The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-10-15
MORE WITNESSES EXAMINED AS TO CAUSE OF WRECK
Coroner Phelan Makes Further Examination at Scene of
 Fatal R. R. Wreck
Testimony Offered That New Haven Whose Supply Proved Inadequate in Fighting the Flames That Burn ed the Victims in Pullman Cars.

in Fighting the Flames That Burn | ed the Victims in Pullman Cars.
 Were the switches improperly set, | thereby causing the serious wreck at Saugatuck on Oct 32 A new theory as to what might have caused the
 wreck was investigated by Coroner
 John J. Phelan yesterday. It would in- dicate that the switches were improp- erly set. MT. Phelan went to Sauga- tuck and examined several witnesses
 and had railroad men demonstrate
 the workings of the signal and switch
 ing apparatus A man who lives in
 Bridgeport and who is said to know
 thing or two about railroads. adVanc-
 ed the new theory on which the cor
 In looking over the tracks and
 ground where the wreck occurred
 there were evidences which made it thing to the new theory After thor-
 ough investigation however, Coroner Phelan considered that it was only a
 theory. The switch which the fated
 train took from track one to track three is part of crossover that ex> tends clear across the span of rails, be- ginning at track one and stretching clear to track five the last track on the north. There are switches which send the train from track one to the other tracks. The last switch leads
 
 west of where the wreck happened. Markings on the raiEs and the grounds would leave no doubt in a ones mind but that the fated train was switched through some error onto the last track, track five and that the wreck instead of occurring at thel actually occurred at the switch which | led to track five.
 The markings indicate thas in very 1 precise manner If one considers the | Tskr1 anything else to happen and con- | sequently. the new theory seemed to require. investigation.
 W. F. FOllett, assistant signal en. ginecr for the railroad, set the theory l at naught however by demonstrating | that the yard switch could not be set i've without the signals having been get as well. He not only explained now this could not happen but gave a pra ctica1 demonstration which sat4s- led the coroner Instead of having been switched onto track five as the new theory would make it appear the rain apparently. jumped the rails and anded on track five, as originally sup posed. To explain in writing practi- la idea of the markings which led up O the new theory, would be hard and o give a very practical account of what the demonstration of yesterday mounted to. would be equally as lard.
 Aside from this matter the coroner'sI ] forts yesterday developed little of { Something was said by ne of the witnesses, Chief Lucius B. 1ent to the effect that the Westport yater company is owned or controlled y the railroad. The water service on he day of the wreck was very poor nd mas come in for a good deal of omment. It is believed that had here been sufficient water pressure ves would thus have been saved. Thief Tanning gave little testimony of
 valuable nature, outside of that fact [e said that he was at work On the . ssisted in taking injured people to / le hospital. One extinguisher that : e used, taken from the hose wagon. as in good working condition. He idn't see any other fire extinguishers -e said that the water service was cry poor and that he even went so have them put on the pumps and F i've better service. Who owns the water conpany?" sloed Coroner Phe1an t '"The New York, New Haven and T artford, railroad, believe, replied [ le chief. ld He was then asked if he had any | gidence which would show the road g vns the water company and replied lat he only believed thGt it was 8 vned or controlled by the railroad le of the early arrivals at the scene a
 the wreck. who was said to have Is lOWn something aDOut the Ire SX-l e nguishers that were used, was exam v ed He said that he didn't know lything about the exiting guishers. Mi
 ae1 J. Cole, tower man who operates
 e signals and switches was exaJnfn- y
 and gave technical knowledge Of O e signal and switch apparatus and al
 reorganization as to the wax the te 1itches were set at the time Of the e; -eck F J. J.. Sullivan who lives very nearl It e scene of the wreck and whose re use was damaged, was examined. n 3. said that he heard a noise and :. en windows in his house were brok- :
 He went out and discovered the eek: hurried to the scene and assist Ii
 in the rescue work He gave an ac- 10 unt of the scene and incidents very te lch like former accounts that have TT en given by early arrivals. M Bartley Gordon, foreman of gang -
 railroad workmen, who formerly = stified was examined again as to e condition of the tracks. He reit- ated his previous story that the acks were all right and the signals
 d switches were properly set, so far
 he observed. T It was noticeable that the witnesses Ire bit more reticent yesterday
 an they were previously and Coroner
 lelan had a bit of difficulty in get lg anything more than answers to
 s questions
 NFWTOWN