Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-09-04
FIVE VICTIMS or
WRECK ARE DYING
New Haven Road Faces Most
Searching Inquiry Ever Con-
Quoted by !. c. G.
TESTIMONY NOW WITHHELD
President Elliott Declares the
Company Has Nothing 1t
Wishes to Hide or
Distort.
TESTIMONY NOW WITHHELD

New Haven, Conn, Sept with Il
dead and five diving the result of the
wreck near New Haven Tuesday morn
ing of the Bar Iarbor Express, the New
York New Haven & Hartford railroad
faces tonight a public inquiry into the
causes of the disaster by the interstate
commerce commission. 1t will begin on
Friday and will be the most searching
ever conducted by the commission into
any other railroad catastrophe. This was
announced tonight by H. w. Belnap,
chief inspector of the commission. Com
missioner McChord Will preside. Mr.. Bel
nap, who will conduct the examination
of witnesses, said that the inquiry would
get down to fundamentals and de-
termne what causes In the general opcr-
alton and management of the road were
responsible for the series of fatal wrecks
afflictng the New Haven the last two OF
three years.
Until the Interstate commerce com
missions witnesses tell their story,
the official explanation given out by
the officials of the company last
night will be the only version of the
causes of the wreck available to the
public. Coroner Mix persisted to-day
in his refusal to make public the
testimony of Engineer Miller of the
White Mountain Express which crash
ed into the Bar Harbor train, or OF
FlaEman Murray of the latter train,
both of whom he examined yester-
day in n preliminary investigation ut
the offices of the road. This attitude
was also taken by c. {. Elwell chief
engineer of the Connecticut public
utilities commission who was present
| at the hearing.
FORMAL INQUEST PRIVATE.
The coroner will begin tomorrow
morning his formal inquest to fix, he
said, the criminal responsibility" but
this also will he a private affair, eX
cept for the presence of Messrs. Bel
nap and I1lwell.
| Acting under telegraphic instructions
from Commissioner McChord, Mr. Bclnap
to-day demanded that he We allowed to
be present at the inquest. To this the
| coroner acCeded.
President Elliott tonight declared that
as far as he was concerned he was per-
fectlv willing for the testimony to become
public and that the New Haven road had
nothing It wished TO hide or distort in
connection Win llle dCCIltHt.
There seems to be a misunderstand-
ing on the part Of some of the represen-
tatives of the newspapers about the hear
ing held Tuesday in the Office of Mr.
Rardo. the general manager" said Mr.
Elliott That hearing was Joint one
participated in by the company. the cor
oner and the representative of the public
utilities commission of Connecticut. The
ined the witnesses under oath. So nethine
which the railroad had no power to do
When the question was raised of havinu
the representatives of the press present
at that hearing proper respect for the cor
oner and representatives of the State o.
Connecticut made it necessary to al the
permission Of those gentlemen. The Off
GERS of the railroad understood that thos,
gentlemen thought that such attendance
at that time was unwee.
RESPECT DUE AUTHORITIES.
when the question came up to-day o
furnishing to the press copies of tn,
| sworn testimony at that meeting the com
pany felt again that proper respect 70
the public authorities required it to hav,
. their approval
|
men by telephone and verbally. in wh,cl
some of the representatives. of the pres
participated. it appears that the publ
authorities feel that it is unwise at thi
time to make public the testimony"
Engineer Miller and Flagman Murra'
We're still in Jail tonight and the cor
oner refused to accept bonds for thei
appearance at tO-morrow's hearing. The,
y will be among the first persons ext
II amined The coroner has subpoenaed,
was learned. a dozen or more survivor
of the wreck as we'll as other trainme
p involved and officers of the road. Hi
findings will be turned over to tn
states attorney, a. a. Aling, who If h
= deems the evidence sufficient may la
5 1t before a grand jury Of the county
The findings may not become public i
y that event until the jury has determine
. whether an indictment should be found
" TRAINS ALL BEHIND TIME.
q INSPECTOR Belnap lost no time to-da
a lin preparing for the Investigation. II
a visited President Elliott and secured fror
i, him the time sheets of all the trains /
operation on this division of the Ne'
20 Haven Yesterday morning. the records c
10, the crews of the two expresses and otho
=, data needed Two of his assistant ir
20 spectors were sent to the scene of III
wreck to investigate the signal system
H. 1t was learned to-day that of six train
. that left Springfield within an hour c
- each other yesterday morning, all Of thel
p" late, the White Mountain Express wa
making faster time than any of then
somewhat in excess of ~ miles an hour
There will be a complete disclosure ,
'd the running time of these trairs at III
It. !nvestigatlon," said Inspector Belnar
co Every witness will be treated alik
W whether he is the president of the roa
no or the humblest employe. We are goir
II TO the bottom thoroughly"
a Mr.. Belnap emphatically denied tc
II day that the road had violated the O,
,d der of tho interstate commerce com
mission forbidding II to burn tn