The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-10-07
Coroner PheIan Asks For Assistance From Any Who Can Hell Probe
 Disaster
Joseph Morton Testifies That Trains Fre- quently Crossed Saugatuck Bridge
 at High Speed

Inadequate train equipment, the ab-
 sence of axes, crowbars and such inn plenents much needed in the time of wrecks, and poor fire extinguish CTS,
 are responsible to big extent for the
 loss of life in the Saugatuck train
 wreck, according to witnesses who ap-
 peared before Coroner John J. Phelan
 today Coroner Pheian held a hear
 ing at the county court house and
 four witnesses gave evidence to the in
 adequate facilities for fighting the
 fire and helping in the rescue work.
 Each one testified with no hesitation
 that there would, in all probability,
 have been a saving of life had there
 been proper facilities.
 The testimony not only reflects upon
 the railroad but also on the town Of
 Westport as we'll. because of the poor
 water service for fire fighting. It
 was shown that the pressure was so
 low as to make the service hardly
 worth while Due to the low water
 pressure the fire destroyed nearly all
 the cars in the train. Witnesses were
 been checked at the start had the
 train been equipped with fire extdn-
 g5uishers that were worth anything,
 and if the town fire fighting facil-
 ities had been adequate.
 The witnesses told o6 how repeated
 efforts had been made to use the fire
 extingaishers found on the rear cars of the wrecked train. These would not work, though evidence was shown
 to the effect that those who tried to
 work them were men capable of hand hremen- It ~ae testified that the ex-
 ting7Iishers were apparently in good
 condition, not bent or broken, but simply were not charged or worth
 Vivid descriptions of the scene few minutes after the train pitched to It's doom, were given by rVsu who were on the scene at the time the train was wrecked. One of the witnesses told of being the first man to enter the ill., fated Pullman car to assist those within from the tang4e of burning wrecka ge.
 Coroner Phelan is very anxious to hear from every person who can give him evidence concerning the wreck or railroad matters which would aid him In the investigation he is conducting He wants first to acquire a. technical knowledge of railroad affairs so that he can properly examine employees Of the railroad. He wants railroad men, particularly engineers and train crew men, to give what assistance they can and information about what orders
 As the Kaiser brothers and John Dool- ing gave their testimony, their agitation was most noticeable. Tears welled the experiences he went through dur ing the wreck when he heard the fran tic cries of dying people. Charles Kaiser who was the first person to go into the overturned Pullman car, got within a. few feet of the dying people, heard their cries and screams, he recounted the scenes his voice tre1n1b1ed and he was hardly able to talk at times.
 Coroner PheIan opened the hearing at 1O:23 o'clock with Joseph Morton, postmaster of Saugatuck as the first witness. MT. Morton has been post master three years He was in West port on the 3rd of October about 4:30. He was at his own office, not the post ofice and consequently didn't see the Boston express until he noticed from their cars. He was attracted to the scene of the wreck and assist ed four people out of the Pullman coaches He assisted, as member of tuck, in hitct1ng tine hose to the hy- drant when the company arrived and worked with the firemen. Then the 1 conductor of the train called for 1 some one from the post office. He was told by the conductor to take charge of the mail and was handed a pack l before it was wrecked and didn't mo- tice the signals. The only appara- 1 Jus for putting out the fire was what l .lie town furnished. There were com | .rowbars to help in the rescue work. l did not see a single article used | Tor fighting the fire that was furnished | 1y the railroad. He had no personal knowledge that there were no axes ,r crowbars, but heard repeated conn o1aints from those doing the rescue work. He knew that such implements were secured from neig1oo bring houses. There was not sufficient water at all |. .irnes to check the fire. Toward 1he | ast the pressure was very low.
 Witness said he had been fighting or long time to secure adequate water service. He believes that had here been an adequate water service he fire would have been put out. The town pays for a 50 pound pres- less has been d foreman in the Saug tuck hose company for several years md has served as assistant chief of he whole fire department of West ,ort.
 Witness was positive in his state nent tFat a suffiicent supply of wa er would have done much toward put ing out the fire and probably would ave saved some lives. Other mem ers of the fire department are of he same opinion in this matter.
 MT. Morton said that trains had been n the habit of running with much peed over the Saugatuck bridge. Ask d if he had any expert knowledge s to whether steel cars would have rev ented fire. Witness had no ex- ert knowledge but had the old fash on notion that the wood cars are aore inflanlab1e than the steel cars.
 John Dooling, a carpenter, living in vestport, was the next witness. He ave graphic description of the 7reck, having been one of the first n the scene. He and a friend were eturning from work and stood chat ing under the viaduct which was 'roken down by the wreck. Whilel