The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1910-11-11

ny. Miucf hodc iIoM WhsN n@'oa
Junction 70 Dummerstoa-othef Wit
neSscs Examined.
The public service commission gave
hearing yesterday al $50 =. N, IN
the Brooks House parlors on the death
of y. Arms Miller Of nummersion, who
was killed NJ Dummerston station sepi.
q while leaving Boston 4 Name
train on his return from the sta.e fair
81 White River junction; Comnis'
sioners John Redmond Of Newport, :.
nollisier Jackson Of Barre, and Eli II.
Porter Of Wilmington and Clerk Rufus
i. Spear Of Newport were present. The
estate Of Mr.. Miller was represented by
Clarke c. Fits, and George A. Weston
Of Bellows Falls appeared for the Bos'
ton & Maine railroad. The state was
represented by Charles II. Williams OF
Bellows Falls. states attorney.
The first witness was Harry l.. Watts,
q Boston a Maine passenger brakeman,
who was working as a snare conductor
on Sept. %, and was in charge OF the
train on which Mr.. Miller rode from
White River Junction 10 Dummerston:
He said that the train was composed Of
an engine and nine coaches including a
combination baggage and smoking car.
The four forward cars were unoecupied.
Conductor Watts said that the train
ran as extra No. 602 from White River
Junction 10 Charlesiown. y. H., leav-
ing White River Junction al 9 o'clock.
He said that the train reached Charles.
town az 7.S0 D. m. and that il carried
253 passengers when leaving White
River Junction. From Charlestown 10
Brattleboro this extra train ran as
"second 40.' meaning the second sec.
I. 80 .lnr N
The witness testified TO taking two
fares out of Dana H. Stafford s mileage
from White River Junction. One was
for Mr. stafford to Braftleboro and the
other for Mr.. Miller to Dummerston:
The witness said that Mr.. Stafford
asked if thev Mr.. Stafford and Mr..
Miller could change from the train
they were on at Charlestown to the
first section of No. 30. The conductor
testified that he told Mr.. Stafford that
he could do so. The witness disclosed
al this point what TO many persons in
the room seemed the missing link in the
circumstances surrounding the death of
Mr.. Miller.
The witness said that while he stood
beside his train at Charlestown reading
his orders three men passed him going
from his train to the other train which
would leave ahead of the second sec
ton. Conductor Watts testified that
one of the men said he guessed they
would leave him. The witness said that
he recognized the men as his passen-
gers and that he answered the remark
of the man with some commonplace
reply and made mental note that he
had no Dummerston passenger and that
one of his Brattleboro passengers had
left him. The witness said that he was
assisted by a brakeman in taking up
the tickets and that he started from
the head end of the train or rather
from the front end of the fifth ear and
met his assistant, who started from the
rear end, somewhere between Hartland
and Windsor. He thought that Mr..
fifth car from the rear of the train.
Upon leaving Bellows Falls the witness
was inclined to think that he had 20 or
80 passengers.
Conductor Watts said that his train
stopped at all stations between Bellows
Falls and Brattleboro with the excep-
tion of Dummerston. Inquiry from
Chairman Redmond of the commission
elected the information that the engi-
neer of the train had arranged with
Conductor Watts to stop at all stations
unless receiving a signal from the con-
ductor not to do so. Conductor Watts
said that his train approached the sta,
ton at Dummerston under reduced
speed He was in the second car, max,
ing up his trip report, and as the speed
slackened he went out upon the front
platform and gave the engineer sl"-
nal with his lantern not to stop. AT
that time the witness said the engine
of his train was probably 10 car lengths
north of the Dummerston station. The
conductor said that he saw no one get
ting off. He thought the train was
going perhaps Is miles an hour. When
he signalled his engineer the conductor
thought he must have been about oppo-
site the Dummerston station. The wit
ness thought it was about $50 when
the train reached Dummerston. He
thought by the time that the train re-
gained some of its lost speed after he
gave the signal not to stop it must
have bee~ going about - miles an hour.
Chairman Redmond asked the witness
about the difference in speed which he
had testified to and Conductor Watts
said that the train had probably slack
ened from Is to l2 miles before the
engineer could regain his speed. The
witness said that no one requested him
to stop at Dummerston. He saw no
light in the station at Dummerston,
He said the first he knew of any acci.
dent was when one of his brakemen
came to him when the train was within
about one mile of Brattleboro and told
Continued on Page Four.)