New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-01
TRACKS NOT CHANGED.
CENTRAL WRECK INQUIRY
Road Not Reconstructed for Electric
Traffic, General Manager Says.

The State Railroad Commission continued IT'S
inquiry yesterday into the cause OF the Brewster
express wreck in The Bronx on February Is. and
adjourned at 1870 O'Clock until Monday morning.
A H. Smith. a vice-president and general manager
OF the New York Central Railroad. in charge %
the department Of maintenance Of way. was on
the witness stand during the greater part OF the
hearing. and testified in substance. that the road
had not been reconstructed for the electric traffic.
but that the management had relied upon its ade-
Quacy to bear heavy steam trains and the electric
motors in their trial trips proof OF its sound
ness. He said that he would prefer to withhold
his opinion to the cause Of the wreck until the
end OF his testimony
The track was all right said Mr.. Smith, re-
ferrng to its condition at the WoOdlawn curve Just
before the accident The rails on the Harlem d.
vision were being renewed during period OF three
years. he said. beginning with the installation OF
the electric system. and track walkers. reporting
to the division engineer. inspected the track daily.
Mr.. Hedges who represents Governor Hughes at
the inquiry. asked the witness whether any par
ticula- inspection of the track had been made ar
the installation of the electric trains
II want to say. Mr.. Hedges" said The witness.
that the railroad aIong the Harlem division
listed many years before the electric line was
thought OF. We had been moving the steam trains
safely up and down the road for a long time. The
foundation track there, and / think that IL
there any idea OF recoustrUctng the road
then should have been informed n the track
not in At condition to operate electric engines
upon Jnen Cne motors SnOulQ not nave Deeu SENT
down 70 TO upon this track
Then Mr.. Smith told of the preliminary tests or
the roadbed and equipment the Harlem division
before running the electric passenger trains. Il
had been informed Mr.. Smith said. that the new
locomotives should make speed of from seventy
five TO eighty miles hour, and told the men
20 take them out and handle them roughly, with
a view 20 testing both engines and other equip
ment along the Harlem division. This was some
months before the accident to the White Plains
express / told the men TO give them hell"
The duties OF the engineers were gone into at
length. the witness saying that an engineer
should be governed always by regard. hrSs %
all for safety. On January 3. he said. engineers
were instructed by bulletin order not 10 exceed
the schedule time between Mott Haven and WoOO-
lawn where the wreck occurred. The average time
between Bronx Park and kingEbrtdge for express
trains given fOrty-eight miles an nouF, al
though the witness said that high as ntty-s
miles hour had been frequently attained. the
engineer relying upon his watch as means OK
keeping TO the schedule. and occasionally TO heip
him in determining the speed OF the train
The question OF speed at any particular point
must be left in a large measure the witness SAID
10 the discretion of the engineer OF the train. who
is governed by conditions which ne IS called upon
fully as heavy and going at as great a rate OF
speed as that of the wrecked train had been run
time and again the Harlem division tracks
and round the WOOdlawn curve.
The corOner's investigation will be continued To-