The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-03-17
SUNDAYS WRECK HEARING
Continued from Page H.

which he had retained and which he
was instructed to preserve carefully. /
This was what is known as a "31
order and was repeated back after be- |
ing signed by him at Bellows Falls. |
The order read, No. l65 wait at Bar |
louisville until $50 p. m. for extra IS -
According to the testimony of Mr.. Bris
lin, who has been conductor on the |
Rutland railroad for several years after
serving as a trainman, this order wasl
completed about 4.25 o clock and he
left the station at Bellows Falls at 4.33
o'clock. 3.%
As near as he could figure the crash
came about seven or eight minutes later
and he thought the point was approx
mately three miles out from Bellows
Falls This, he said was the only or
der concerning train rs which he re-
ceived at Bellows Falls.
Elmer "A. Spafford of Gassetts. sta
tionmaster at this point for the last
said that on Sunday afternoon, March
II, the day of the wreck, he took a.
"19' order for the crew of extra 2SI
running south. This order read No.
los wait at Bartonsville until 40 D.
m. for extra IS south > According to
his testimony the order was completed
at All clock
Conductor Phillips was the next wit
ness and he plainly showed the stress
under which he has been laboring for
the last few days. His answers in
| many instances were given only after
considerable thought, and frequently
his eyes filled up, showing the strain
| under which he was laboring. He said
| that the train order was handed TO him
| by his brakeman, Burton NJ Brooks.
and he said it was hard to read, impos-
sible to make out, and that he later
| had a discussion with the brakeman as
to the actual reading of the order. Both
he and the brakeman came to the con
clusion that the order read to meet at
| Bellows Falls, or that they had until
| 4.45 to make the siding at this station
which would have been Riverside Con-
ductor Phillips said he felt uneasy but
that he had no signal talk with the
| engineer and that he did not try to
| attract the attention of the engineer
as he should have done in case of doubt
this last being in answer to a question
put by the commission.
Fireman Ralph R. Bean said:-
4 did not read the train order. Mr.
Cady read the order to Trainman A. NJ
Granger who was on the headend ant
myself and he read the order to meet
train. l65 at Bellows Falls There wa,
no talk about the order at the time anC
| did not notice for sure where En-
gineer Cady put the order, but probabl,
in his pocket
'SWhen we passed Bartonsville Their
was some remark made about havin;
time to get to Riverside The onl,
other order we had ON train l65 sine
leaving Rutland was at the Sunni
when the order read that train 16
vas running one hour and Is minute
ate. At this time we had some tai
about where we would make the NEE
| but | do not recall definitely just wha
| this conversation. was. This Summi
| order l read myself. but the order II
| eeived at Gassetts was read aloud b
| Engineer Cady .
| The last witness of the Afternoon
| the final testimony to be introduce
| before the commission, was Burto
| | Brooks of this city. trainman in til
caboose with Conductor Phillips on I'll
| i'll fated freight At GaSsetts he sal
1 dc received the oTueT on the nook 1fo
Mr.. Spafford and he turned the ord,
| over Immediately to Mr. Phillips al
| after he had read. the order it ";
| passed back again to Mr.. Brooks, vi
: old the commission that he read Il
order as Bellows Falls, and continun
n he said:
ii Later | was positive when | notice
II that Engineer Cady had run by, or v;
III running by Bartonsville | aga
| glanced at the train order and said
must be Bellows Falls At BartonsviI
II Conductor Phillips took out his wat,
III and said it was IS and that we cou
III make Bellows Falls
ii Mr. Phillips is of nervous disp
III ,ition anyway and he had not been fee
Ill ing we'll for week. We were in Z
III monitor of the caboose when the era
III came, neither being thrown from 0
II positions. We could not see the a
II preaching danger.
II At the close of this witness 5 test
III mony Chairman Dutton announced III
HI the hearing was closed 1t was lat
II said that as far as the commission cou
III sec at present there would be no fl
| Their use in reopening the hearing al
II it was intimatcd that n decision won
ii be handed down in the near future
VI