New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-16
ENGINEER OWNS ERROR
Says at Corning He Probably
Passed "CautiOn" Signal.
G., B. & @. FLAGMAN LAX
Officials Assert His Failure to
Protect Train Caused Death
of Thirteen.

Corning. ~ y. July 15-William Scnroe-
der engineer of the Lackawanna express
which crashed into the rear Of passen-
ger train here on July 4. costing forty
lives. admitted at the coroners inquest
to-day that he probably had passed
block signal set az caution" and the
warning fusee placed beside the track by
the fiagman.
Schroeder testified in defence Of this
omission that trouble with the injectJrs
which sent the water into the boilers
forced him to turn his attention momen-
tariiy from the watching for signals to
the injectors. and that at this nom mt
his train shot past the stretch OF Two
thousand feet I'm which were said 10 be To-
Gated both the caution signal and the
/ nagman.
Schroeder was the centre OF attraction
to-day at the hearing to place respon-
sibnlty for the wreck. lie made an eX-
cellent witness and. although he was on
. the stand more than three hours and was
, cross-examined at every point. his testi-
mony did not break down. Schroeder adj
mitted that he had drunk gin on the night
before the wreck, but denied he was In
/ toxicatod.
Relative 10 the trouble with the injec-
tors. Schroeder asserted that his emer-
gency injector did not work well. because
I the rod which operated It caught on the
cab Of the engine. which was loose and
swaying. lie said he had reported this
fact nj the Lackawanna repair shop In
Buffalo. but the fault had not been
remedied.
Schroeder said his fireman had noted
that he was having trouble with the IN
Jcctors and came forward The engineer
asserted he got down from his scat 10
listen TO the fireman and that he thought
Il was while he was attempting to hear
what the fireman said that he passed the
caution signal and the fagman.
Schroeder said he saw the rear OF No.
ahead just after the fireman left FOR the
latters cab. He applied the emergency
brake. and although he closed tho
throttle the crash followed. He had nc
time 10 reverse his engine. he declared.
Several witnesses We're called to testify
whether they believed Schroeder was IN
toxlcated I'm Elmira. where he lives, the
night before the wreck. Four Elmira
saloon men bore out Schroeders conten'
ton that he was sober that night anc
three Of them testified that he took only
: mineral water while I'm their places
Charles Klapproth. lifelong friend Of
Schroeder. testified last week that within
, three hours OF the time when Schroeder
was called to take out his train he saw
Schroeder staggering as II intoxicated.
Schroeders testimony this Afternoon
was largely substantiated by other wit.
nesses An Elmira lunch wagon clerl
named Janskowski. however, testified. a:
the last witness OF the day, that Schroe
der and another man were in his wager
at o'clock the morning of the wreck
Schroeder had testified that he had or
rived home at 1910 o'clock and had not
left his house again that morning.
Janskowski's testimony the only
possible seeming corroboratIon this after
noon OF Klapproth's statement thai
Schroeder was downtown alone at i2:Sl
o'clock in the morning. JanskowsK
thought schroeders companion was in
toxicated. but he believed the engineer
was sober.
Schroeder told representatives Of th'
Public Service Commission this Afternoon
that I'm his opinion all hagmen should h,
required to use torpedoes. He declared
that their use would have prevented th'
wreck on July 4. The inquest will be con
Guided tomorrow.