New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-20
SPREADING RAIL CAUSE.
FIRST LIGHT ON WRECK.
Central officials to Conduct MJesti-
cation Also.


EarIen Division Woodawn Saturday
They declare that. entirely independently of the
investigation by the Coroner and the Railroad
Commission. they going TO have. searching
,7ouirv that viii reveal the responsibility not
only for the wreck but for the system that made
il possible NO one rides on our trains much
as We do" said one Of the officials yesterday
and purpose TO find out just what, if anything,
IS wrong with our system Of running trains
Harvey Clayton, a boss painter Of the FL
beron Hotel White Plains who was passen-
ger on the wrecked train. said yesterday he
heard sounds that resembled the dropping OF
bolts and breaking Of bars about three minutes
before the crash came. He remarked to a friend
that something was going to happen.
Evidence at the inquest yesterday tended to
,bow that the accident was not due 10 q defect
In the locomotives or cars. but TO a spreading
of the rails. Many questions were asked as to
the condition of the track. the radius and bank
ing Of the curve and the speed that could be
maintained with safety around such a curve.
Z r. Rodgers, the motorman in charge of the
Arst Of the two electric locomotives. said his
speed at the point where the wreck occurred
was only between forty-fve and fifty miles an
hour. Francis Boardman. a division engineer.
who constructed the curve. said it had been
made under formula allowing 4 speed OF sixty
FIVE miles an hour.
ENGINEER A NEW MAN.
Rodgers said he had been employed as
nnotornan on the Central only since February
/. and that the first day he ever ran an electric
locomotive on passenger train was a week
before the accident.
Henry F. Rood, assistant editor OF "IIar-
pers Magazine" a passenger on the wrecked
train. testified he had ridden on many fast
trains, but had never been on one that approxi-
mated the speed at which they seemed to be go
ing on Saturday night.
The inquest was adjourned until o'clock this
afternoon TO give Assistant District Attorney
Smyth time 10 go over the testimony. The
hearing Of the Railroad Commission will begin
this morning at No l Madison avenue
H. :. Ballet an engineer of ten years expert
ence. who is engineer Of maintenance and way
an the Harlem. said the track on which the
wreck occurred had been reballasted and retied
last summer but not entirely reIaid. When he
made an examination on Sunday morning no
one had disturbed the spread rail He said it
was five inches out Of alignment at the northerly
end but simply sprung out at the other end.
He added:
All the spikes the easterly side OF the
loosened rail were cut off smoothly at the sur
face OF the ties. II sheared off by the rail.
1t would seem from this that there was only a
lateral motion of the rail and no rolling motion.
Tie force that sheared these spikes must have
been greater than afy ordinary strain the track
was expected 10 bear"
MISPLACED RAIL THE CAUSE.
Mr. Ballet said be did not know whether 1t
was the great speed of the train that exerted this
force. Asked If conditions did not clearly ind-
cate that the derailment was due 10 the mis-
placed rail. he answered Yes"
IF we can determine what force caused that
rail 20 spread can we name the cause of the ac-
Cdent?'' asked the Assistant District Attorney.
Yes, sir the reply. He thought the dis
placement was Que 10 q sudden force rather than
one gradually applied.
Getting down 10 the belief that the accident
was due TO too great a strain on the rail, the
examination of Mr.. Ballet continued:
Q-Are not these curves constructed accord
ing to the weight and speed Of trains? Q--They
are.
Q-Then if this speed or weight is increased
beyond that for which the curve IS calculated
the lateral force eXeTted upon the outside ran
becomes so great that either the rail or car
wheel must give way, according as 10 which is
The stronger? A.-Yes sir.
Q-Now, MI Ballet, have you found in your
examination anything 10 indicate that the strain
which forced this rail outward was exerted by
anything except train Of TOO great weight and
speed for the tracks condition? A.-No sir.
M Fitch. Juror. who seemed to know
good deal about engineering problems asked
Mr. Boardman where he had got his speed fac
tor used in the calculations. It was from the
time tables and schedules, he replied. He said
he used the same formula for the electric loco
motives as had been used for the steam locomo-
tives.
Don't YOU allow for the difference IN weight
and speed Of the new motors" Mr.. Smyth
asked.
Yes, roughly" was the reply.
Mr. Boardman said the was three
degree" curve. and the elevation of the outer
rail Was four and a half inches. The speed that
could be used IN rounding curve varied on diff
ferent curves. II an engineer wanted to know
how fast he could run with safety at any point
he could find out by consulting blue prints in
the Office No actual tests had been made at
that particular point so far. as MI Boardman
knew He SAID there had been change I'm the
method Of spiIling rails since the adoption Of
the electric locomotives.
Mr. Fitch asked II electric engine was not
heavier than steam engine. 10 which Mr.
Boardman replied Yes"
CONFUSION rs TO ENGINE WEIGHTS. |
The electric locomotives weigh ninety-seven
ions. Ira A. Mccormick, superintendent Of the |
garlem Division. testified on Monday that Class |
steam locomotives weigh 165 tons.
Nj. Boardman said that after frost there |
wac always a slight fall in track elevation |
Asked about recent inspection of the track, he |
said he had reports that the track had been in |
sDected the day before the wreck. He under |
stood that a variation Of three-eighths Of an
inch had been observed.
John Keefe track foreman. testified lie had !
found the track in good condition the day be-
fore the wreck The testimony that the accident |
was probably due TO a spreading of the rails |