Norwich bulletin., 1916-09-30
SIGNALS EXPLAINED AT WESTERLY
eventh Day of Engineer Charles H. Mansieds Trial- Towerman McManus and Expert Frank H. Niclerson Testify as to Efficiency of System - Benjamin C. Hawkins Charged With Receiving Stolen Cars, Under $500 Bonds in Each Case-Store Burglarized

The seventh day of the trial of En- gineer Charles H. Mansfield. on two charges of rnanslaughter in connection with the railroad wreck at Bradford, April IF. was devoted in the main to expert testimony in regard to the workings of the signal system gener-
 ally. and naturally in support of the efficiency of the system. The state claims that 1t is on such testimony the case rests. while the defence claims that a stronger bearing on the
 case Is how the signals were nanipu- lated just before and after the wtec and not on the efficiency of the Sys- tenn when in perfect condition and l under no extraordinary circumstances, or emergency. When court reconvened Friday morning, Towerman McManus, who had been on the witness stand during all of Thursdays session, resumed his testimony, after Assistant Attorney General Phillips and Attorney John J. Fitzgerald, counsel for Engineer Mans field, held a brief consultation with Judge Rathbun. The judge then an nounced that Judge Barrows should remain in Newport. as the case on trial made necessary a change in as- signment. Judge Rathbun was orig inal1y assigned to Newport, for next | week. It is probable that no more | cases will be tried at Westerly at the pl SSO11I oC0oAOAA VI AI4O NSN1A '"
 Towernnan McManus testified that l the tower is kept darkened, save the shaded light from kerosene lamp. He saw Towerman Lewis. of Brad | ford, in front of the tower on the morning of the wreck. Lewis was not | at work at that time, but witness said he would be allowed in the tower and 1 not in violation of rules. At the time | of the wreck and immediately there | after he remained in the tower house
 and sent reports of the wreck. Me | C1usky did not remain in the tower. 1 Witness remained on duty, but did | not do the things the operator in l charge usually does. for he left that work with McClusky, who was a more 1 experienced towerman. He could not 1 tell just when he reported, but the 1 night before the wreck he worked l from II at night to the next morn l ing, and then went to his home in ] Providence, and was back at work at $50, the same day. according to the i tower sheet. He did not know why l he did not make clearance entry on | the sheet for 623 which is due to ar | rive at o'clock. He did not know 1 whether he set the signals for the | preceding train. He did not know l Pete Girard, or the names of men in 1 a restaurant where he ate dinner in l Westerly, Thursday. and he could not | recall that anyone iii the restaurant | told him the best way to get out of
 the case. was not to remember any l there was nothing in the rules to bar | towermen from being in the tower, whether employed in that tower, or not. Witness said he was 23 years old 1 at the time of the accident.
 | Frank H. Nickerson of New Haven.
 engineer in the signal department of
 the New Haven road for a year, and
 prior to that a circuit designer in, the New York Central, and an electrical
 was the next witness. He was in the
 third car from the rear on the Gilt
 Edge on the night of the wreck and
 noted the application of the emergen-
 cy brakes. followed by the impact
 1 with 633. but was not thrown from
 | his seat. He got off the train and met
 i Towerman McClasky, who told him
 to look at the signals and he went to 1 the first home signal two hundred feet 1 east of the bridge. and noted it was set at danger. There he passed the 1 haSman, or someone. and did not know whether fagman was standing still l or not. That man was fagman of 633. 1 Witness then went on and saw the 1 fagmen of 633 and 25 between the 1 bridge and first home. The f1agman 1 of 25 was Camp. Then witness went back to distant signal ~with Camp, 1 that signal was yellow and set at eau | ton. On way out to signals, he stop ped between first home and the bridge, and he ran part of the way 1 and walked the rest.
 He did not stop at the first home over a minute and he was at the dis tant signal about 15 or 20 minutes after the wreck. He saw the first | home signal from the distant signal. about 600 distant. He fixed the dis tanPa hyy the rail len QthC o1InTyfroor
 feet for each rail. If distance from distant signal to first home was 4367 feet, he could see the first home sig
 nal 3967 as he stood on the track. Witness climbed the distant signal and and found the glass; lights and equip
 ment in first class order. With Camp, witness went farther back and took a look at the yellow light and Camp
 proceeded eastward.
 Then Mir. .Nickerson returned to
 Bradford and the lights on first home signal was then red, which was oppo-
 site the switch light. The. color of the
 light did not change. Witness saw the markers on train 25. At Bradford he had a long distance telephone call
 to his superiors and for some of the passengers. He then went into the tower but he could not tell how many were there or who they were. He ex-
 amined the levers and the distant and nrSC nome signals ana they were at
 normal, indicating stop. or danger. @-
 lie went to the tower about an hour and half after the wreck and gave instruction to have the levers sealed, but did not know they were sealed, and did not know that extra locks were put on the levers. McClusky was in the tower when witness en- tered. He did not know now many l were in the tower. but should say two 1 or three men were there. MT. Nick l erson then defined his duties and spe-
 cialized in the study of stops by the | block system. He explained the sys-
 tenn in detail. the working of which | has been given by other witnesses, 1 and the way it ought to have worked, | if 1t worked as designed on the night l of the wreck. The light and arm and the signal system is operated by
 motor and the arm is held in place by
 a 100-pound weight. and when train
 passes the arm Is fixed from clear to caution, and it is held for a proceed l by an electric current. If electric cur l rent failed for any reason. the distant
 signal would return to caution, by rea- l son of the weight.