New Britain herald., 1916-02-25
MECHANICAL DEVICE VS. HUMAN ELEMENT Bardo Says One Can Never Offset
 Other, at Wreck Probe FEDERAL INQUIRY COMPLETE

General Manager of New Haven Road Would Continue to Place RcspOnsi-
 bility With Eneinecrs-To Examine
 Signal System.
 New Haven, Feb. 25.-The federal inquiry into the causes of the wreck at Milford last Tuesday on the New York, New Haven and Hartford road was completed today so far as taking l of testimony is concerned. The com- | missions will now make tests of the | signal devices to determine their eff ticiency and will have an inspection made of the stretch of track at Mill 1 ford involved in the wreck.
 Cannot Offset Human Element. The chief witness today was Gen. eral Manager c. l.. Bardo of the com pany, who declared in answer to ques- tions by H. w. Belknap that he knew of no mechanical device which could offset the human element. This ele- ment must be considered in every case he said. He could not account for the presence of Harold Sweeney on the engine of the extra passenger
 
 Fireman McGinnis which ran into the express, and paid a tribute to the Judgment and qualifications of Curtis Asked as to whether or not signals had been properly observed by En-, glnemen, MT. Bardo said that a total of 4O,30S efficiency tests had been made under thirty-five classifications and that with one exception all had been compiled with In one instance an engineer had failed to bring his train to stop when he should but. had slowed down. He thought thai any modification of engineers rules which could be made to reduce the hazard was desirable, but added: Leave Responsibility With Engineers.
 There is grave question in my mind as to the wisdom of taking from the shoulders of well trained disci- phned engineer the responsibility for uo1nS certain things. Regardless of what mechanically or electrically combined devices may be developed you still go back to the human ele- ment. l think the experience of every railroad and of every institu- t'oh Where mechanical appliances are used, is that mechanical appliances Will fail and when they fail, you can never be quite sure in which direction that failure is going to gO.''
 He said he considered the signalling system in use the best that could be found, and that while the company, tried to have it's engineers kept on schedule the emphasis was laid on safety and not speed.
 Other witnesses were called to describe in detail the automatic sig mailing devices.
 Hoge Gillian, electrical superintend- ent, and H. H. Hass, engineer of tests were among other witnesses called on for technical testim ony
 The inspection of the signal devices at Woodmont will probably be made tomorrow.
 MT Belnap, chief of the division of safety, presiding over the session in the office building of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad be- gan questioning railroad operating Of ficials at 9:30. directing their atten- tion specifically to the signal system of the road. The evidence taken on this point prpared the way for exam ination of the mech hanism of the sig nals W hich were installed in the block in which the rear-end collision oc-
  tached from the signals and brought into the railroad building for inspec- ton by the signal experts of the com mission.
 Why Was Sweeney in Cab?
 The inquiry of MT. Mix was devoted chiefly to clearing up the mystery of the presence of Harry Sweeney, who had given up his position as a student fireman three hours before he was | Killed, On the engine of No. D. The cor | ener says he is not inquiring into the | despatchlng of trains on the road, i leaVlns that to the federal inquiry, but l is giving particular attention to the 1 human element in the accident.
 The first witness whom MT. Belnap i questioned was Michael Connolly, sec l tion man working with Section Fore man Heath. He had paid ro atten- ton 10 signals
 Air Hose Important Evidence.
 G. w. Wildin, mechanical superin- tendent, testified that the jagged hole in the air hose was not caused by Il blowout but by a blow. The hose he said was of standard quality
 Charles U. Joy, general airbrake in spector, said that experiments made DA nIiil hdu deIilO1StraLed that the ja gged hole in the air hose might have been made by the thrashing end of the steam hose It had already been brought out that the steam hose on the end of the leading coach of No. 79, where the air hose is located had parted.
 Both engines on the trains were equipped with the most modern air. brake eQuiDment, Four coaches on | No, were of wood. All the coaches on 79 were of steel. The Pullmans were of wood with steel frames.