New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-06
POOR SIGNALING CAUSED
WRECK, SAYS ENGINEER
Simple Precautionary Flag
Would Have 0bviated Death
Crash, Miller TestlfIes.
DRIFTED BEYOND "BANJ0S"
Murray, Bar Harbor Express
Flagman, Tells Story of In
competent Employees to
Commerce Commission.

From Stsn Correspondent of The Tribune. ]
New Haven. Conn, Sept. 5.-1f pre-
stationary signal had been placed little
ahead OF the banjo" signal at Talcotts
Crossing, at North Haven, Tuesday morn
ing, the White Mountain Express would
not have crashed into the Bar Harbor
train. reducing its ancient wooden Pull
man coaches to splinters. killing twenty
one passengers and injuring many others.
some of whom are still lowering between
life and death.
This was the testimony of Augustus Is.
Miller. the engineer Of the White Noun
tain Express. at the afternoon session OF
the governments investigation OF the
wreck, which began in the Federal Build-
ing here to-day.
From the examination of Miller ana
other employees OF the New Haven road
AS well as some OF the officials OF the
line. 1T was patent that Commissioner -
g. McChord and his associates believe inc
wreck was due TO failure on the part OF
the New Haven to keep. Its equipment
and management in repair and up 10 date
Testimony and evidence tending to sup
port this belief was given by seVera ot
the witnesses. Charles II. Murray the
nagman OF the Bar Harbor train, s"ore
that he had never been examined as to
his fitness and that no one ever had IN
structed him as to his duties. mere are
several hundred nagmen in the Ne" ia
H. A
vens employ, IL was said. who IKE MIL
Ter. never have been examined as To their
ability to perform their duties properly.
No Airbrakes on Car.
Several witnesses testified that the bag
gage car on the White Mountain IN
press left Springfield without airorakes. ~
also was charged. and admitted by on-
cials Of the road. that public onclaIs ana
employees ~ the New Haven wrote to the
New Haven and protested against the
continuance Of the antiquatcd banjo
signal system on It's branch oe'"ce"
Springfield and Stamford.
Miller the accused engineer, ana other
witnesses testified that IL was Impossible
To run faster than ten or eleven miles an
hour ir a fog. such as prevailed on Tues
day morning, and stop within siEIai
block Miller said he believed ne was
running about thirty-fve or forty miles
an hour when he crashed into the Bar
Uarbor train. lie seemed TO he amazed
when confronted with tho time charts.
which showed that he WAS speeding a
little more than ffty-onc miles an hour
Al this point Of the proceedings chief
Inspcctor Bclnap thought out the TACT
that the schedule time OF Miller's train
called for Is ga-l0o mile an hour.
II was also remembered that It was a
frequent occurrence during fogs for trains
to run pa. the "ba -" signals when
they were set AT danger because 1t was
impossihle To see tho light In fog ~
distance greater than 30 feet sni when
the fog was exceptionally thick this dis
lance was reduced onentimes to 10 feet.
Tho federal investigators expect 10
finish their work here tomorrow. IL Is
known that the report Of Commissioners
NcChord Will censure tho New Haven and
recommend that the Interstate Commerce
should urge Congress to pass
remedial legislation.
The report also will FIX the response
hnltv fer the wreck and the deaths Of the
Bar Harbor passengers
Hundreds at Inquiry.
The courthouse was crowded when
Commissioner McChord opened the hei~-
ing and swore the first witness Hun
IY,tN