about September -. He
made oath to the fact that he became
Il motornan and was employed as such
by the Burlington Traction company al
ter an apprenticeship covering "A period
OF only two weeks. during which time
he received instructions from three ,iir-
fcrent men.
The commissioners are Of the opinion
that these facts enter largely into thu
cause OF the accident. 1t appeared that
cars were passing over this portion of the
track where the accident occurred about
every twenty minutes during the entire
day and evening of October :. that the
grade OF the track from Athletic Pork
to the turnout is descending; that extra
No. y had at least ID passengers: that
quite n number of these passengers We're
upon the front platform with tho motor
man Weighing all this testimony in
diligently it would seem that il the
motorInan OF extra No. II had received
orders to meet the military post car az
tho turnout below Athletic Park and
had expected that regular car No. ID
would be standing upon the main line
at the turnout he would have brought
his car under control at the head of tho
grade near tho entrance of Athletic Park
and slowed its speed sufficiently to have
made an easy stop before colliding with
No. &C.. The claim that fallen leaves up
on the track rendered the rails 81 slip
perry that it was impossible for tho
notormun to control his car has hut
little probatiNc force in the minds OF
the commissioners. Motornan Hunt had
been operating a car the same day and
evening and knew these conditions and
the kind of rails he was operating up
or. Moreover fallen leaves upon "A track
where ears arc passing every twenty or
thirty minutes are not a source OF such
conditions as make il Impossible to con-
troll car, particularly where sand is
used upon the rails as in this case.
The particular service which Hunt was
called upon to perform by the superin-
tcndent of the company was a dangerous
service. II was to run night car
heavily loaded with passengers. only a
short distance behind another car and
TO meet an opposing car at an unusual
place Such service required an ex
perienced motorman running under ex-
plicit orders given to both him and his
conductor in writing. Electric traction
Is Il dangerous business even in the
hands of experienced men. Tho power
used. the weight and speed OF the cars
and the location ~ III" road through
the streets IF u city. vita its single
tracts, all contribute 10 the danger i'll
vov''t in III" operation ut "lr>trc cars
ANA the carriage Of passengers, and yet