The Washington herald., 1907-01-03
W. B. MOSES 6 SONS. Inc. St, Cor. 18th.

statements il was 10 be inferred that the
/ engineer and conductor are equally re-
/ sponsible for the observation Of signals
under ordinary circumstances, but that
/ there are times when the engineer Is
chiefly responsible. II was inferred that
on Sunday night Engineer Hildebrand was
more responsible for signals than Con
|ductor Honmeier. This inference was
( shattered when, at the instigation Of As
sistant District Attorney Burner, Mr.. Gal
/ IoWay was asked directly:
WAS it the duty Of Conductor Hof-
imeier, Of 220, to see the signal at Ia
koma?"
/ Yes" declared the witness.
/ Then several questions were asked Mr..
Galloway tending to show whether OF not
/ ildcbrand should have been expecting a
signal al TakCma. Mr.. GalloWays tes-
um0uy was hardly clear on this point
T AT first he said that Hildebrand, having
/ received the signal az Silver Spring that
/ the block was clear TO Tak0ma, IL then
/ being SIS p. m, should have expected
further signals at Takoma. When IT was
/ pointed out that he did not reach Takoma
until after the usual closing time II the
block Mr. Galloway said Hildebrand
I
as il is a general rule that engineers
should always watch for signals II there
{ is any rule through which HildebTand
might have been certain that under those
circumstances Phillips would De at nis
/ post and that signals were 70 be expected,
Mr.. Galloway did not show il clearly.
Roads Surgeon Reports.
I Dr. l. L. Battle. surgeon Of the Balti-
and read report on the relief work for
the injured. of which he had charge sun
day night.
Train Dispatcher Dent was then called
and produced the telegraph.c train record
on which the movement Of every train on
the Metropolitan branch on the day Of
the accident is recorded He was asked
20 read the report Of the progress Of 2120
from Washington Junction TO Terra
Gotta. The report showed that 2120 left
Washington Junction at 5:2I, TuscarOra
/ at 5.35, Dickersou at 5:4I, BarneSville at
5:f5, BOyds at 5.52. Germantown al SIS,
Gaithersburg at 6:07, Rockville at Clio,
KensiugtOn At 6:Z3, Silver Springs at 6:2S,
and TakOma al 6.J1.
From the figures on the train chart il
was calculated by the inQuisitOrs that
I Hidebrand's average speed from Wash
i1gJOn Junction 70 Silver SprinS was
about thirty-five miles an hour. and from
Silver Spring 10 Terra Gotta about
twenty-five miles an hour, as the engineer
has maintained since the catastrophe
Were any specific instructions given 10
212O at Washington Junction ," was asked
No specific instructions, merely the
running orders. This train was run as an
extra, having no schedule TO maintain or
connection 10 make"
BY further questioning, IL was brought
out that the only instructions given be-
y0nd the running orders referred to a
freight train which 2I20 caught UP with
and passed at TuscaTOTa. There were no
! orders regarding &C.
Would not a double track from Ger
mantown 20 Washington Junction have
/ facilitated matters in handling the trains
/ on Sunday" asked Coroner hewitt
After mature elaboration Mr.. Dent in
timated that it would have been some
what easier to handle the traffic.
/ Train Record Again Referred To.
/ The train record was. again referred
/ 10, and the gradual closing up of 2l20
/ on 66 made plain by referring to the
comparative times at each station. At
/ Washington Junction, 2l20 left forty min
utes behind s.; at Tuscarora, it was y
minutes behind; at Dickerson, 50; at
/ GAINESVILLE. 30. at Boyds. rs: at German
/ town, =; at Gaithersburg, -; al Rock
Vile. IS; at Kensington, Il: at Silver
/ Spring, = and at Takoma minutes.
/ Whose duty was it TO moderate speed
/ in this case?" was asked
! so far as l can see, there was no
necessity for 2l20 slowing down. There
/ was no danger. so long as the block
I signals We're used and observed" replied
/ the dispatcher.
What signal did 6s receive at Silver
/ SPRING. asked Coroner hewitt.
II can't tell; there is no record that we
see TO tell that" was the rejoinder
/ AIr. Dent then described receiving a mes
I sage direct from Phillips at about 6:Sg or
( $40 saying that 2I2J had passed his red
target. Mr.. Dent Immediately wired TO
1 University and learned that 6 had not
come in 10 that station. knowing that
something was wrong, and fearing the
worst, Mr. Dent says he sat and waited
until about eight minutes later. when he
received word of the wreck from the con-
Iductor Of 66, who had walked to University
to send the dispatch. Then Mr.. Dent or
dered the relief train.
Through Assistant District Attorney
| Turner Mr.. Dent was further questioned
as 10 the cautionary orders, if any, that
2l20 was running under. which elected the
Information that 2120 had no cautionary
orders OF any kind.
/ The inquest then adjourned.
Have Confidence in Block system.
/ The testimony of the three railroad men
/ Is looked upon as showing that the rail-
road authorities place implicit confidence
/ in the block system as it is at present
conducted, and that no extra precautions
are deemed necessary in such circum-
stances as existed Sunday night. The CT
/ ficials conducting the inquiry. while they
would not commit themselves, yesterday
/ intimated that the policy of the railroad
/ In relying absolutely on a system that
/ has been shown by Sundays horror to be
weak in certain respects does not appeal
/ 10 them as particularly strong evidence
Of the railroads lack of responsibility
/ for the Terra Gotta tragedy.
/ Many highly important features are ex-
lpected TO be brought out to-day. 1t is be-