The Washington herald., 1907-01-02

Nine questions Of paramount import
ance viii face the official investigators
IF the Terra Gotta disaster at the cor
1ner's inquest to be held this morning
At 10 o'clock at the morgue. Ia the
order Of their Importance as bearing
upon the causes Of and responsibility
tor the horror these questions are as
follows:
Was the red danger signal or
target displayed ut the Takoma
block 10 warn the approaching
"extra."
Did HiIdebraRd, the engineer of
the extra, see the red target or any
other signal light:
II not, why did he take his train
on into the next block.
At what rate of speed was the
extra moving I'm passing Takoma
and AT the time of the cOIIisiOns
Did HiIdebFand have orders nOfi-
flying him of the proximity of pas
senEer frafn No. 60.
Did the crew of No. 66 know of
the proximity of the extra, and If
so, what precautions were taken
when NO. SO stopped at Terra Cottas
What signal did HfIdebrand re-
ceive at silver Springs, the next
block station west of Takoma.
Was HiIdebrand expecting any
signal at Takoma.
Why was the extra, composed of
empty coaches, cTOWding 80 closely
upon the heels Of the accOmmOda-
tiOn train:
VIII Settle Phillips Fate.
The fate Of Milton w. Phillips, operator
at the TakOma block. hangs upon the
first Of these questions II ne can show
by his own testimony and that Of eye
witnesses that the red target was burn
ing, his exoneration from all blame VIII
probably follow. Phillips is confident,
and, judging by the number OF witnesses
that have rushed to his support-aH Of
whom corroborate his story that the yea
signal was displayed-it is 10 be expected
that he viii be cleared.
Harry II. Hildebrand. the engineer, viii
be made the target of a bombardmeHt OF
questions and cross-questions.
His position is regarded as Precari0us
by all the District officials conducting the
Investigation His repeated statement
that he saw no signals of any sort at the
Takoma block will not clear him from
blame The all-impOrtant question why
he should have continued into the next
block will still bar his way 10 ex0nera-
ton and liberty.
In answering this question Hildebrand
falls foul OF the regulations Of the rail
road. Superintendent of Transportation
Galloway declared that If il were true
that Hildebraud saw TO lights al Takoma,
he violated orders by not stopping TO in
vestigate
May Shift to Officials.
should the investigation show that there
is no rule extant requiring engineers 10
stop at block station when no signals
are seen. il is thought that the burden of
blame will be shifted 70 the officers of
the railroad company. In the eye Of Com
missioner West and other District Off
cialS. the nCueXistence of such a Tegula
ton completely nulli1es the whole object
of the block system and makes il scarcely
more safe than the continuance OF q
system under regulations in
use i'm the childhood of railroading
Upon the question of speed depends
somewhat the part that the railroad COM
passr itself is 10 play in the investiga-
tion. Should the testimony of Phillips and
witnesses residing in Takoma Park-to
the effect that the extra was running at
terrific speed-be favorabIy received by
the investigators, and the jury, the point
viii probably be raised as 10 the reason
for such dispatch in bringing into Wash
ington a train Of empty passenger coach
Is while a regularly scheduled local pas
senger was proceeding few miles ahead
and stopping. as usual. at every station.
Was Hidebrand ordered TO break records
that night on the Metropolitan Branch
viii be asked.
Orders Are Missing.
HHdebrand's running orders. it is said,
have disappeared. According to the re
port. the engineer gave them 10 some
railroad man acquaintance shortly after
the wreck. 1t is said that the police are
searching for the orders. and if they are
produced at the inquest several important
points viii be cleared without trouble
The engineer sticks TO his claim that
he was not running over twenty-five miles
an hour when he passed Takoma and at
the time of the collision. Experts refute
this statement on the ground that iJ
would have been impossible for the extra
train To have created such havoc had u
been running at that rate of speed. EN-
perienCed traiumen and cX-tTainmCu de-
clare that only with the extra train run
ming at Il high spCcd-tifty or sixty miles
an hour-cOuld the three coaches Of the
passenger train have been 50 frightuily
splintered and the whole tangled mass
showed along the track Cor nearly half Il
mile.
Another point that can only be made
clear by an admission from hildebrand
the train dispatcher, or the Introduction
of Hildehraud's running orders. as evil
dence is embodied in the fourth question
regarding Hiidebrand's knowledge of the
proximity of train No. 65. Should the
engineer admit that he knew the pas
senger train was running close ahead. his
action in continuing his course past
Takoma at full speed remains al the more
inexpicable.
This point will probably be brought out
early in the proceedings, as Will that of
the signals at Silver Springs. and that
regarding Hildebrands anticipation of
signals at the Takoma block.
Blame tE.c system.
No matter what the attitude of the
railroad company toward the inquest and
toward the employees under investigation.
it viii be the cudeGvor of the local au-
10 place no small share Of blame
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