Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-09-05
STARTLING TESTIMONY PRE-.
sENTEp IN WALLlNoFoRD
WRECK INVESTIGATION.
ENGINEER TELLS OF
"pRIFTiNG BY" SIGNALS
Declares "Ranjo Signals" Unsafe and
Engineers Committee Protested
Against Their Use-Necessary for
Train to Reduce speed Greatly to
See Warninss in Fossy Weather.

New Haven. Conn. Sept. 5.-With
Engineer Miller and Flagman Murray'
under arrest and accused Of criminal
responsibility for the fatal wreck on
the New Haven railroad last Tuesday.
Commissioner Mcchord. Of the inter-
state commerce commission. began
public investigation today.
Murray was still in jail but Il was
announced that his $4,000 bail would
be furnished by the New Haven road
today. This was ordered by President
Eliot Of the road. Mr.. Miller Is at
liberty on bond furnished by the
Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers.
Both Miller and Murray. whose
stories as to the causes Of the wreck
do not agree. 1t is said. were called as
witnesses to-day before Commissioner
McChord. So
The private" investigation Of the
coroner was continued today under po-
lice protection.
Il don't expect to finish with my wit
nesses until some time next week. said
Coroner MIX.
Calls for Records Of Meetings.
At the opening Of the federal inves-
tigation Of the railroad wreck at New
Haven. Commissioner McChord or
dered General Manager Bardo. Of the
New Haven road, to produce the min
utes Of all meetings Of the directors
since the Bridgeport wreck, on July II,
1911 -
This would show. he said. what ac-
ton had been taken toward bettering
conditions
"Driftsd 1y" Danger Signals.
The examination Of witnesses
bristIed with startling passages. Engi-
nssr wands. Of the Dar Harbor Ex-
press, brought . gasp from the crowd
when no testified that engineers on the
New Haven road frequently drifted
by signals In fossy weather.
John q Kelley. train dispatcher. had
previously testified that weather con.
dations on ths. morning of the werclk
were ''vsry foSgy''. but that he had not
considered It necessary to warn trains
TO reduce, speed. Six trains passed
over this strecth Of track within thirty
minutes. The White Mountain Express
made the fastest time. It's time sheet
showing an average speed OF fifty
two miles an hour just before II
crashed into the Bar Harbor train.
did any Of the trains have any In
formation from you az to how. close
they were together7" asked Chief In
spector Belknap.
mo. did not think they needed It,"
replied tho dispatcher.
"Danjo Signals" Unsafo.
Engineer wands said that he did not
consider the banjo signals" az safe
method Of train operation and added
that the engineers committee had pro-
tested q year ago against this system.
urging the adoption Of systsm OF
distant indication" He said that q
train would have to reduce speed to
ten or fifteen miles an hour in order
to be safe on running by banjo sig
nails" in foggy weather.
Charles Murray, the flagman, testi-
fed that he had never been examined
for a flag man and had never qualified
for that position.
Bodies Of Dead Robbed.
That there were wholesale and dis
graceful robberies from dead bodies at
the railroad wreck on the New Haven
last Tuesday morning. is declared by
Coroner Mix, in q report today to Chief
Of Police Smith. requesting him to ap-
prehend the culprit.
In todayss Investigation before the
interstate commerce commission, 1t was
further said that the White Mountain
express was barely Javed from collid-
ing with the Bar Harbor express an
hour before the North Haven disaster
at point between Springfield and
Hartford. The two trains involved were
the last Of a procession Of six which
that morning passed Wallingford. three
miles north Of the wreck. within q
period Of thirty-two minutes. The
White Mountain was making ffty-two
miles an hour at Wallingford.
An order to stop the White Mountain
at Wallingford. which would have pre-
vented the wreck. was rescinded.