The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-03-04

the wreck.
 Lust as the train got about a quar- ter of a mile from waterbury Fisher began to speed it up, and it occurred to my husband that perhaps they were near the siding switch or had passed it. The ear was full of men standing up singing and laughing. He got nervous after waiting moment and listened for the train to strike the siding switch, and then it flashed across his mind pos sitively that they had passed it. He started for the rear of the car to pull the conductors valve which would ap- ply the brakes, but was hindered by the crowd which was standing up in the aisle singing. When about midway through the car struggling to reach the valve, he reached up and pulled the bell cord three times, the signal to stop, and the next moment the crash came. He was sent sprawling on the floor and | threw up his hand to protect his face, and this undoubtedly saved him from being cut. The rest you know"
 The coroner bases his preliminary | llIAIllS LII iIAG GNlubllGO VI JOllil IlbA- simmons, a brakeman whose duty it was to turn the switch at Hills siding, and who was occupying the fireman's seat.
 Fitzsimmons testified that several moments before the collision he shout ed across the boiler and asked Fisher if he knew where Hills siding was. Fisher did not make any reply, but the next moment grabbed the air brake handle and threw on the emergency brake.
 Instantly after asking Fisher this question, and receiving no reply, Fitz- simmons claims that he looked ahead and saw the glare of the headlight of the accommodation train bearing down on them, and he jumped from the gangway, landing in snowbank and rolling some distance down the em- bankment. Then the trains collided. From Fitzsimmons' statement of En- gineer Fishers quick action upon hear ing tue question regarding the location of the switch, Coroner Mix is convinced that the engineer had either forgotten about the orders to take the Hill siding or else had become mixed up as to where it was.
 q think that Fitzsimmons' question, | Where is the siding? must have sud denly recalled the orders to the engin- eer's mind, says the coroner.
 The coroner declares the wreck one of the worst in appearance he ever saw and regards 1t as miraculous that every one in the special was not killed out right. The engine of the special was turned over on it's side and tossed around so that it headed toward Wa terbury by the impact" he says. "It was reduced to scrap iron. The engine of the regular train was hurled from the tracks. Its smokestack was knock ed off and demolished, and the engine cab was hurled forward in a knot Rail road officials who looked it over state as I do that 1t was in appearance one of the worst wrecks in years"
 That more of the Grays were not killed or injured Coroner Mix ascribes to the fact that the car was covered al the ends and on the sides with copper The copper bindings held the coacl more intact and at the same time al. lowed an elasticity that threw the coach back some distance from the en. zine after the smash, thus preventing | a telescope horror. ....l.--
 The coroner expressed himself as much interested in this matter of cop per coverings, because it was the in vention of a former well-known rail road employe, named Appleyard, whC was of this city The coroner further stated that he thought railroads every where should be required to. place ; baggage car between the tender of thu engine and the first baggage car, an( particularly so in the case of specials In this connection the coroner spoke O the o'clock express which leaves thi city every morning for New York. Tn, coach Is attached directly to the engin, on this train. Coroner Mix said ht
 thought that the railroad company should be required to separate the en
 zine and coach by baggage car as { matter of protection, even if there is nC baggage
 Inquiry as to the condition of the ln 1ured Grays last night show that al are improving as rapidly as could bt expected. Vernon H. Hodges, of 9; Hotcilkiss street. who was one of those most badly injured, suffered consider. able pain all yesterday, but is some. what improved. He is suffering iron a fractured skull and two broken ribs [ City Attorney Ernest c. Simpson was able to sit up yesterday. Lieutenant Nathan B. Fitch was reported as more comfortable.
 Too much credit cannot be given tc Dr. Norton R. Hochikss and pr. Hess Ter, of the Grays, who performed heroic work at the scene of the wreck anC who worked all Saturday forenoon tending to the injured who had beer brought to Dr. Hotehkiss office or York street on trolley cars directly aft.