The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-12-02
BRAKEMAN HELD
FOR WRECK SAYS
SWITCH FAILED
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Coroner Mix asstv late on the
scene and after d Hlsfy@ consultation
with DR.. futile, hi liked about the
scene, lantern in hAnd. Directly be-
meath the protruding head Of the
dead engineer, a red flag lay on the
ground. partly covered by the debris
OF the smashed caboose. It Is thought
this may have been used by Flagman
Hershenroder.
F1agman Arrested.
Following the conference between
Mix and DR.. futile, orders were given
to arrest the hagman. Hershenroder,
and to make speedy arrangements
for the summoning Of all members
Of the crews Of the train, to the In
quest which was begun this morning.
The switch. which was left open.
and which sent the passenger engine
plunging to its doom, ID located about
800 feet south of the spot where the
caboose attached to the rear end
Of the string Of freight cars stood.
Hershenroder. Thompson, the head
brakeman, Conductor L. e. Johnson.
Of New, York city and the engineer
and fireman Of the freight, j. W. Ar
delt and r.. J.. Creighton, respectively,
both Of New York city, all agree that
they had pulled into the siding from
the main track fully 40 minutes be-
fore the disaster occurred.
IS Much OH in Freight.
The freight train comprised 10 oil
tanks and coal cars. The tanks con-
tanning the inflammable liquid were
luckily forward and the coal cars were
strung out at the end of the freight.
Before the open switch is reached,
the view of an approaching engineer
lis hidden by the bend in the road.
The passenger express bowling along
at 40 miles an hour. could not see
the stationary freight until the open
switch had been reached. The ex-
press traversed g. distance covered by
exactly Eli railroad ties, between the
switch and the rear Of the freight
train.
It is estimated at the decreasing
speed the train was going It would
take about four seconds to cover the
intervening Dround, as Engineer Lake
found he hid left the main line, in
q twinkling the rear Of the caboose,
wrath like In the darkness doomed up
ahead Of him. He threw on his emer
gency brakes, jammed down the
throttle and waited with strained mus
cIes for what he knew was inevitable
death. He had been warned Of his
danger too late.
F1agman Jumps.
The members OF the freight crew,
with the exception Of Hershenroder,
were absent from the caboose. The
latter was standing on the rear plat
form, with a flag in his hand,
when he spied the onrushing express
train, SO feet away. Realizing in
the nick Of time his danger, he leaped
from the caboose to the left Of the
freight and ran. It was thought for.
ed.
This belief had not been dispel1ed
until near midnight, when he return
ed to tho scene and was immediately
taken to the Beacon Falls Jail by Dep
uty Sheriff James e. Sweeney, who
arrested him on orders from Medical
Examiner futile.
The wrecking train by 11:15 had
managed to, throw from the rails the
battered mail coach. after detaching
1t from the wrecked engine. A short
while later tho locomotive had been
removed, and the bodies of the dead
engineer and fireman extricated from
the cab and taken to the morgue in
Waterbury. A gang of faborers then
was given the task Of removing the
coal with shovels, which had been
piled high on the tracks.
To properly estimate the irresistible
force OF the collision, the fact has
but to be considered that the fourth
coal car from the rear OF the freight
was made OF wood. instead Of being q
steel gondola AZ were the others.
The steel cars both ahead and be-
hind It were found closely damned
together. The wood car flooring has
been crushed to splinters. and the
sides thrown into the air. resting
when they fell partly on the car
which preceded 1t and the one which
had been coupled to It's rear. The
coal piled In heaps on the track was
an impossible barrier to progress on
the track.
Sift Conflicting Stories.
The conflicting stories OF the cause
OF the accident told by Flagman
Hershenroder and Head Brakeman
Thompson, are the matters which to-
day are being sifted for the authori-
ties. The former states that after the
freight had pulled into the siding he
placed torpsdoes On the track when
the engineer blew the whistle, sig
Mailing him to come back to the
train,
Hershenroder maintains that he
thought other brakemen had closed
the switch, leaving the siding closed
to the main line, and setting it for
the express to continue its proper
course. He admits he did not ex-
anime it, but locked at the arm. the
light OF which indicated that the
switch had been closed, He is man
with Is years. experience and has
always been considered by the rail-
road competent employee. Il was
his duty according to the railroad Of
fieia1s to see that the switch was
properly set, by personal exaHlina-
ton. The placing Of tsFpedses on