The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-10-07
PRIVATE INQUIRY INTO R. R. WRECK
 DISCOVERED BY FARMER REPORTER
R. R. Official and Public Utilities Engineer Question Conductor Jenkins Press Excluded From Hearing-Coroner and Interstate Commerce Com mission Experts Knew NOth- ing of Star Chamber Session
Especial to The Farmer. )

Ing OE Star Of1dmDer Session 1 Especial to The F'armer.)
 1 Westport. Oct. 7-standing widely apart from all the gruesome an6 ghast1y revelations disclosed bs I Saturdays various Investigations in, l to the cause of the disaster which
 brought death to seven persons in the
 wreck Of the Boston flyer at westport l and Saugatuck. October 3rd and pointing it's gaunt and spectral fingers
 accusingly beyond the dead form o1 l the engineer of the i1-fated train | but surely throws it's mantle of re- sponsibility around the living cause of that terrible holocaust
 That engineer George R. Clark, one of the mast careful engineers long in the employ of the New Haven road a man in robust health, the prime of life without a vicious habit and pru- dent to extrene-was unaware of the danger that awaited him. though signals should have disclosed the fact was all but attested at the hearing be tie freight house at Saugatuck where witness after witness told with graphic detal how they had seen the inevitable doom of the on-ruskine
 train after it had passed the 'diesta nee signal which should have been set, as well as how some of the railroad ern- p1OyeS had the track In an effort to flag the train before it took the crossover.
 It was the consensus of opinion
 among those questioned by the coronor saturday, that no engineer on the
 road and particularly man of Clarks known carefulness would
 have attempted to make a cross over
 at between 30 and 60 miles an hour
 the extreme speed limit for which is
 set at 20 mileks-had he been inform
 ed or signaIIed that he was to be
 ff<1f1 z%
 Refuta ton of the runored death of
 the engineer at hi spost became ap-
 parent from the testimony of a wit
 ness in whose arms he expired, as
 well as by the mute evidence of the
 emergency brakes which were applied
 just as the fatal crossing was reach
 tracks which was visible on the night
 of the wreck for distance of 20 feet
 in advance Of the switch at which
 the engine left. the rails-
 Pointedly significant and tending toz
 the belief that many of, the railroad
 employees know sgastfy more details
 the Coroner at Saturdays session.
 was tine fact that Conductor John
 Jenkins and others who had previous
 fy appeared at the inquest were sub sequently. put through secret gril1- ing at the hands of Division Superin- tendent c. N. Woodward of New Ha-
 ven, in which Public Utilities Com seen to take an unofficial part, though no invitation or official noti- fication had been given either the Commission representatives present at the scene.
 It was while about to board an eastbound Bridgeport train Saturday afternoon. that small gathering of trainmen, were observed by a Farmer reporter outside a partly opened door of small room in the Saugat tuck; sta tion. Inside were seated Engineer c. C. ElWel1 of the Public Utilities Con- mission of Connecticut. Supt. Wood ward Conductor Jenkins and a stem ographer. Questions were being sub nitted to the conductor by the Pub lie Utilities commissioner at the time reporter was seen in the doorway Supt. Woodward asked what was wanted. Informed that The Farmer desired to be informed of the nature of the investigation being conducted the reporter was informed that the function was private and for the bene- fit of the railroad company exclusive ly. Asked if 1t were not true that the Publie Utilities commission was not conducting the examination, Engineer Elwei1 declared that he was merely of Supt. Woodward Further inquiry ceased until the withdrawal, of thet I,a1sa when it vas va re resumed gl z, Coroner Phalen and Interstate In- spectorxs A. F. Duffy and Joseph Brom- l ley expressed mon1entary surprise 1 SLaL1nS l1idt lAey 4dd uOI peeh 1n~ formed of it's scope of arrangement. 1 but refused to discuss the bearing it 1 might have upon the joint inquiry l which had been proposed by Inter state Com merce Comm issioner Charles l c. McChord to the Public Utilities Commission of Connecticut. earlier in l the day.
 Work of clearing away the debris | continued with unabated vigor Sum day and tracks three and the lsidins the Boston Post road viaduet | were completed All the road-bed. be. heath the burned cars was scraped clear of the upper dirt surface, and piled beside the tracks where it is detectives in the hope of recoyeringI more va1uables and mail.
 One large sack of mail was turned 1 over by the postal inspectors to Post master Morton at Saugatuck, yester- day which included several special delivery letters but registered mail. This sack was forwarded to New York for regular distrib 1tion. It is thought that when the debris is carefully searched and the adjoining Iots much more missing mail will be found.
 Up to late hour today mem oers of the various commissions fn- pestisating the wreck had appeared upon the scene. It is not likely that after adjournment of the Coroner's nque*st which is being held at the Bridgeport courthouse.
 SOUGHT
 OF WILMOTS RELATIVES