The Washington herald., 1907-01-09
Investigators Say Wreck In
quiry Is Not Concluded.
MUST CLEAR UP OBSCURITIES
r. & o. Railroad Men VIII Be Asked
TO Throw Light on Questions no"
in Doubt-May Fix Responsibility
of Company - Engineers support
HiIdebrand's Testimony.

evidence produced during the SIX Gays OF
official inquiry into the causes Of the
Terra Gotta tragedy, the District officials
decided last night TO recall the railroad
officials who testified on the first days Of
the inquest and ask them a series CT
questions i'm order 10 make clear just
what part of the responsibility for the
disaster should rest upon the Baltimore
ard Ohio Railroad Company
When the railway officials were tirst
nut on the stand. the Investigators were
professedIy ignorant of the conditions
governing the handling and dispatching
of trains and the operation Of the block
system Since then they feel that they
have become enlightened on many points.
II is their belief that they are now better
stted to question the railroad men, and
they are determined that the case shall
not be turned over to the jury until every
obscure point has been made clear
one of the prominent officials connected
with the inquest said last night that he
would make it his business 10 see that
every one OF the railroad officials is re-
called. should the testimony introduced
mis- morning prove insufficient to un-
tangle the many technical obscurities
that have crept into the official records
of the investigation.
Railway officials Present.
Division Superintendent o. II. Hobbs
and General Superintendent Galloway
have been present each day of the in
quiry. These officials have been appealed
10 from time 10 time TO explain technical
lies introduced by railroad witnesses, but
since their first examination they have
been asked few questions tending 10 throw
anv new light on what part the railroad
company itself played in the wreck at
Terra Gotta. They viii be- given this
opportunity this morning Il is highly
probable that Train Dispatcher Dent viii
be recalled from Baltimore to explain
why operators are allowed 20 close their
stations ard go home without reporting
20 the train dispatcher's office.
Alr. Hobbs and Mr.. Galloway Will be
questioned closely upon the rules govern
ing Engineer HIdebrand i'm the passage
OF his train from one block 90 another.
They will be asked 20 show why he should
not have been stopped at Rockville, when
that operator knew that Randolph, the
next station. had closed before its usual
hour They will be pressed closely upon
the subject of the regulation of watches
and clocks I'm use by the employees of the
system.
Not the least important question VIII
deal with the possibility of serious com
pIications and accidents through the
installation of the day operator system.
The officials VIII be asked 10 show reason
why the conclusion should not be drawn
that had Takoma Park been a twenty
four-hour signal station the accident could
rot have happened
on every. conceivable point brought into
prominence by the investigation the rail-
way officials viii be asked 10 throw more
light and when the case finally goes to
the Jury which may not be until tO-mor-
row. the District officials viii feel that
whatever the verdict they have done their
best to sift the matter 10 the very bottom
Little Testimony Yesterday.
with the exception Of the re-examina-
ton of several witnesses on certain points
in an effort to clear the mystery Of the
sig.zIs ar Silver Spring on the night Of
the disaster, little remained in the way
of taking testimony at the end of the
Little hope is entertained by the iuves-
tigators OF learning the truth about the
Silver Spring signals, as the contradictory
character of the testimony OF the train
men of 66 and 2l20. compared with that
Of Operator DGtrow. appears more
startling at each rehearing of the Wit
nesses.
Yesterdays session was mainly remark
able for the interesting side lights thrown
upon the day-operator system by the tCs-
timonv of ". r. Matthews. operator of
the dav station of Randolph. Il appeared
that he had often closed his station sew
eral minutes before $50. when he knew
the block ON both sides was clear, and
that no accident was possible through his
departure
Closed Early on December 80.
On the evening Of the wreck he closed
as early as 612 or 6.13. and, according
% his best recollection. without making
his transfer with the operators ut Rock
vile and Kensington, 10y which they would
know that ne had closed.
What signal did you set when you
left?'' ne was asked.
None at ALL perfectly dark; the block
both ways was clear"
Did you get goodnight from the train
dispatcher"
NO, not that night
How about Rockville
L am not positive
Did YOU wait 10 see if train IS passed
Kensington before you closed%'
Yes sir.
Operator Matthews said he resides AT
Kensington. and was on the way home on
a railway when 212o passed him
near Rock Creek. He said il was running
thirty-five or forty miles an hour.
IF I20 approached Randolph before $50
and saw no signal, what should the engi-
neer have done2'
stopped"
Did he stop"
Il don't think So"
Would you have heard him if he had
stopped
Il am pretty sure / would.
Engineers support HHdeBrand.
Hildebrand's claim that he had no rea-
son 10 expect signals at Takoma, and
was under no obligation to stop there
when he saw none displayed, was sup
ported by the testimony Of two other en-
gineers. Thomas P. Thompson and J. c.
HutzIer. engineers of long experience on
the Metropolitan Branch. each testified
that if he had been running 220 on the
night Of the wreck and had received a
double green signal at Silver Spring at
5:3l by his watch he would not have cx-
pccted a signal at Takoma, and would
have passed ON had he not seen one there.
That Operator Dutrow had shown mex
perience and mismanagement prior 60 the
wreck. while at the Silver Spring station,
was the burden of the testimony Of J. Il.
Peer, the engineer that ran the east-bound