Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-09-06
BANJO SIGNAL AT FAULT.


banjo" signal system installed on the
New York, New Haven Hartioru
Railroad nearly p years ago ana sun
in operation, was charged III sworn
testimony, today, with the response
bility for the wreck of last TUESDAY
morning. The testimony was given
at the inquiry begun, today, by the
Interstate Commerce Commission To
determine the cause of the wreck.
Described by Interstate Commerce
Commissioner McGhard himself as
.'obsolete" and denounced by the tram
ment of the crews of the two trains
involved in the collision, the system
was admitted by officers OF the hoau
to he inferior to the up-to-datc sSs-
TENS in use on other roads. LACKING
a caution signal as protection
against a danger signal as in muaefh
systems. the banjo" type, according
to half dozen trainmen who testl-
fled. caused engineers to drift by
their signals in fosgy weather before
they could bring their trains 70 stop.
Engineer Miller scarcely 'drifted
By" the signal in this ease. tram
sheets introduced in evidence showed
that his train WAS speeding over 81
miles an hour.
of 227 miles of the banjo" type of
signal now in use on all the railroads
in the United States $50 miles are in
operation on the New Haven, accord
ing to a statement made during to-
days investigation by Mr.. Mcchord
More than year ago, the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers pro-
tested against the system as not Of
fering sufficient protection for the en-
gineers and asked that ii be apohsh-
ed. Correspondence to this effect was
placed in evidence.
That an order to step the Nhlte
Mountain Express - Wallingford'
three miles north of thc wreck. vas
sent from New Haven and then re-
scinded was one of the startling fedF
lures of the TESTIMONY This was told
by John G. Kelley, he New Haven
train dispatcher, who produced train
sheets showing that h. White Noun
tain brought up in the rear of pro-
oession of six trains which passed
Wallingford within a space of j. min
utes The first five of them, Kelley
testified, were on the 10-mile stretch
between Wallinsford and Airline
Junction. just north Of here, all at the
same time.
And You had FIVE passenger trains
on that foggY morning in 10 miles oil
track and an order ont for the mai
| to stop the next tra.a and then got
rescinded it," aksed chief Inspector
| Belnap.
Yes, sir
Kelley explained that he had orig
/ inally given the order because of th'
| long time the first of the five trains
took TO reach Airline Junction and hat
rescnded on receiving word from th'
dispatcher at the Junction that th'
train in question hal arrived Their
He added that there were seven sig
| nails in the 10-mile stretch.
Promise of a revelation of what eff
| forts the New Haven had made L
| insure the safety of passengers since
the Bridgeport wreck of two years age
was given today, when e. l.. Bardo
general manager of the road, was re
quested by the, commission To pro
duce all the minutes Of the meetings
of the New Haven's directors and eX
ecutive committee at which such &C
ton might have been taken.
That Engineer Miller had been ono
suspended for passing signal and tina
| this was the second wreck in which h
had been involved; that c. II. Murray
the flaeman, had not regularly qualiie
i for his position; that the Bar Harbo
| train itself had run by signals on tn
| morning Of the wreck that the air brake
| of one of the Bar Harbor sleepers wa
| out of commission, when it left Spring
field, preventing it from getting qulckl
away from signal No. %" when tn
White Mountain was bearing down on
these were other features of the evi
| dence adduced
| Murray, who with Engineer Miller wa
arrested, last night, by Coroner Mix an
accused of criminal responsibility fc
the wreck, was released from Jail, toda,
on bonds furnished by order of Pres
dent Elliott of the New Haven. Mile
is also in bonded liberty.
The young hagman, who is but % year
old, told his story of the wreck undo
stress of manifest emotion. In contras
Miller. man of Al, the lines of his fac
set and determined, spoke with calm d.
| liberation.
81 went back as far as | could bt
fere l was called in by the whistle
said Murray, when asked to descrif
| what he did to protect the Bar Hal
Dor Express when it came to sto
| II told them down at the other heal
| ing that it was six or seven telegrap
| po,es back As ] think it over, | kno
| better now. ! know it was not. ! cal
| rot estimate how far back / did &
Before | put my torpedoes down II
whistle called me in. Then the viii!
tie Yves repea ted | was just startln
back. [ had a fuse in my hand. | Ws
going to light it and drop 1t into
tie. I nebrd the approaching tram.
out the fuse in my teeth ana graz
bed the little clip to pull the cap OF
thinking [ would have time TO ns'
it and wave it in the air with II
/ lamp. Then | saw the train. saw
and Jumped out of the way IL W.
all done in second.