The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-03

testimony OF a startling character
throwing many interesting sidelights upon
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroads block
system on the Metropolitan branch was
given at the first hearing Of the coroner's
inquest yesterday.
II tends to shift the weight of suspicion
from the shoulders of the engineer and
crew OF the extra train that caused sun
Cay S wreck at Terra Gotta to the shoul-
ders OF those men responsible for the con-
tlnuance OF the day operator system such
as practced at the Takoma Park signal
station. The inquest was held at the
headquarters Of the Firehghter on the
river front. The inquest was adjourned
until 10 O'Clock this morning.
The hearing was devoted to the exam
ination of three officials of the railroad
O. H. Hobbs, division superintendent; {.
W Galloway, general superintendent Of
transportation of the entire Baltimore
and Ohio system, and Thomas F. Dent,
train dispatcher in charge of the Metro
politan branch at the time of the wreck.
With deliberation and in carefully word
ed phrases the railroad officials answered
the volley Of questions shot at them by
Coroner J. Ramsey hewitt. and at the
close Of the days session the following
salient points had been made clear:
Phillips Works Twelve Hours
That Operator Milton W Phillips, Of
the Takoma block is customarily of duty
from $50 p. m, until $50 a. IN.
That at $50 p. m. the Takoma block
becomes ordinarily imperative for the
night. thus making one block Of the
oh,
and University.
That a : p m. the operator at Uni
yersity is supposed 10 90 home, thus
making his block imperative, and max
ing one block Of the track between Silver
Springs and the Rhode Island avenue
tower
That the Silver Springs and Rhode Is
land avenue signal towers remain in op-
Grafton twenty-four hours daily.
That when block becomes imperative
no lights are displayed, and the engi-
neers. taking their signals from the
operative towers, pass the dead stations
with only the ordinary carefulness, and
IN no more expectancy Of signals than
when approaching stations where no tele- (
graph operators are employed.
That the engineer of the extra" run
ming behind the wrecked passenger train
Sunday night passed the block between
Silver Springs and Takoma at SIS O'Clock
That Operator Phillips. still being on
duty, must have notified the operator
at Silver Springs that the passenger No. |
66 had passed into the University block
before the Silver Springs operator al
lowed the extra to clear for TakOma
That Phillips customary term Of duty
expired while the extra. No. 2120 was
still running between Silver Spring and
TakOma.
That under those circumstances he
should have remained on duty-under an
imprinted but supposedly rigid rule-and
held No. 2120 until the operator at Uni
versity should have notified him that
No. S. had passed into the University
Rhode Island avenue block, which he is
said to have done.
That Phillips should have exposed "a
red target as stop signal 20 the oncom-
ing extra which he Is said 10 have done
That Engineer HiIdebrand., Of 2l20 is
instructed by no rule to expect that
Phillips was still at his post at 6.3l. the
time 213o passed Takoma.
Did Not Expect signals.
That when he is placed on the stand
his defense viii be based principally on
the claim that he was not to expect
signals at Takoma, and that, seeing none.
he proceeded with his train.
That this Is the first severe test Of the
day operator system, and that appar
emily. the contingency OF a train enter
ing the TakOma block two minutes be-
fore Phillips was TO leave duty, with a
more slowly moving train but a short
distance ahead, has not been adequately
provided for In the rules and regulations
Of the railroad.
That had the Takoma station been one
efr
could scarcely have happened inasmuch
as Engineer Hildebrand would then surely
have been expecting a signal OF some
sort, and under the rules would have |
stopped 10 investigate had he seen no
signals.
That Hildebrand has always been re-
garded as one of the most careful and |
valuable engineers in the Baltimore and |
Ohio service.
That the average speed of train 2l20 1
between Silver Spring and Terra Gotta /
was about twenty-five miles an hour.
That the crew Of train No IS even if /
ignorant OF the fact that No. 2I20 was fol- /
lowing closely, were under no obligation /
or orders to take extra precautions |
against a reaT-end collision while at Terra 4
Gotta
Investigation Is to Be Thorough.
That the investigation by the coroner
and other District officials is 10 be most 4
thorough was made apparent early in /
yesterdays proceedings The examination 1
Of the witnesses produced was deliberate
and searching. With a carefulneSs and /
regard to detail that should satisfy the /
most exacting, Coroner hewitt. assisted
by Commissioners West and Macfarlaud /
and Assistant District Attorney Charles /
II. Turner questioned the witnesses upon
every phase of the subject upon which
they could furnish any information tend
ing 10 aid the jury In reaching its verdict
fixing the responsibility Of the disaster.
Under the law, the coroner alone could |
directly question the witnesses The ses-
sion lasted from l0:40 o'clock in the morn
ing until nearly in the afternoon. with
a recess for luncheon of three-qIarters OF /
an hour
Especial import was lent the occasion
by the presence OF two representatives OF
the Interstate Commerce Commission
James NJ. Watson. chief OF the division
of safety appliances, and J. NJ Walter.
an attorney, employed by the Federal |
government to prosecute cases of viola
ticn OF the rules governing the use Of
these safety devices Attorney Walter
CONTINUED ON FOURTH PAGE