The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-10-19
Official of Haven Road Claims That Coroners Wit ness Assured Him He Never Testified That Fire
 Extinguishers Were Useless
CORONER ISSUES SUBPOENA FOR MAN
 WHO WILL. BE ASKED TO EXPLAIN
Signal Engineer Says Speed of American People Cause of Wrecks-Vice President Buckland Disaerees With Him-Disobedience of Rules
 Real Cause Says Buckland

Coroner John J. Phelan resumed
 his hearing in the Saugatuck bridge
 wreck on the New York, New Haven
 & Hartford Railroad, Oct. 3, this fore
 noon.
 Walter G. ompton, insurance in
 spector for the road. and Signal En-
 gineer c. H. Morrison were the wit
 nesses of the forenoon. The former
 attempted to show that fire extin-
 guishers on the wrecked train were
 properly and adequately charged and
 in good working order at the time
 of the wreck. Frederick Kaiser of
 Westport, who appeared before the
 coroner last week. testified under
 oath that the extinguishers were not
 in working order. There were other
 witnesses which made the same claims.
 MT Crompton told of an alleged conversation he had with MT. Kaiser since the wreck in which MT. Kaiser denied that he had said that he had tried the extinguishers at the wreck and found them not usable. MT. CroTnpton said that MT. Kaiser was very positive in denying this. The coroner was surprised that MT. Kaiser had made any such statement as he previously testified under oath that the exunguishers were not in work ing order Coroner Phe1an decided to summon MT. Kaiser again and in- structed Deputy Sheriff John M. Don
 nelly to have MT. Kaiser in the court
 room this afternoon. MT. Cronpton stated that he was obliged to attend a funeral this afternoon in Fair haven and would not be able to be present when MT. Kaiser was on hand to testify.
 MT. Phelan said that he would like Co have him present and requested him to come Monday forenoon so that it is likely that MT. Kaiser will be l1.ekrs T~- <q was much speculation at the trial this forenoon as to what the outcome of this situation will be. It was won dered if MT. Kaiser will refute His form CT testimony or insist upon nak- ing the same statements, or deny the conversation with MT. Crompton. MT. Morrison testified particularly about the signal service which he up- held as absolutely perfect efficient | and adeduate. He insisted that in his speed mania is responsible more than anything else for the wrecks.
 Vice President Buck1and interrupt | ed the discussion which was of a more or less general nature, at this point to say that he disagreed with MT Morrison. He declared that there are express trains in England that | country and that it isn't so much a speed mania as it is a non observance of rules on the roads that are re- sponsible. He said if public opinion that phase of railroading it would have the effect of bringing about a better observance of rules and that would eliminate to a big extent the serious wrecks. He said that speed wasn't dangerous and that it was per
 feetly ,e safe to ride on roads at a high had many times ridden on the New Haven road at the rate of 85 miles
 an hour Yet the rules obeyed, he contended. and there will be more safety and less wrecks. He supposed the speed was less on the European
 lines. He said that the European stop devices. Witness testified that | records will show that collisions | especial rear end collisions are more frequent than cross-over wrecls Walter S. Crompton, insurance in. fspector for the insurance department l Of the railroad. was the first witness ] half of the railroad ~ to trv and n sboT oSz that the fire extinguishers on the wrecked train were in good condition. Other witnesses that have been ex- elared that the fire extinguishers on the wrecked train would not work and that they were no use in the wreck. MT. Cromptonf testified as to the man ner in which fire extinguishers were furnished and kept in working order l On the trains.
 He said he was unable to find any member of the Westport fire depart ment who had endeaVored to use the l extinguishers. Witness said that one ! extinguiSher is used on each car as is
 required by the Massa chusetts rail road commission and that there were 10 extinguishers on the wrecked train, | the same number of cars
 All of the extinguishers on the train were taken from their places in the 1 trains -Four were burned Or des- stroyed in the wreck. The remaining | the fire. Two of these have been found by the railroad. The other four l have disappeared and witness knows 1 nothing as to where they are now. The \ two that were found were in the l wreckage. These two extin guishere l showed evidence of having been used l they had been discharged and had ap- parentIy worked all right.
 l He gave a demonstration of how the extinguishers work by squirting ont out of the court room window. Wit ness said that the extinguiSher witE which he. demonstrated one thai had been charged IS months and moi recharged. Witness innocently made that extinguisherS are supposed to be recharged once every 12 months. The
 one he demonstrated with had not
 been recharged within IS months. Wit
 | ness said his experience had shown
 | that out of 5000 extinguishers in use
 on the railroad average of 15 a
 | year had been found imperfect. Wit
 ness said that trainmen are supposed
 l to use the fire extinguishe1s but tha1
 passengers or anyone else could use
 them in the absence of trainmen suck
 as in the case of the Saugatuck wreck
 1 Witness said that one extinguishe1 r1I71 7 he xS11ff ff6iOY f1 TRJ1f a