The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-23

Coroner John J. Phelan finds neith-
 CT Engineman Doherty nor the New Haven company .criminaIly liable for the Stamford disaster. He finds that
 Doherty erred in Judging the point at which to apply brakes, considering their defective condition. He finds the | distance between signals at Stamford is too short, and recommends 2,5O0 feet as the proper distance between home and distant signal; he condemns the practice of bringing high speed trains into the same block, finds that auto matic stops should be used at Stam-
 ford, finds that the New Haven com pany has ordered 354 steel cars, recon-
 mends two or three years as the pre- 1inainary service term of engineers be- fore high speed trains are committed to their care and defines criminal neg ligence.
 The company believed it was using good judgment in employing Doherty oa a high speed s1r<14n, believed it was using good J1dgnent in placing sig na1s as close together as they were at Stamford, had attempted to obtain steel cars and is therefore not crim-' ir.ally liable in these matters.
 It is not crimtnaI1y liable for fail ing to adopt a safety appliance which has not been installed and success fully used on some railroad, and is therefore free of criminal guilt in the
 matter of failing to provide auto
 matic stops But the coroner is con vinced that automatic stops have been developed to g, point which makes them highly valuable.
 The finding in full is as follows:
 STATE OF CONNECTICUT,
 FAIRFIELD COUNTY,
 CORONER'S REPORT.
 I, the undersigned, John J. Phelan, Coroner, having notice of the death of Ada Pearl Kelley, a white female, 29 years old, late of the City of Chi cago, who, on the 18th day of June A. D., 1913, died 8 sudden, violent, un- timely death in the town of Stamford, having made immediate inquiry con- corning her death, do hereby certify that said Ada Pearl Kelley, died at Stamford on the 1zth day of June AID. 1913, from injuries sustained in the Pullman parlor Year, ''Skylark," then in the use and control of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail- road Company, hereinafter called the New Haven Company, by reason of such parlor car being teleScoped by a locomotive of such Company, on the tracks of the latter at Stamford on the date named.
 The testimony taken as to the caus- es and results of such telescoping is disclosed in the following:
 The deceased was a passenger with many others in the 1st section of train 53 of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company (herein- after known as 1st 53) from New Haven for New York The train con- sisted of cars, pulled by Engine No. 1925, under the management of en- ginenan Worthington. It left New Haven for New York on the date nam ed at 3:53 P. M. It arrived at Stam- 1 ford signal tower at 4:4e P. M.
 The Pullman coach ''SIxyIark," in 1 ,ioI, co6o rid Jooi rear car of the train. It was con structed of wood, as were all the pas | senger coaches of the train. Train | 53 consisted of two sections, named | 1st 53 and 2nd 53, both of which were | scheduled to stop at place at Stam- ford immediately west of the block, hereinafter called the Stamford block, known to all through trainmen and enginemen as the place of changing the motive power of the train from steam to electric. The place desig- mated for this purpose is about 598 | feet long, and which for the purposes of this finding may be called the safety zone of the Stamford block
 The said block of which the safety zone forms a part, begins at Glen brook and ends at the east end of said safety zone. The whole length of the said Stamford block is about one mile and half.
 Under the block signal system, in use by the New Haven Road, no en- gineman is allowed to pass his train into said Stamford block, by the Glenbrook tower operator, unless he ignores or def1es the signals set against him by such operator, until the train ahead in said block has pass ed into said safety zone.
 Whenever a train is stopped in the safety zone of said Stamford block, for change of motive power, it is pro tected from rear end collision by a dis play of distant and home signals, set at danger, the same to be observed and obeyed by the enginenan of the next following train in the stopping of his train before said safety zone Is