The morning journal-courier., 1908-07-21
Rigid Inquiry Being Conducted Into Cause of the Wreck of White Mountain
 Express.
INTERESTING TESTIMONY
General Manager Higgins and Vice. President McHcnry Tell What They Know of the Ac-
 cldent.

Greenwich, July 20.-Many promi- nent officials of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad com pany testified to-day at the inquest conducted by Coroner Charles A, Do- ten and jury into the death of Miss Marguerite Armstrong in the wreck of the White mountain express here last Thursday, The inquiry Is being held In the borough court in the town building. Included among the witnesses at the afternoon session were C. D. Perkins, roadmaster of the New York dlvision II. B. Williams, electrical superintendent; w. s. Mur- ray, electrical engineer; General Man ager Samuel Higgins. M c. Hamilton. engineer of the department of main tenance of ways Edward Gager, chief engineer, F. II. Mcllenry, vice president in charge of maintenance Of ways and electrical equipment: J. r. Hopson. superintendent of the New York division: II. A. Weaver, engineer New York division, and w. J. ken- dall engineer in charge of the first motor of the wrecked train.
 The general substance of the testi- mony given was that the accident was due to spreading rails, put how, or what occasioned the spreading the witnesses could not say.
 Mir. McHenry stated that It would be impossible to determine the cause for the spreading of the rails as 1t was one of those things which oecas- ionally happen.
 General Manager Hlgyias stated that he could not say much about 1t, | for the reason that the railroad was on the point of beginning It's investi- gation when he was callad 10 Green wich by the coroner to testify at the l inquest.
 Upon the conclusion of this testi- mony the inquest was adjourned un' til Thursday morning. in order tha' the coroner might have Inc benefit oi | the railroad company's Investigation
 Among the witnesses examined thi. morning were F. F. Burns. B. Kelly, J | P. Crosby, member of the board o bureesses, VI. Brennan, Dr Piattl an' section Foreman Connel of the rail road.
 In the case of all of the mornnl witnesses except that of Foreman Con nell the testimony was relatively m important They were called. it was un dcrstood because they had happenet to be at the scene of the wreck righ after 1t occurred. In his testimon' Foreman Connel stated that he hat examined the track the morning of tn wreck and that the lines were In thei usual condition
 To those who heard the coroner question, 1t appeared that he was seek ing evidence to determine whether tn accident was due to condition of in tracks, or whether the cars or the mo tors were at fault.
 The jury is made up of Thoma Wigmore, Fred II. Allen, Philip Fin negan, William Anthony, R. H. Davi and John II. Banks. Both Drs. Clark the medical examiner and Piatti testi fled that Miss Armstrong's back am
 neck were broken by the crushin down of her body in tho wreck
 Messrs. Burns and Kelly told of meas uring the rails. In front of th Greenwich station the rails were foun to be spread one-eighth of an incl At the end of the station the spreadin amounted to one--quarter of an incl Half way between the station and tn bridge the rails had spradd half q inch. and ten feet from where the car left the rails the amount If spreadin was an inch and quarter The sta
 ton Is 200 feet from the bridge.
 Foreman Cornell said in his test