The Washington herald., 1907-02-20
HIGH SPEED BLAMED
Coroner Begins New York
Central Wreck Inquest.
WITNESSES SAY RAIL SPREAD
Railroad Men Testify That Electric
Train Was DeraiIed by LoOsening
Track, which Was Rot Built to
Stand Great Rate of speed the Ex-
press Was Making at That Time.

New York. Feb. 19.-The first witness
to-day at the coroner's inquest into the
death Of the twenty-one victims Of the
Brewster express wreck at Bronx Park
bridge last Saturday night was r. 5.
Baliiett, chief engineer of the department
of maintenance of way for the Harlem
division of the New York Central Rail-
road. A number of passengers who were
in the wreck filed the small courtroom
Assistant District Attorney Manley,
who Is assisting Assistant District At
torney Smyth in the examination Of wit
nesses, had this TO say to-day
The evidence so far heard seems to
verify the theory of our Office that be
cause of the great speed and the weight
Of the locomotive the rails were spread.
We do not say that the track was inper-
fectly banked. but it is very evident how
the accident occurred. Had the rails been
more securely fastened to the ties the
accident could not have happened"
1 am not a graduate of a technical
school," Balliett testified. Il received my
education as an engineer from experience
on the road. l have been an engineer
for ten years, and have been with the
New York Central for two years as
engineer OF maintenance and way. I was
in charge when the rOadbed in question
was relaid.
Spread Rails Examined.
When arrived on the scene early
Sunday morning laborers We're at work
restoring the tracks. However, no one
had disturbed the spread rail. This rail
was not entirely separated from the
Webber's joint which connected it with
the Clipped rail. The heads of the bolts
securing the plate were knocked on
that is, the heads of the bolts securing
the southernmost Of the two rails. Those
securing the northerly rail were intact.
The-rail which had spread was five inches
out of alignment at its northerly end. 1t
was not bent at the southernly end, but
was simply sprung out"
Coroner Schwennecke questioned Balliett
closely on this point. The question inn
Piled doubt as to the engineers state
ment that the rail was not permanently
bent, but only slightly sprung.
An the spikes at the easterIy side Of
this loosened rail We're cut OF smoothly
at the surface of the ties, as If sheared
on by the rail- continued the witness
1t would seem from this that there was
only lateral motion of the rail and no
rolling motion.
In answer TO question by Mr. Smyth.
ne said it must have required "a tremen-
dous force to shear these spikes.
This force, he added, must have been
greater than any ordinary strain the track
was expected 10 bear"
Maximum Rate of Speed,
Francis Boardman. a division engineer
on the New York Central, followed Bal
lett. He had charge of the reconstruc-
ton of the road last year at the point
where the accident occurred. SyInth put
the witness through "A long technical ex-
animation regarding the mathematical
eXactness of the fatal curve and the re-
sisting power of the rails.
The witness said that sixty-five miles
an hour was the maximum rate of speed
that was designed to be used in the speed
formula when the curve was laid out. He
could not tell just why he had used the
sixty ye-mile-an-hour speed formula on
that particular curve He said he knew
Of no speed formula designed to cover a
speed in excess of siXty-five miles an
hour
One of the jurors brought out the fact
that the same system Of spiking is being
used now as under the old formula of five
years ago. which was designed for steam
rdilrOaGing.
New Man on Motor.
Z. r. Rogers, engineer Of the first motor
of the Inflated train, said he had been an
engineer for the last sixteen years, and
had worked on the subway from the time
it opened up to last October as an cleo
trical engineer. Since then he has been
with the New York Central. He said that
the first time he ever took out an cleo
trio train on the Central was last Tues
day
on Friday. the witness said. he had
taken passenger train from Wakefield
10 New York, and FOR a short distance
made from siNty-fve 10 sixty-eight miles
an hour 1t was just below the spot
where the accident occurred next day.
Did you receive any Instructions as to
the speed 10 run on Saturday night?''
No, sir, except that I understood !
was always 10 run on schedule time
Rogers said there was an order on the
bulletin board which said that the en-
gineers must not exceed schedule time
between Mott Haven and Woodlawn. The
accident happened between these stations.
He said he was delayed in the tunnel just
before the accident. and at Mott Haven
he was six minutes late
Increased speed.
After I passed Melrose I increased
speed. said the engineer. After Morri-
sani was passed I increased it still more.
1t was then that 1 set the controller AZ
top notch and the power was on full.
When we reached the curve at 1Ssd street
l shut off the power, as L thought I was
going too fast I also shut It off after
the Fordham curve was passed for the
cross over at Bronx Park. At 19Sth street
1 moved the power lever 10 series parallel
which was not at the full speed series"
How fast We're You going when you
passed under Woodlawn BRIDGE" asked
Smyth.
Between forty-fve and fifty miles an
hour" was the engineers reply. 81
slowed down 10 round the curve"
What did You first see?
The first thing I saw was a flash OF
light after | had passed about eight rods
beyond the bridge. / looked back and
saw it reflected across the track beneath
the cars. Then got the emergency brake
and shut of the power. After that 7 saw
more light and then the train stopped
slowly. 1t took about one-quarter of a
mile 10 bring the train to stop In
spector Davis, who was with me. turned
to me aud said: Were of the track I
felt jerk or jar just as we passed the
bridge. but 1 did not feel any jumping Of
wheels on the ties
THE corOner's investigation into the
wreck was continued to-day. while prepa-