The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-25
RaiIroaders Doubt
 Theory Curtis Slept
Feeling that All Was Not Right with Signals
 Prevails

New Haven, July 25.-Inspectors for the interstate commerce commission when Investigating the wreck at Bridgeport made this significant state ment to newspaper men: There are certain paramount features of the wreck at Bridgeport whcih no amount of testimony can explain away
 The inspectors would make no ex- planation of this assertion or answer any questions as to what the para mount features'' might me.
 The rai1roaders think that the in- tors and the state authorities may have uncovered what they believe the cause of the wreck. One train conductor says:
 Curtis, running 60 miles an houf or a mile a minute, passed the Fairfield tower without slowing down. The question arises: Was the forked, yell low blade meaning caution left up to Warn him that at the tower in Bridgeport only three minutes dis- tane, he would have to take a cross- over, Or come to stop? If it was not set then Curtis would, of course, approach the distant signal of the Bridgeport tower at 60 miles an hour. That is what he did
 The next question is: Was the dis tance signal of the Bridgeport tower set to show Curtis he was to take the cross-over?
 "If it was not set then he would, of course, approach the tower where the wreck occurred at 60 miles an hour This is what he did.
 Now, we railroaders don't know whether these warnings were given Curtis Or not, but 1t is pretty certain that neither he nor his fireman saw them if they were. Further, we men have a great deal more faith n the thnnrv ha his own life in his hands and those of hundreds of others, is a thousand times less likely to go to sleep on a rocking plunging locomotive than is a towerman in a comfortable room, sit ting alone. in the middle of the night"
 A locomotive engineer said: What seems mighty queer to me is that this Bridgeport towerman knew so long in advance that there was going to be a wreck, long enough in advance so he made sure his signals were set right and then jumped out of the window. Also he says he stood in his tower and watched the on coming lo- comotive and knew it was going to pile up.' In the first place I don't think he could tell the trains speed standing in front of it. practically. I've been on the road 30 years and I couldn't judge that, and I don't be- lieve he could.
 l u llhe lO nave the l1lIeTSldC0 COn- merce commission investigators find out just when the towerman made sure his signals were set right Isn't there a reasonable doubt as to wheth- CT he found that he had his distance signals set to warn Curtis? I think . the doubt is mighty well grounded in the fact that Curtis plunged along toward the home signals at full speed. t Tt is about three miles from the Fairfield tower to where the wreck oc- cured and that means that from the second that Curtis plunged by Fair field until he should have caught the distance signals of the Bridgeport tow CT wasn't over two minutes. Now, did the Fairfield towerman report the Federal express passing his tower on the instant it flashed by Or a minute or two later? If he was a minute or two late then Curtis and his train were then dashing by the distance semaphores of the Bridgeport tower.
 If this Fairfield man delayed re- porting the express then We can see readily why the man in his tower at Bridgeport realized there was going to be a wreck the minute he saw the oncoming express.
 However, we railroaders don't like that kind of business. We like to have the right man get the medicine, alive or dead, and if it is the engin- eer fireman, conductor or brakeman all right, but if it is some one else; we want the blame put there"