The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-06-18
(By Our Staff Corres. on Ira

paired, to an extent Of which they alone are cognizant, nevertheless fur niShed abundant corroboration for the evidence of Engineer Charles J. Do herty, yesterday on it's trial trip to the scene of the Stamford wreck. Not once in eight stops did the big Pacific engine measure up to the stop ping performance expected of an en- zine whose air brakes are in first class condition, and on the eighth and final test, the brakes went out of com mission completely. The brake lever broke. the cars had been out off, and the engine ran almost mile before it stopped
 Most significant was the test which was intended to duplicate the proce- dure. to which Doherty testified he re- sorted on the fatal day.
 The power was shut off 2000 fleet before the .distance signal was reach ed. At the distance signal the service brake was applied. A second appl1ca- ton was given, and then the yedner- gency was thrown over. The train nev- ertheiess rolled 375, feet into the space which had been occupied by the train to which the fated SkyIark had been attached
 Had, there been a train at this point it would have been irretrievaIoly shat tered
 If the evidence is to be accepted as
 
 engine to New Haven before its in- spection by legal authorities, and the railroad insists that they should be alleging that absolutely no tannpering with the working parts have been at tempted other than to make necessary repairs under government inspection to put the machinery into operating or der for the tests-the try-out demon strates both for the story told by Do- herty.
 with it's badly bruised and battered appearance the huge Pacific type-en- zine bore into Bridgeport shortly be- fore noon yesterday with it's big quota. of high railroad heads, government i'm vestfgabors and state investigators. added a. large delegation of newspaper correspondents who were permitted to be present at the trials. Eminent brake experts from Inanufac turing plants and neighboring railroads had been invited to conduct the tests,
 Beside the expected demonstration there was another and even more con vincing one which came unexpectedly and but for the an-eleu1ent would have afforded even more sensation than was afforded by the catastrophe of a few days ago.
 The test train, having been given a clear track from the Dar1en block on track B. all express service was switch ed to track 1, normally a. freight track. The Bay State limited from Boston to New York, travelling at an average speed Of 62 miles an dnouR was racing towards Stamford at speed estimated by railroad men present at about 63 miles as 1t rounded the curve at Stam- ford It was suddenly confronted with the distance signal, which had warned Dof1erty, and standing exactly at the same position, at the home signal. was a long freight train. The express engineer applied his emergency brakes, sanded his track, and, reversing his lever stopped his train before he came to the fLagnan, stationed 150 feet to the rear of the freight Officials of the railroad, who had witnessed the incident from the head of the test train which they had been engaged in ex- a1aining at the time, shook their heads in approbation after the tense mo ments of expectancy were over. Gen era1 Manager c. L. Bardo, who had been an eye witness to a reporter for The Farmer refused to state that an accident had been imminent, preferr1ng to consider it as demonstration of what is done every day in the service He pointed to the fact that every man had done his duty and that the train had been brought to a stop where it was supposed to be.
 A similar test, applied o-t11e recon section of the wrecked train. and performed in accordance with the testimony given upon the witness stand, by Engineer Doherty, brought engine 1888 and its eight cars down upon the same distance signal at 69 1% miles per hour. A ten pound service l of air being put upon the l brakes at the distance signal, followed 1 by a 5 pound application and recourse to the emergency brake brought the | train to a. stop in 39 3-5 seconds, with | in a distance of 2, 296 feet, but carried |
 
 has been determined that Doherty | came into contact with the first sec ton of the Springfield Express while | running at 15-20 miles per hour.
 The eighth test which had been in- tended as the most interesting of all, showing as it would the relative effi- eiency of the individual brakes on the cars and engine, resulted in a defect to the brake-lever in the engine and terminated the tests for the day The test demonstrated the high efficiency of the brakes on the eight cars which sut loose from the engine at a speed of 55 miles per hour came to a dead stop within 27 4-5 seconds, while the engine Closing its break lever-pin) l. continued for the larger part of a. nailel Town the tracks.
 No official yesterday could be in luced to comment upon the result of he tests, various reasons being ascrib- I'd. General Manager c. L. Bardo r, aid that del1cacy forbade his making Lny statement, owing to the fact that he railroad had requested an invited 'ody of experts to conduct the experi- , nents General Superintendent C. N Voodford remarked that the train had oeen placed at the service of the In erstate and Public Utilities commits ions. The Air-bra.ke Committee is ( ued a statement that tests had not ( ,een completed, while representatives if the commissions insisted that first ! eports must be made to their. chiefs l
 Among the interesting features of a {