Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-26
BLAME PUT ON CITY
Miss WeStcott Holds Ash
fOrd'S Men for Accident.
RETURNS HERE TESTIFY
Appears Before Subcommittee in
High School Engine Controversy.
EXONERATES JANITOR CONLYN
Principal of Western Says Municipal
Architects Employees Had Charge
EXONERATES JANITOR CONLYN

Miss Edith WeStcott. principal of the
Western High School, having come back
to Washington all the way from the
Acirondacks 10 testify to the Redfield
investigating subcommittee of the House.
said unhesitatinsly today that any &C
c.dents that occurred at the Western
High School from an engine running wild
or from any other cause happened while
the plant was in the charge of the muni-
cipal architects employees.
This was the burden of the board of
education's reply to the testimony by
Municipal Architect Ashford and Super
intendent of Repairs Story last week.
Owing to the clouds that have been
gathering about the board of education
ever since the last hearing an effort was
made to turn the hearing today into more
Of a love feast than the last one but ever
and again sharp reply by one witness
or another would cause smiles of salts
faction to illuminate the faces of either
side of the old controversy between the
schools and the engineer department.
No matter on whom the RESPONSE
bility for accidents may rest, Chair
questions and statements that rec
ommendation for a better equipped
mechanical and engineering force in
some of the schools will be made.
President oyster of the board of edu-
cation, in a preliminary statement, in
troduced the schools witnesses by
saying he wanted to present their side
Of the astounding and remarkable
statements" in regard to testimony
made by others. which he called mis-
leading and Inaccurate
pntc r. TN m Achford
Mr.. Ashford questioned Miss Westcott
She told him point blank that the ac-
cident to the engine, which had been
publised as endangering the lives of
several hundred pupils. had occurred
while the engine was in the charge of
Mr. Ashford's own employees. Further
more she said the school was not in
session when the accident occurred.
THE employees of the Districts engin-
eering department explained that Mr.,
Ashford wanted to give this engine
thorough test, and we had a perfect I'M
derstanding with Mr.. Ashford and others
that the engine was not in the charge
of Mr.. Conlyn, our janitor, she added.
DIR. Davidson, superintendent of public
schools, asked her again il it was not
distinctly understood that Mr.. Conlyn
was not responsible for the engine at
that time.
I'VE had several conferences about the
engine" she replied, las Mr. Conlyn was
nervous about it. In my presence Mr..
Ashford assured Mr.. Conlyn several times
that he, Conlyn, would be relieved of all
responsibility for the engine. Mr.. Ash
ford said he was not satisfied himself
with the engine
Furthermore. Miss Westcott said, she
is of the opinion that the engine is still
in the hands of the repair department,
waiting to be made acceptable to the
schools.
Are you under the impression"
asked Mr.. Ashford. that any one is
trying to criticise Mr.. Conlyn?"
Yes. l am replied Miss Westcott,
land I gain my impression from the
newspaper accounts of the hearing and
from reading the minutes She also
said she was firmly of the opinion
that some one had been trying to criti-
else her by saying she had made no
report of the accident to the board of
education.
TT did not occur to me to make a
J report" she explained, because the plant
was being installed by your own men.
should think that any report of an ac-