The Washington herald., 1907-01-04


.strous railroad wreck at Terra Gotta at
he second session of the coroner's in
luest yesterday.
The long morning hours were devoted
o an examination of Baltimore ans Ohio
Railroad officials. with a view OF de-
5eloping facts tending to prove that the
'ailroad officials had not shown the
proper spirit and prompness in caring
or the dead. dying. and injured after
he accident. Not one fact OF particu-
ar value as bearing directly upon the
,ause of the wreck could be CLEANED
rom the questions and answers that kept
he official stenographers so busy during
he early part OF the hearing.
It was not until late in the afternoon.
when Assistant Division Operator Nc
Cauley and William NJ. Dutrow, the tele-
graph operator on duty at the Silver
Spring block at the time Of the acct
tent. were called to the stand that af
airs took a different turn.
By their statements under oath they
ihowed concIusively that the one all-im-
,ortant point upon which the direct re-
possibility for the disaster may be fixed
S the question whether or not the engi-
leer and crew Of the extra train drawn
~ locomotive No. 2l20 should under the
Jules of the company expected any sig
1aI at the Takoma Park station.
Mr.. McCauley, who was the first Of
he two men to be called in the afternoon.
inalIy said that he knew Of no printed
u other rules issued to engineers through
which Hildebrand should have known that
passing Takoma after the regular
hour Of closing that block, he was to ex-
pect a signal of any kind.
Question as to Red Target.
Other points that were thrown into
-eIief by the afternoon inquiry dealt with
he possibility that Operator Phillips, of
Takoma, may have difficulty in proving
hat he displayed the red, or dang
signal, to 2l20. has been unoficially SUI
Stimulated. That contradictory testimony
pr this count and on the question Of the
color of signal displayed at Silver Spring
Tor the guidance of Engineer HIdebrand
will be introduced when other witnesses
are examined. was made certain.
Dutrow, under oath. declared he has
witnesses to substantiate him that he
displayed the white to 2120. The train
crew Of 2120, with the exception of Hill
febrand. who has as yet been reticent
On the subject have all previously de
,lared that the double green" was dis
played at Silver Spring. Hildebrand. OF
course. knows and his testimony on this
point as well as upon the more i'm
Dortant one of the signal at Takoma, viii
settle this dispute.
The doubt cast upon Phillips state
ment regarding displaying the red tar
get leaked in during the questioning of
Outrow. Il was shown that DutTOW re-
.eived the customary word from Phillips
hat the block west of Takoma was clear
II IS before Dutrow let ZI20 into the block
Later, Dutrow says. he received mes
sage stating that 2l20 had passed Takoma
and giving the time as SOL This mes
sage was sent simultaneously 20 the Uni
,ersity operator. DutrOw and the Uniyer-
sity man reading the clicking of the
sOunder at the same time
Firm in Testimony.
The severest discrimination could
not shake DuTow in his statement that
Phillips message at that time contained
nothing but the announcement, "2120 by
was supposed to have sent 10 University
and necessarily on account of the wire
connection TO Silver Spring also, that
'2l2O passed my red target going like
a." Dutrow declared he never heard
lie said that the message might have
been sent shortly after the first one from
Takoma, and that he did not hear it.
According 10 Dutrow. messages are con-
stantly sounding in his Office that do not
concern him.
In the earlier part Of his testimony, Mr.
McCauley was questioned as 70 the proper
signal that should have been displayed to
I2o on approaching Silver Spring. He
replied that if the Silver Spring operator
had received word that 66, the wrecked
passenger train. had passed Takoma, he
should have shown the white. OF clear
track signal to Z20.
What should Takoma have shown
I20?' was asked.
"A white Lightly he replied.
There is no question concerning the
Dropriety of this signal under the ciTCum-
stances" asked Coroner hewitt.
None whatever" replied Mr.. NIcCauley
IF YOU were the engineer of 2l20 at
that time and received the clear-bIock
signal at 6:2S. and before you reached
Takoma il was past the customary time
for that station and block TO be closed
for the night, would you expect any sig
nal?" was the next question.
Yes was the reply.
WHAT would you have done if you saw
none2" queried the coroner.
Il would have stopped and investi-
gated. answered Mr.. McCauley
DutTOw a Competent Man.
Then followed questions concerning the
operator At Silver Spring Mr. Me
Cauleys testimony showed that Dutrow
is what is known as an extra or relief
mana substitute operator. Mr.. Nc
Cauley said that Dutrow was considered
"A competent man. At this juncture Mr.
Turner suggested the questions that rob
bed Mr. McCauley's prevsous testimony
regarding the duty of Engineer Hide
brand on approaching Takoma Of much
of its value.
When 2l20 got the white light at Silver
Spring at SIS, what did or should that
have signifed TO him? was asked.
That he had a clear block TO Takoma. !"
answered Mr.. McCauley-
ION approaching TakOma. and noting
that Il was past the usual closing time
for that station, what reason had the
engineer Of 2120 TO expect any signaIs?"
came next
Because he had entered the block be-
fore $50 Takoma's closing time" was
the reply.
How was he to know that Phillips. at
TakOma, was still on dUty?' the coroner
asked
He should have known that Phillips
would be there, under those Circum-
stances
rs there any rule, or rules, through
IL IL. 4