Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-09-11
So-Called Banjo System
Causes Engineer to Drift
By" in Foggy Weather.
new HAVEN BEHIND TIMES
Of the 227 Road Miles Thus
Controlled in the United
States, Mellen's Line
Has $50.

New Haven. Conn, Sept 5.--Tho So
called banjo" signal system, installed on
the New York. New Haven e. Hartford
railroad nearly % years ago and still In
operation. was charged in sworn testi-
nouy to-day with the responsibility for
the death Of q persons in the wreck
which occurred on that road last Tues
day morning The testimony was given at
the inquiry begun to-day by the inter-
state commerce commission.
| Described by Interstate Commerce Com
missioner McChord as Obsolete" and de-
nounced by the trainmen of the crews
OF the two trains involved In the collision.
the system was admitted by officers Of
the road to be inferior to the up-to-date
systems in use on other roads Lacking
caution" signal as protection against
a danger signal as In modern systems,
1.-The banjo type. according to half a
dozen trainmen who testified, caused en-
glneers to drift by the signals In foggy
weather before they could stop their
trains
| Such was the reason for the North
Haven wreck, according to Engineer
August b. Miller. who was Mt the throttle
Of the locomotive OF the White Mountain
Express when II plunged into the rear
Of the Bar Harbor Express last Tues
day morning. However, train sheets in
troduced In evidence to-day showed that
This train was speeding over 81 miles an
hour
To-day's inquiry developed that of 2T
road mile. controlled by banjo" signals
on all the railroads in the United States,
the New Haven road has $50 miles.
More than a year ago the brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers protested
against this system and asked that 1t be
abolished
ORDER TO STOP RESCINDED.
That an order to stop the White Noun
tain Express at Wallngford. three miles
north OF the wreck. was sent from New
Haven and then rescinded was one of the
startling features OF the testimony This
was told by John C. Kelley, the New
Haven train dispatcher, who produced
train sheets showing that the White
Mountain brought up the rear of pro-
ce..ion OF six trains which passed Wall
ingford within a space of 50 minutes. The
| nrst five of them Kelley testified, We're
on the lo-mile stretch between Waling-
| ford and Air Line Junction, Just north
of here, all at the same time. He added
THAT there were seven signals in the 10
mile stretch.
That Engineer Miller had been once
suspended for passing signal and
that this was the second wreck In
which ne had been involved; that c. H.
Murray the nasman Of the Bar Har-
Dor. had not regularly qualified for
hi. position; that tho Bar Harbor train
itself had run by signals on the morn
ing OF the wreck; that the airbrakes
of one Of the Bar Harhor sleepers
were out of commission when 1t left
Springfield, preventing II from get
, ting quickly away from signal No
"a" when the White Mountain was
bearing down on it--these were other
features Of the evidence adduced,
Flagman Murray, who with En-
gineer Miller was arrested last night
by Coroner Mix and accused OF Grim
inar' responsibility for the wreck. fur
y released from the jail on bonds fur
nishei by the order of Pres dent How
ard Elliott Of the New Haven. Miller
4. also In bonded liberty.
STORY OF YOUNG F1AGMAN.
The young nagmen, who /. but -
c years old, told his story OF the wreck
= under stress Of manifest emotion.
! II went back as far as I could be-
fore I was called In by the whistle -
said Murray when asked to describe
what he did to protect the Bar Hnrbor
fExpres. when 1t came to a stop. II
" told them down at the other hearing
that II was SIX or seven telegraph poles
5 back AS 7 think II over, 7 know bet
D ter now. know II was not. can
mot estimate how far back did go
BEFORE put my torpedoes down.
, the whistles called me in. Then the
i whistle was repeated. I was just
starting back. had n fusee in my
b hand l was going to light 1t and
y drop 1t into a tie. ! heard the APP
l. preaching train. I put the fusee III
+ my teeth and grabbed the little cir
= to pull the cap Oft. thinking I would
= have time to light IL and wave II ir
= tho air with my lamp. Then I saw
4 the train. ] saw 1t and jumped out OF
the way. n WAS all done In second
Engineer Miller, a man of spoke will
| calm deliberate THE first thing
;, saw was the fiagman down In the quite
= waving his flns," he said. Il had M
more than seen him before struck tn
torpedoes / looked up and I saw I he'
e my banjo against me and the rear Of tina
IL train ahead OF me-
Al Neither you nor your fireman jump
E. ed!" asked Mr Belnap
=. HAD NO THOUGHT OF JUMPING
a. mo, sir. l didn't have time. I ha
"a no thought Of jumping.
. do you consider the banjo system o
"A signalling as safe as the system of sig
10 Mailing which gives an advance indica
: lion - asked Mr. Helnap
he Not by any means replied the engin
70 eer
nd General Manager BaTdo testified tina
H. from January l. l91l. to date. there ha
been l5s such cases reported, for whic
SO engineers had been discharged and J.
disciplined. There had been also II
cases reported of improper Tagging &c
which n haA been discharged and
an were Otherwise disposed OF.
n.1 Brace Adams. conductor of the Be
re arbor train. testified that at Wilson
,r- coming from Springfield. he had Sci
M Flagman Murray back to protect his tra'
tie until he Jagged first g." the WIFI
no Mountain).
m Then did arA . pull right up behir
70 your
fr yes. siY."
nm Murray denied in his testimony that
an lhad seen the White Mountain at all unit
,h, the wreck at North Haven
Adams said no had been particular