Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-03
WRECK INQUIRIES
NOW UNDER WAY
Government, State, Coroner
and New Haven Officials
Investigate Crash.
TOTAL NUMBER KILLED !"
STANDS AT TWENTY-ONE
Debris at Wallingford Burned by
Railroad Despite Federal Com
missions Orders.

Railroad Despite Federal Com
missions Orders.
NEW HAVEN. Conn. September 81
Ine death list In the Wallingford wreck
sui stood at twenty-one this morning
ana the hospital list at seventeen. The
railroad employees who played the lead
Ing parts In the New Haven lines latest
tragedy were under detention by the
coroner's order. Meanwhile the ma
chinery for the usual county, state and
federal investigations was in motion
coroner Mix and Chief Engineer Elwell
OF the state public utilities commission
resumed this morning the secret investi-
gation which they began YESTERDAY
Jointly with the railroad company. The
second session OF the coroner's inquiry
began shortly before l2 o'clock this
The formal inquiry by the interstate
commerce. commission into the wreck
Will begin here Friday. although pre-
liminary investigations now are under
way.
Trainmen Examined.
At the preliminary hearing yesterday
afternoon trainmen of the two trains
were examined. Later what purported
to be synopsis of the testimony was
given out. According to this recital,
every possible precaution was taken
The fagman of the Bar Harbor express
went back when his train stopped
placed torpedoes on the track, and stood
ready to stop any train that might be
following. He was recalled by an en-
gine whistle. The engineer Of the on
coming train saw him. heard the tor.
De0OeS explode and rad hull 20.
eye OF the banjo block signal leap out
| of the fog-but saw and heard too late
to stop.
This morning August B. Miller, engi-
neer of the White Mountain express,
| was called to tell more of the circum-
| stances under which his train crashed
into the standing Bar Harbor fiier: Elbert
A. Robertson, his fireman; Bruce B.
Adams, conductor of the Bar Harbor
train. and Charles Henry Murray the
dagman sent back to prevent a rear-end
collision. all were ordered to submit to
| long crOss-examination.
Railroad Upholds Equipment.
The hearing was held in camera in the
office Of the railroads general manager
| and no intimation as to the testimony
was made public except briefly through
the railroads press agent. AS yesterday.
the railroad insisted that the testimony
| SuOWS pldlIuy ludl lHS 1ipiACHts ny
pliances and signals of tn y abroad were
| in first-class condition"
Murray, the fagman, according to his
| statement, was sent back to flag the
following train when the Bar Harbor
| fier came to a stop in front OF the RED
bulls eye in banjo signal 23. Murray was
recalled by blast from the locomotive
and Conductor Adams stopped the-train
| to wait for him after 1t had cleared the
danger signal by perhaps forty feet.
Running back through the heavy fog,
| Murray heard the oncoming White Noun
tain express. and placed two torpedoes
| on the rail. The red light OF the banjo
signal and the rear end OF the standing
| train took form in the mist before the
eyes of Engineer Miller Of the White
| Mountain express at the same moment
he ran over the torpedoes. Miller was
| then 40 feet from the standing train and
was running nearly forty miles an hour.
He whipped on the emergency brakes,
but a train Of this heavy character at
forty miles an hour requires at least
900 feet to stop.
Inspector Belnap of the interstate COM
merce commission dropped off a train
| shortly before 10 o'clock, in time to at
| tend the resumption of the hearing be-
| fore the railroad officials in the yellow
building" the railroad headquarters
is known.
Willing to Have Open Inquest.
President Howard Elliott, who was
early at his Office, said that SO far as he
was concerned he was perfectly willing
that the coroner's inquest should be
public one. He said also that Coroner
Mix felt that many witnesses would be
greatly worried IL they had to testify In
the presence OF newspaper men and 9TH
ers and he thought more evidence would
be obtained IL each witness knew he was
talking privately.
Under the state law a coroner has the
| right to hold a private inquest. In the
| recent wrecks at West Port and Stam-
ford. however, Coroner Phelan held open
sessions. II Coroner Mix does not change
his plan, details of his inquiry will not
be known until his finding Is filed with
the superior court.
Federal Orders Defied.
The interstate commerce commissions
investigators on their arrival today
found practically no vestige of the
wreck along the New Haven right of
way. Notwithstanding telegraphic orders
of the commission that the wreckage
lie undisturbed, officials of the road set
gangs of men cleaning up the roadbed
after the crash. The two rear Pullmans
of the Bar HarbOr express where nearly
all the loss of life occurred, were re-
duced to splinters by the crash. All of
this wreckage that could be burned was
piled up in a dozen or more bonflres
kindTe6 close to the right Of way by the
wrecking gangs last night The damaged
locomotive was hauled away with the
remains of the third Pullman.
Revised List of Dead.
The revised list OF dead as compiled
by the coroner today was as follows:
William Altschul, Norfolk, Va.
Margaret Armstrong. Washington.
D. e.
Harriet Biddle. Torresdale, Pa.
Marie L. Bullitt. Philadelphia.
Emile Kennedy Davis, Philadelphia
sa.nuel Crozier Fox, Philadelphia.
xslbeft Green, New York.
Royal A. Hotchkiss. New Haven.
Philo Hotchkiss, his brother.
Harry X. Izami. Brooklyn.
George T. Koga, New York.
DR.. Joseph B. Marvin, Louisville, KY.
Mrs Joseph B. Marvin, Louisville, KY.
Martha II. Marvin, daughter, Louis.
Vile, KY.
Howard F. Martin. Bryn Mawr. Pa
Mrs. Howard F. Martin. Bryn Mawr,
Daniel Neal McQuillan, jr.. Overbrook,
Pa.
Frank p. Rutter, Scranton, Pa.
Mrs. Frank p. Rutter. Scranton, Pa.
Robert NJ Yahn. Philadelphia.
Mary Jane -, hfty-five years old,
family name not yet ascertained
Identified by Jewelry.
The body of Miss Marvin of Louisville.
KY, on which was found much jewelry,
was identified during the night. A SON.