New Britain herald., 1916-02-23
DEATH LIST REACHES TEN;
 TRAINS DISPATCHED WITH
 ONLY A MINUTE BETWEE1
Coroner, Public Utilities Commission al Interstate Commerce Commission Seek
 Light on "New Haven" Wreck
SIGNAL, SYSTEM IS REPORTED TO BE
 MOST UPTO DATE IN THE COUNTRl

Vice President Whaley Says Blcck Sig- naIs Were Set Against Local Train Which Crashed Into Stalled Express -Engineer and Fireman of Latter Questioned bv Coroner Mix Behind
 Closed Doors.
 New Haven, Feb. 23-Official and ] formal inquiries into the wreck i two passenger trains on the Ne" York. New Haven and Hartford rall- road in Milford yesterday with the loss of ten lives, will begin tomorrow and each one will be behind closed doors so far as information IS now given. The hearing to be conduc"eo bv the interstate commerce com l mission and at which the pubic utll- ities commission and representatives, of the railroad will sit. will begin at | the offices of the New York, New 1 Haven and Hartford railroad here aC 10 a. m. A request has been made for 1 permission to have newspaper heh l present.
 Engineer and Fireman Quizzed. Railroad officials and members Of the public utilities commission con- l ducted separate informal inquiries to- 1 dav while Coroner Eli Mix held hl; 1 behind closed doors. as is his custom | declining to give out any 1nformatlon
 at this time. Mr. Mix had before
 him Engineer John J. Kennedy ana
 Fireman Charles Courtz, of train |2'
 who were on ground under the frSt
 coach of their train trying to locatc
 trouble in the air hose from the
 electric motor to the coach. Neither Y was seriously hurt. Several Milford } men who were among the first on the scene after the crash were also wit nesseS.
 Signals Set Against No. ,.
 The days developments as to the
 cause of the collision were few. The
 railroad company through Vice Pres
 ident Whaley, issued a statement to
 the effect that the signals in the Mil
 ford block were properly set against
 train Mo- 5, and that the brakes on
 this train were in perfect shape. No reference is made to the condition Of the brakes on the engine of this | train.
 1 The death list stands at ten. The body of Engineer w. R. Curtis was taken to his home in Stamford. Per mission had been given by medical examiners for removal of other bodies for purpose of burial. statement on the wreck issued l today by A. R. Whaley, vice presi- l dent in charge of operation says that 1 the signals were properly set to pre- vent the wreck and that the brakes l on train No. B. which rammed the eX- 1 press were in proper working order. | Inspectors of the interstate con- 1 merce of Connecticut, the statement 1 says are now making an investigation. 1 The statement follows:
 Official Statement. "C. H. Morrison, signal engineer, and G. W. Campbell, signal foreman report the signals (the most modern) , after the accident yesterday to have been properly set to prevent the ac- cident MT. Campbell was on train 5, which crashed into No. 79 and made immediate investigation to that effect and was later joined by MT. M Morrson.
 "Chief Inspector Belknap and In spector Howard of the interstate commerce commission, and Commis- sioner Elwell and others of the pub lie utilities commission of Connecti cut together with the operating, me chanical. officers of the New Haven are making an investigation as to the cause of the accident.
 "The rear end car on train 79, which No. 5, in charge of Engineer !. Curtis ran into was one of the very latest and had most modern steel 1 cars.
 Investigation shows that the ! brakes on train No. were in proper 1 working order. i
 Engineer Curtis took charge of 1 the train when it was made up at 1 New Haven and had run ten miles. The grade was slightly descending, not more than half of one per cent.
 "Flagman Tourtelotte of train No. 7o had gone back seven hundred feet from his train to warn No. , and was evidently killed as he was stop ping to place torpedoes on the track.
 Engineer Curtis had been engineer on the road seven years with very fine record. He a clean living, ! upright man.
 Fireman McGinness of train No. ,, Engineer Curtis associate, had just I.assed his examinations to be an en- gineer and was shortly to be pro- noted He also was a good man in every particular''
 The statement says also that all local trains today are running on time except two, these two being l from ten to twenty minutes late. All four tracks are now open but it IS
 (Continued On Eleventh Page)