The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-25
U. S. INQUIRY SHOWS
SIGNALS IGNORED
New Haven Wreck Partly
Caused by Close Headway,
is Testimony.
BARDO LAuDS

Suw Haven, Feb. cl.--The Interstate
CONNER rec Commission. through u. W.
nNlknap. chief Of the division Of safety.
ended tonight ints first inquiry into the
wreck near Milford on Tuesday. when
ten persons we're killed and nifty injured.
and will probably close the hearing to-
morrow.
\ summary Of the testimony given
to-day gave the impression that william
u. Curtiss. engineer of train No. ..
which crashed into train No. 20. failed
to notice the signals set against him and
went h, them ~ nifty miles an hour.
Just before the end of the hearing the
iden,wy of the third man IN the cab
of the engine Of train No. :, was dis
closed. lie WAS Harry Sweeney Of
Stamford, an employee in the railroad
yards there and q friend Of Curtise.
His presence In the engine was contrary
to the rules.
The testimony Of trainmen to-day who
ran over the road Just before the acct
dent was to the effect that the signals
were IN working order. George w
chappell. assistant engineer of signals,
who was on train No. :. testified that
the train when II passed the sigma
station at Woodmont was going upward
~ forty-nve miles an hour and that
Engineer Cur;te did not slacken speed
until Just a moment before the crash.
John ". Heath. a section foreman. IN
roborsted this statement. This going h,
the yellow boards" or cautionary sig
mails. ~ high speed Is common Heat
said. aud onlN to-day two trains went
by with only a few minutes between
them.
AS n result 81 the inquiry to-day a
to what caused the broken air pipe tina,
brought train No. :? to a standstil'
General Manager Bardo was instructed
~ bring tomorrow the manufacture
OF the steam and air pipes. SO as to get
cxper, opinion as to whether the pipes
were defective or not.
Testimony. brought out the fact that
fast trains are frequently sent OF OF
the same track with only twn or three
minutes between them and that signal
trouble is exported on tho average OF
once a week.
One 81 the points brought out to-da,
at the hearing before Coroner Eli Min
WAS that John J. Kennedy. engineer u
tram No. -. did not whistle out" the
rc3r brakeman as soon as his train
stopped. The "whistling out" means
t1st the rear brakeman is to pick ur
Ms nag. his torpedoes and his fuses. and
make haste down the track as far a. his
Judgment dictates. That no whistle wa.
given IL true. but other members Of ths
crew of No. 20 say that Tourtelntte. the
rear brakeman, who was instantly killed
when struck nv Curtiss's engine. went
out as SOON as the train stopped.
General Manager Bardo Tonight psid
this tribute TO the Nagman Tourtelotte
81 have no opinion ~ YET as to thc
cause Of the wreck. but I do want to 50,
that in all my experience I have never
seen a railroad man more faithful to his
duty. This man. IN MY opinion. saw tha'
regardless Of signals the Accommodate,
train was plunring forward. He de
t~er,nined I, make one final effort. anc
7 ear hear him saying. i will put dow i
torpedo as a last chance and 7 believ.
II was when he attempted IL put dow
the warning torpedo that he was struci
down"
TIL identification Of the last OF m.
victims OF the wreck was made to-da,
when Ardashes ". keoleian Of eli
Broadway. New York. identified the AZ
menian whose body has been In tn
morgie In Milford since Tuesday az tina
% Ciagarsh Keoleian. a noted Armenian
writer. lecturer and publisher, known Il
thousands Of \rmenians in America a
'Moushgh Shahinian."