The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-09-18
INVESTIGATION OF TRAIN WRECK.
Continued from Page H.

Train Dispatcher James d. OBrien of
Springfield Mass testified to giving or
ders To the extra freight to run from
Putney To Brattleboro, but he said the
order had no bearing on the accident.
He testified at some length as to what
his records showed rs to the arrival and
departure of trains at Dummerston.
Harry 4 Woodward. agent and operator
at Dummerston gave interesting testi-
mony IA to the method of reporting the
leaving of trains on the siding. The
lower end of the siding is out of sight
around a curve south Of the station, so
that if train had only six cars, as was
the ease with train No. 50, he would not
be able TO see the rear end. He nearly
always listened to learn when a train
pulled oil the siding and then made his
report, but on this occasion he was at
the telegraph key when - left and so
reported the time as nearly as he was
able TO Judge. This, however, he said
had no special bearing on the accident.
limitations of more important things
to come were made in Mr.. Woodward's
testimony. From tests made at Dunn
merston Sunday by railroad people he
was satisfied that the extra freight was
running from 40 to IS miles an hour, he
said. When il went past he rushed out
OF the station and listened. az he felt sure
there was trouble ahead. He heard a
torpedo and quickly thereafter the crash
of the collision Up TO this time nothing
had been said about a torpedo, the ex-
plosion Of which is a warning signal.
Leo G.. Forgette, engineer of 81 on the
day Of the accident, was running on that
train for the first time. He told about
pulling out on 10 the main line within
two minutes after % passed, and said
he hadn't time TO release his brakes be-
fore the crash came. He thought the
Joint order justified his leaving directly
behind 0S notwithstanding rule 5l3.
Fireman j. ID. Guertin of - said it was
the custom to pull out directly behind
0S and he thought that was the proper
course Conductor Edward II, higgins
felt the same way and thought rule 5l3
did not apply in this case.
Flagman Albert A. Graves of 50 said
he thought the joint order became a
part Of the time table and that rule 513
did not apply. He said he placed one
torpedo on the track after 9s passed
but didn't have time to put on two as
repaired by the rules as his train was
leaving. 10 was explained, however
that when only one torpedo is heard
where there should be two, the one shall
De regarded the same as though there
were two.
II was shown that Flagman Graves las
Sunday showed the officials where h,
placed the torpedo, and the distanc,
there TO where the wreck occurred wa
0Gj feet inches. Tests of stopping
train going at several different speed
were made Sunday at the point wher
the freight ran over the torpedo, and il
all Of them the train stopped well bacl
where'the collision occurred.
Flagman Graves said that when h
placed the torpedo he looked up the trac
hut saw nothing of the freight Afte
80 had pulled on to the main line he hear
the torpedo and saw the freight comm
at least 30 miles an hour
Head Brakeman James A. Riley of
said he threw the switch as soon as tn
signal arm started to clear, but didn
have time TO drop the lever before tn
freight was upon him and he jumped
one side.
Several bridge carpenters who were i
the vicinity of the wreck were examined
after which a recess was taken until
this morning.
The witnesses at the session thi
morning included James Godfrey, fire
man, Edward A. Sawin, conductor, B.
Riley, Thomas 0'Connor and Amos
Jones, brakemen, on extra freight
Their testimony was to the effect tha
their train was running at the rate {
between 35 and 40 miles an hour at ii
time of the accident. A statement alon
the same lines was read from Williai
r. Webb. the injured engineer.
Among the other witnesses was Charl'
NJ. Woodward superintendent of Il
Connecticut Passumpsic division of Il
Boston & Maine, who testified that ties
made Sunday showed that extra freigl
6, running at the speed of AS miles g
hour could be stopped GOO feet from Il
torpedo although the distance from Il
torpedo to the scene of the accident WI
065 feet. He also said that the joil
order changing the point Of passing +