New-York tribune., 1907-02-26
SMYTHE BLAMESWILGUS
MAY DIRECT 4 VERDICT.
Road and Vice President Responsible
for Wreck, Says Prosecutor.

Assistant District Attorney Smythe obtained
several important yesterday frmo the officials
and experts Of the New York Central Railroad
Company at the resumption Of the inquiry by
Coroner Schwannecke into the fatal wreck OF the
Brewster express February l6. At the close
OF the days hearing Mr.. Smythe. addressing the
jury, said that the evidence he was in posi-
ton to ask II to find the New York Central Rail
wsv Compeny criminaIly negligent and to hold
w. ]. Wilgus the vice-president or the company
in charge of the electrical zone, personally haole
as the official having direct charge OF the cohstruc
tion OF the faulty piece OF track where the accl-
dent occurred and also Of the operation OF the
trains on that division Mr.. Snythe said. now
ever that before presenting the case TO the jury
he desired give Mr.. Wilgus chance 10 appear
and testify. AS he had just heard that ne was
in New Orleans and would not return until fFldaS'
he asked for an adjournment until o CLOCK On
that day Coroner Schwannecke said before the
hearing that the investigation would be no "h''e-
Washing" but that every effort Wouid De iii'ue
10 fix the responsibility
At the afternoon session Earl B. LoVell' pro
fessor Of civil engineering at Columbia Universlty'
testified that he had made computations "hlc"
convinced him that the accident was due 10 'He
great weight and too great speed or the wrecAeu
train on the curve and that the same computations
made earlier would have demonstrated that such
an accident sure TO come
Did YOU find as a result OF your computations
that a locomotive rounding that curve at the
scheduled speed Of SO miles an hour would smear
those spikes" asked Mr.. Smythe.
Il should say that it was decidedly unsafe re-
pIied the witness Professor Lowell said that he be
lieved the spikes the outside of the outer ran
were sheared by the pressure or the outer IoE"a'"
wheel OF the front locomotive, and that the throw"
ing OF the from the track was QUO 10 inc
spreading OF the rails.
He said that he had been unable to ma any
other cause for the accident after an exhaustive
calculation on the lateral pressure which would be
brought to bear on the rail. The average elastic
Ig-,gN tfa raa tH-aa
stress of 80 pounds the witness said, but TO be
the safe side 1t should not exceed 64O POUNDS
The lateral pressure tho outer rail OF the track
on the curve where the wreck occurred he had
figured would be 10 S93 pounds with train going
at the scheduled speed.
George ". KittrIdge chief engineer Of the cleo
trical department of the Harlem Division, testi-
fed last week that a speed OF l2S miles an hour
would have been necessary to exert the lateral
pressure required to shear on the spikes. Mr..
Kittridse the stand again yesterday. lie
said that Vice President Wilgus was IN charge OF
the electric zone and responsible for the
atrucuon OF the tracks at the point where the
wreck occurred The witness said he knew OF no
definite experiments conducted BY the New York
Central to determine the lateral pressure eXerted
on the outer rail "A curve.
Mr.. Smythe made him admit that in his calcula-
tons last week he had failed to take into account
tho friction OF the wheels against the outer rails
ana that he had left out OF account the fact that
OF the motor would bo thrown against the outer
rail by reason OF the skidding tendency OF tho
outer wheels. lie admitted that this might make
force OF more than llioO0 pounls pressure on the
outer rai which he had not considered at all.
Mr.. kittridge said that even II II should be shown
that sixty miles hour would shear the spikes he
would sun have his doubts aa TO what caused the
accident
A. II. Smith. vce-president and general manager
OF tho company. testified that Mr.. Wilgus and n
commission or experts under him responsible
TOT the plans and construction OF tho track IN the
electric zone. He said no one had calculated for
than steam power. that tests had been made for
about a year on portion OF track turned TO
ar. NllEus FOR the purpose, but that he did
know OF any tests being made regarding the spikes
tho electric zone. testified that he had never made a
ejaculation as 10 the sheOring stress eXerted by the
ralis against the spikes on and that 10 had
never heard OF any experiments 10 determine this
being made by the New York Central.
p II Davids, operating Inspector. and George A.
Jacobs. assistant the motor the time OF the
wreck were asked by Mr.. Smythe n they had heard
any conversation between SUpeTtut tsndent William
charge both said they had heard conversation
OF sort.
Mr. Smythe requested the lawyers for the railroad
company TO appoint an expert engineer TO go over
OF disagreement he suggested that the two en-
glneers choose "a third engineer. lie asked that
the calculations arrived At by these engineers be
ready for presentation TO the fury when the in
a representative OF the New York Central Rail
road Company said last night that the company ;
experts had been unable to determine the cause
or the wrcrk, and that they did he con-
Practical tests had shown. the representative said
tLiat a train OF much greater weight than the one
that was wrecked could round three degree curve
safely at speed Of over seventy miles an hour.