The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-09-10
SHARP QUESTIONS
BY MANAGER JONES
At Hearing Before Public Service
Commission.
RAILROAD MEN UPBRAIDED
By Their Superior when Their Answers
to Questions Regarding Recent Coli
sions Did Not Seem to Suit-State's
Attorney Finally Interfered.

sions Did Not Seem to Suit-State' :
Attorney Finally Interfered.
hearing on the collisions that occurred
in the Central Vermont railroad yard al
Brattleboro Aug. Is and 81 was held before
John w. Redmond and Eli ii. Porter
members of the public service commission
If Vermont, in the Brooks House parlori
saturday morning. Commissioner 5. Hol
lister Jackson was unable to be present, be
ing on his wedding trip. The hearing be
gan at 10 o'clock and lasted until ! p. m
In addition to the two commissioners the
state was represented by States Attorney
Charles H. Williams of Bellows Falls. The
Central Vermont railroad was represented
by c. w. Writers, counsel for the road
General Manager George c. Jones and Di
vision Superintendent W. 4. Costello.
Conductor Lovely of the south-bound
Boston & Maine freight, one of the trains
figuring in the first collision, Aug. 10, was
the first witness Mr.. Lovely testified to
ordering his brakeman, A. T. Miller to set
up the switch at the south end OF the
"iong siding" after the train should clear
it. He also testified to examining the
switch after the accident occurred in which
two trains met in head-on collision. lie
in setting up the switch as ordered. lie
said that after the accident occurred Bag
Gage Master Cheeseman, who was on a
Central Vermont train standing near the
switch in question, had told him that he
saw Miller close the switch Mr.. Lovely
said that he went back to the switch after
the accident and found it open with the
pin on the ground. Asked as to his oplln-
ion in the matter Mr.. Lovely thought the
switch must have been opened. Mr.; Jones
Intercepted him and told him that he
could not believe that he (Lovely) could
take such view of the matter as he tes-
tilted.
A. T. Miller the brakeman supposed to
have set up the SWITCH testified that ne
set M the switch as ordered and put the
hin in its proper place. He said that 1t
was his duty as a rear bra KEENAN, to close
the switch. He said that immediately al,
ter the accident Conductor Lovely had
asked him if he was sure he had closed
the switch. This witness was afflicted
with faulty memory concerning many
important phases of the matter and IN
response to many searching questions by
General Manager Jones gave conflicting
testimony. He testified that Conductor
Lovely had stood at certain point Wheh
The order was given to close the switch.
Mr.. Lovely was recalled and IN the pres
ence of Miller made different statement
as to where he stood. .-4
Edwin Cheeseman. a oehlTai ellllon y:
baggage master, testlhed thatc he Maa ~ ~
his car and within three OF loul IeGt ~ u
Miller when the latter set up the sWltci'
He saw Miller set up the switch. -,
No one seemed to know who opened the
switch Mr.. Jones SAID that spnV sWi!cn
might allow tram to go from Ine slqlhS
to the main line and II such Uhlhg ndp
pened at that time the throwing OF the
switch by the brakeman would open the
main line to the siding. Ill,
w. r. Andrus, engineer OF the hortl-
bound Central Vermont Tram which ',iio, "a
lided with the Boston Malhe, was queiiuC
rules of the company regarding
the protection of a tram on sldlng. IN,
der critical examination by MI, JONES JONES ne ne
that the engineer ouenI 70
be sure that the switch at tne laI emu e VI
a siding was closed II ne was waiting III
a train to pass Mr.. Jones was pouhu "
make the various witnesses adlnlC tha ,t
there was speclhc RUE IN 'ills lliauCel' Dao
no attempt was made by n, MN ~ " quooe
the rule, although he told me helo[ annu
reporter that ne would sno gd nnt Do 90
of the rules. However ne ana nov 70 ~
]. |. Morey, a Central vermont ileis ~
conductor, was the first witness Ill t az
hearing on the second colilslon, aug q.
He testified to entering the same long
siding that was the scene OF the previous
accident. COMMISSIONER REDMOND allelil ~
ed to find out from TINS witness WhaV Iie
rules are or custom is Wheh IRAN tahe -
a siding to wait for another traih 70 pass
He was unable to eiiclt delllte n.y. I nliY
ton touching the matter OF sWltch sup
posed to be closed ahead OF such WalC,
ing train. Mr.. Porter asked the witness
if he made any attempt to learn now such
a switch was set when he could not see 1t;
The witness confessed that he dld not anu
said in response to some very severe, qoescc
tions upon the part OF Mr.. Jones mat i
he had done different he supposed the acci'
dent would not have occurred;
The first real interest IN the nearing &c
Cured when Hank Powers, the veteran
Central Vermont engineer, was called as
a witness. Powers was running Grand
Trunk engine 1924 the morning OF Aug q
He was asked as to the custom OF en9l
neers when they take siding. Commls,
sioner Redmond asked Powers II ne PAID
any attention to switches ahead before ne
had passed over them and the engineer
said: mo, it isn't my business to look at
a switch until | have used 1t. General
Manager Jones went for the witness rouSh-
shod and only the Intervention OF the
states attorney saved Powers from recelV-
ing severe cross-eXamination. Mr., Jones
of Powers to tell him who was
RESPONSIBLE for the safety of train. Pow
prs said that the engineer was equally re-
sponsible with the conductor, and 1t was
nIainlv evident that the man was fright
med and badly so when Mr.. Jones EVIL
IDENTIFY intending to force the man to con-
less to part that the engineer did not
believe. Mr.. Jones became excited when
Powers in reply to a query from the COM
nissioners regarding the matter Of switch
= s,,nnosed "a he closed said that he didn't