The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-08-14
Overworked And
 Too Sleepy, Says
 Trolley Motorman
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 Haven.
 The coroners inquiry was opened in New Haven. A gang of men re- moved the wreckage on the line this forenoon so that through traffic could be resumed. The early morning de- velopments apparently did not change the aspect of the disaster as to the element of cause, Motorman Wesley Negus of Saybrook, of the trolley car that had left Guilford as an extra and was running toward 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 in North Branford and that the next he knew he was on the ground A few hundred yards to the west after rounding a curve the car had crashed into the car from New Haven, which was well laden with passengers bound for shore towns as far as Saybrook 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 list or identified dead follows:
 The following is a revised list of the identified dead:
 John H. Cannon, New Haven, re- tired insurance agent Mrs. Julius Day, Shelton. Miss Julia Howell, 20. East River. Mrc IOhn CranniS widow of DT. Grannis, Old Saybrook. Mrs, Charles E. Chapman. widow of former Senator Chapman, Westbrook. Harry Morris, motorman, New Ha- ven.
 Antonio De Nardi, Boston. Mrs. Angelina Nimfe, Leete's Isl and.
 Henry D. Mercy. New York. Mrs. Samuel Spencer. Clinton. Mrs. William Hofer, Guilford. Mrs. Andrew J. Higgins, Brooklyn, N. '.
 Leonard F. Hotchkiss. New Haven, died in hospital.
 Edmund Parker Shepard. Sach. eqn's Head.
 Miss Edna Waite, matron Elm City hospital, New Haven.
 Miss Phoebe Ingersoll, Chicago. Ernest A. kOl1n, Clinton.
 Miss Comstock, of Hartford. Mrs Arthur Goodrich, Hartford. Among Miss IngersolPs effects were found a will executed in 1914 and several papers. of considerable mone- tary value.
 When the inquiry of Deputy Coro-
 ner Wynpel was opened only few witnesses had been called. Several f to~f.fhf<r ca
 among them a controller said to have been detached from Motorman Negus'
 car. At the time it was not clear why
 the controller box was brought to the city, but later it was said that ex- l animation Of it showed that rubber piping had been twisted around the l lever on top., It was said that this controller box is similar to those that have been used on high speed trolley | lines, and the motorman to get e1ec- trical contact is obliged to constantly depress the lever. If pressure is re- l leased the contact is lost and the car 1 is without power It is said to have
 been a practice, of some motormen
 when running for long distances l through right of way where stops are not to be made for miles, to att tach piece of piping from the wrist 1 to the lever so that depression of the lever can be secured without, the
 motorman being obliged to continu- ally apply manual weight. It is said that this piping on the controller box carried to the coroner's office showed I that the practice had been followed on this car.
 The coroner's inquiry will go into the system of operating the cars as
 it is said that there were no block l signals and the cars were usually run
 by watch schedule. Crews set their | watchm@ every morning for uniform ity and runs between switches are said to have been controlled by tele- | phones on the poles at the switches. Negus and Tryon were in sheriff's s l office at the county building and were
 not present at the hearing. 5
 The accident is regarded as one of | the worst in the history of trolley wrecks in New England. It occurred a short distance from the station in l North Branford when westbound | car, gathering speed as it left the statoon, rounded a curve and on a straight stretch of track crashed into
 a. car bound east from New Haven.
 and also running at high speed. Both
 cars were of heavy construction but the force of the blow shattered them and the passengers were crushed to death in the locked cars.
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