SIGNALMAN ACQUITTED.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 94, 14 January 1908, Page 5

SIGNALMAN ACQUITTED.

RAILWAY COLLISION. BY TELEGRAFH—PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPVIIIOIIf. ; ■ • ■ ■ London, January 12. 'Wm. John Holiis, tignalmau at West Hampstead, ivas acquitted on a ehargo of manslaughter in connection with the West Hampstead railway oollision. DID THE APPARATUS FAIL? The railway collision at the We&t HiilnpStead Station, on the Hctropolitan Railway, killed three persons and injured-eleven. • At the inquiry, William Jolitt Holiis, the fiigiial' hiaii At \Vcat i Jlampstcad, a short,' yoilllglooking niau with ft' (lark military moustache, deposed that at 7,45 a.m. tllero 'was an impenetrable fog. When the 7.37 train arrived iio had ijioarod tho lino and dratvn the start-' ini signal. ' ' I then heard something coino aloni;," said Holiis, "and I Was the Willesdon train, but I. could hot see lyhht it was. After bulling the Starting 'signal 1 Went to tho train, book to enter somo tiiues, I heard wlmt I thought was, my tfaiu running by tho box, anil I BOoked its arrival ilhd departure. " I fumed ratlftd, and, soding both liiy discs standintf at 'line cle/ir,' 1 plit all my signals Ifaelt. Tho ntxt tfuin, Which Was bound for Neasdeh, was then offered to me. I aobepted it, and it smashed into tho train in the Station." Major Pringle: How long was your starting signal Off?— About a of a minute. I Snpposo I must have put it to danger too quickly and heforo tho train" could leave tho Station. So that the train went on waiting f—Yes, sir. How do you account for the faet that the elcotfidal interlocking difio showed "lino Clear" When the train had not moved out of' the station? —I Cannot say. It must have broken down wheit I pulled my starting signal. Witness also stated that soIUO months ago the electrical interlocking apparatus in his boX fiiiled to Act. 'Iho fIISO working tho homo signal did not drop to elear when it should have dono So, and dropped to Clear when it Should not liavo done. Edward Lyons, chief traffic inspector of the Metropolitan Railway, stated that ho Holiis in his box shortly after 8.30. lie remarked, "This is f my fault. lam sorry, The disc broko down,-and I could not see the train beoauee the fog > was so thick." The mftn was crying, anil appeared to bo very much upset. Major Pringle: Was ho sober?—Oh, yes; but. greatly agitated. The witness added that there wero two possible explanations for Holiis being unable to take off his home signal. Ono was his own Statement that tho discs broke down, and tho other that ho had improperly released the instrument himself. The witness had an open mind as to which alternative was correct. Tho inquiry was adjourned.