The Washington times., 1916-02-23
FOURINQU|R|ES ON TO
. Find CAUSE OF CRASH
Engineer Of Local Train Alleged
to Have Passed Two Set
/. Block Signals.
May Blame Engineer.
CONTINUED from First Page)
and the investigation was we'll under
way by II a. m. behind closed doors.

and the investigation was well under
way by IL a. m, behind closed doors.
May Blame Engineer.
w. r. Curtis, the dead engineer OF
the local train that crashed into the
rear of the Connecticut River Special,
seems likely to be blamed.
The local. 1t Is alleged. passed two
block signals which were set when tha
train ahead stopped because of a dc
fective Dir hose.
while these reports were being tn
yestigated from four sources President
Howard Elliott, OF the New Haven. Is
sued a statement regarding the wreck
The volume of business the CONF
pany has been handling" he said. has
been far greater than ever before in its
have been severely taxed. Officers and
men have been under severe strain in
trying to give service"
Curtiss was eulogized in a statement
by the New Haven today.
Engineer Curtiss had been an en-
Gineer seven years with u fine rec
ord" says the statement. "He was
clean living. upriGht man: HIS
have been promoted to engineer"
Found Warning Still Set.
C. H. Morrison and G. w. chapplc.
OF the New Haven's signal depart
ment. today reported they inspected
the signals Immediately after tho
wreck and found a warning still set
to detain the local train. Chapple, II
was stated. was a passenger on the
local train and ran back along the
trucks to inspect the signals as soon
as he extricated himself from the
. wreckaRe.
man Tourtellotte, asserting he had
, gone back 700 feet to warn the on
coming local, and evidently was
killed as he stopped to place tor
pedoes on the track"
The statement added that the
brakes on the local train were found
after the accident to be in perfect
working order and that the death
car. the twisted steel Pullman. was
Despite the fact that the principal
witnesses are dead, Utilities Commits
sioner. Elwell said the responsibility
could De quickly ascertained. Engineer
Curtis and Firemen Connors. of tho
local. and Flegman Tourtellotte. OF the
stalled train, who was whlrled to his
death beneath the oncoming local. still
waving his danger signal, were the Wit
nesses referred to by Elwell. Tourtel-
lotte was hailed today as the martyred
hero of the disaster.
Frank Schappa. a clerk in the Local
office of the New Haven, died OF his
injuries today. He was terribly scalded
by the bursting of the boiler when the
local trains engine mounted over the
last Pullman of the stationary train.
Frank Mcnamara, of Ansonia. Is in a
New Haven hospital badly crushed, and
is reported near death.
Wrecking crews are still tugginR at
the wild tumble of twisted steel plates
and rails In an effort to clear the line.
The fact that steel cars composed most
many lives. SAM ." 'A''' '"'''
Claims for personal damages will cost
the New Haven sb0n nn0 accordtpC 20
representatives of the rcad at the
scene of the wreck. Already more than
126 claims have been presented and
scdres more are expected.
To Probe Signal System.
The operation of the automatic stor
signal system at the scene OF the
wreck. and Immediately behind IL will
be given a critical examination. This
system was installed after rigid tests
directed by the Interstate Commerce
Commission. It's installation was the
subject Of much testimony at the in
quiry into the North Haven wreck
September. 1913.
Commissioner Elwell expressed
amazement that a rear end collision
should have happened at this point
His examination proved that the long
sweeping curve just above Indian
river did not prevent Engineer Cur.
tbs from a straightaway observation
train was stalled. The express was
stopped almost one quarter of a mile
from the curve.
Railroad employees say the rear cal
or the express train was built oI
wood In steel frame. Officials in.
Fist that the car was ''of steel con
struction." More passengers were In
Jured In this car than in any other.
Brakes Failed, Is Report.
That the brakes on the local train
II applied by Curtis. did not grip be
fore the collision is said to be estab
lished by the injuries received bJ
nearly a dozen passengers. Thes,
travellers all suffer from fractured
jaws. caused when they were thrown
face forward against seats ahead.
The trains were both behind thei
schedules. No. 5. the local. was elev
en- minutes late and the express
thirty minutes late.
The express left yesterday at l.
O'Clock and the local at 11:09. Tn,
local. having station stops. used tn,
outer OF the westbound tracks. Tn,
express running on the inner track
passed the local. and at Woodmon
was three minutes in the, lead. I
track so that a freight could pro
coed west on the inner track. Thi
freight was buckled by the wreck
age. The official time. shows tina
11:19 and the local went by a
11:22. Beyond Woodmont Is the curV,
on which at the westerly end the eX
press became stalled,
Explosion Adds To Havoc.
A terrific explosion. which threw
the boiler of No. mixed local trail
100 feet. tossing 1t clear over the fou
tracks into a snowbank, added to tn,
havoc. From this several passenger
and trainmen received fatal burns.
The passenger trains were well fill
ed. The express from Brattlebor
carried delegates to convention o
the Sons of the American Revolution
to Bridgeport. The leading New Eng
land families were represented.
Officials of the New Haven railroa,
were among the travellers. The onl.
dead woman, Miss Susan Hyland, o
New Haven, was a stenographer II
the famous yellow building whicl
houses the railroad officials here.
Her chum. Miss Minnie Schwartz
also a railroad stenographer fror
New Haven, is at the BrijgepoT
Hospital, badly burned and not ex
pected to recover. j. l.. Hackett, chic
rate clerk of the railroad. receive
serious decorations of the head an
Is reported to be in a serious condi
tion at the Bridgeport Hospital.