New Britain herald., 1917-08-14

p1tal here during tho night, the latte Haven and Ernest A. Koltn of Clinto
 The coroner's inquiry was opened here. gang of men this forenoon removed the wreckage on the line north of Branford so that through traffic could be resumed. The early morning developments apparently did not change the aspect of tho disaster as to the element of cause. Motor man Wesley Negus of saybrook, of the trolley car which had Left Guil- ford as an extra and was running towards New Haven, said after the wreck, that he had dropped off to sleep with his head on the controller box after the car left the waiting shed, at North Branford and that the next he knew he was on the ground. A few hundred yards to the west after rounding 8 curve the car had crashed into the car from New Haven which was we'll laden with passengers bound for shore towns as fer n Say brook and which had the right of way. Negus, it is understood, did not materially alter his statement to Deputy Coroner Wynne, explaining that he had been working for 16, hours and was tired out.
 The coroner's inquiry today was conducted in New Haven.
 The following is revised list of the identified dead:
 John H. Cannon. New Haven. re- tired insurance agent.
 Mrs. Julius Day. Shelton.
 Miss Julia Howell. 20. East Rivers
 Mrs. John Grannis, widow of pr. Grannis, Old Saybrook.
 n VrySd nyW of former Senator Chapman of Vest brook.
 y Harry Morris. motorman, New Haven.
 Antonio De Nardi, Boston.
 Mrs. Angelina Nimfe. Leete's Island-
 Henry D. Mercy. New York.
 Mrs. Samuel Spencer, Clinton.
 Mrs. William Hofer. Guilford.
 Mrs. Andrew J. Higgins, Brooklyn, N Y.
 Leonard s. Hotchkiss, New Haven. k(died in hospital.)
 Edmund Parker Shepard, Sachem's Head
 Miss Edna Waite. matron Elm City hospital. New Haven.
 Miss Phoebe Ingersoll. Chicago.
 Ernest A. Ko1in. Clinton.
 Two bodies are still unidentified ok the morgue.
 ? Among Miss Ingerso1fs effects were found 8 will executed in 1914. and a number of papers of consider able monetary value.
 Pipe Held Controller Handle Down.
 When the inquiry of Deputy Cor oner Wynne was opened only . few witnesses had been called. A num- Der of exhibits were taken into the .office among them controller box said to have been detached from Motorman Negus' car. At the time 1t was not clear why the controller box was brought to the city but later 1t was said that examination of 1t showed that the rubber piping had been twisted around the lever. It was said that this controller box Is similar to those which have been used on high speed trolley lines, and the motorman to get electrical contact Is obliged to instantly depress the lever. If pressure is released the contact is lost and the car is without power. It is said to have been 8 practice of some motormen when running for long distances through a right of-way where stops are not to be made for ssniles, to attach a piece of piping from the wrist to the lever so that depression of the latter can be se- cured without the motorman being obliged to continually apply manual weight. It is said that this piping on the controller box carried to the coroner's office showed that the prac- tice had been followed on this car.
 The coroners inquiry will go into the system of operating the cars as, st is said, that there were no block signals and the cars were usually run by watch schedule. Crews set their