The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-16

They had not stopped more than a
 brief moment when the passenger car
 swept around curve and crashed in
 to the express car. The impact of
 of both cars and Motorman Benson
 was pinned by his left leg in the
 Wreckage. The jolt sent the 13 pas
 sengers sprawting, and shook up some
 of them pretty painfully. but appar-
 ently hurt no one seriously.
 The two cars had to be backed
 away from each other before Motor
 man Benson could be extricated from
 the wreckage of the front platform,
 and then it was seen that his left leg
 was badly mangled. He was placed
 on a car headed for Bridgeport. At
 Stratford his injuries were temporar-
 fly dressed by Dr. DeR. Rowland, and
 the Emergency hospital amblance in
 Bridgeport was telephoned to meet
 the car at the corner of Barnum and Central avenues, which it did, and took the injured man to the Bridge port hospital.
 Benson was very weak from shock
 was critical. He had but a slender
 chance for life and that depended ab- solutely upon the amputation of his injured limb. The surgeons set these facts before him but he steadily re- fused to permit an amputation. He succumbed about o'clock this morn ing.
 Employees of the Connecticut com pany this morning testified that the accident occurred near a curve, but that Motorman Benson had plenty of opportunity to see the stalled express car across the angle of this curve, in time to bring his own car to halt.
 The only explanation that is offered is that the glass in the vestihuIe of A-otoEalar. Benson's car had become
 so logged with rain that he did not perceive the express car. 1t was broad daylight at the time of the ac- cident and there was no fog. The crash completely demolished ed the electric controller and resistance box on the express car, which was lowed into Bridgeport, but Motornan Benson's car came into town under | it's own power. Engineer Elwell ma de a careful investigation of this car this morning and found the air brakes ap- parently in perfect working condition. To a Farmer reporter Superintend- ent Chapman of the Connecticut com pany admitted that it is one of the rules of the company that when a car has been stalled by accident, the conductor is supposed to go back to 1 flag cars approaching from the rear Supt. Chapman said however, that this rule is not a rigid one, and its
 
 necessary on open stretches of track where approaching cars have a clear view.
 Motorman Benson was an expert enced trolleyman and considered a l capable man. He was unmarried, and lived at 637 Fairfield avenue. His mother and sister, both living in the West End, survive him.
 Coroner John J. Phelan this after noon began his investigation into the accident, which comes under his juris- diction by reason of the fact that Benson died in Bridgeport, although the accident itself occurred in Mill ford, which is in New Haven county and ordinarily under the Jurisdiction 1 of Coroner Mix. The county coron- CTS agree, however that the place o1 death is the test that decides juris- d.ction in such cases.
 Coroner Phelan called a number o1 l the trollyemen to his office this after noon and examined them. On Monday he will probably join in with Engineer Elwell in watching the tests at Silver Sands, the scene of the accident.