New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-02-25
Ignored Two Signals
Then Ran Down Flag
man, Coroner Finds.
BROKEN AIR PIPE
TO BE INVESTIGATED
Railroad Employees Questioned
on Block System by Fed
eral Officials.

New Haven. Conn. Feb. "a Blame
for the wreck at Milford last Tuesday
Is placed upon W. r. Curtis. the dead
engineer OF the accommodation train
by the informal report Of Coroner Mix
and by a dozen railroad officials. who
testified al the investigation to-day.
They agreed that a mile and quar-
ter before reaching the stalled Con-
necticut River Special express. Curtis
found a yellow precautionary signal
set warning him TO halt. and that 600
feet from the motionless express he
should have obeyed the order OF the
red and yellow danger signal TO come
70 standstill. In spite of these warn
ings. the witnesses testified that Curtis
ran his train ahead at thirty five miles
an hour. ran over and killed the flag
man who had run back 400 feet to give
him a third danger signal and sent his
locomotive telescoping through the
rear car Of the express.
This matter Of trains running by
yellow boards caution signals) at
high rate Of speed is common occur
renee said John W. Heath. section
foreman at Woodmont and probably
the last man to sec Curtis and his fire.
man alive.
"The engineers have mile or more
% get ready for the next signal" added
Heath, as members Of tie Interstate
Commerce Commission and State Pub
lie Utilities Commission leaned for
ward TO catch every word he said.
Trains Three Minutes Apart.
"The wrecked trains passed the
Woodmont tower signal, where ] stood,
Just about three minutes apart Heath
said. "They frequently 20 that way
Two went By that way to-day Heath
swore that the Woodmont tower signal
was set at caution, that the accommo-
dation train. with Curtis az the throt-
tie, was making from forty-five 70 fifty
miles an hour when it swept past hin,
and that he noticed no slackening OF
speed before three staccato blasts on
q whistle blended with the crash.
The Federal and state authorities
practically completed their joint in
vestigation into the cause Of the acct
dent tonight Coroner Mix will exam
inc two more witnesses tomorrow. He
may make his report public early next
week H. W Belnap, chief OF the divi-
sion Of safety for the Interstate Com
rerce Commission. said that after adj
iournment he intended TO make a COM
pleto investigation or the New Haven's
signal system.
The presence Of Harry Sweeney. the
third man IN the engine cab whose
identity has remained a mystery till
to-day. was established, and Sweeney
body was identified by his father ct
Stamford Several of the railroad men
who testified express the belief that the
presence of Sweeney was as an appren-
tce fireman.
Third Man in Cab.
Only theory is now relied upon 20
establish the reason why Curtis dis
regarded in turn the precautionary and
the danger signals anC why he failed to
halt his train after his engine faced,
on q straightaway track, Tourtelotte
the hagmaL and tho stationary eX-
press. The belief was not advanced by
any witness that Curtis mad become IN
conscious either through faint or death.
but IL was discussed as the only rea-
sonablc solution OF his failure to check
his train
Aside from the corroborative evil
dence Of Curtis's neglect of the signals,
the grilling of score of railroad wit
nesses by Chief Inspector Belknap, of
the Interstate Commerce Commission
on railroad methods IN vogue on the
New Haven system was the feature OF
to-day's hearing.
Every tngineer and fireman was asked
what he would do I'm case he found first
precautionary and then a danger sig.
nal set against him. Without eNcep.
ton, every freight engineer asserted
that he would shut OF steam upon
sighting the precautionary signal. Some
Of the passenger engineers stated that
they would simply slow down some