36

Ij. j. conicti.

I.—6a

22. Did you have any conversation with your fireman about the brakes?— No. He said they were all right. 23. What sort of a rail was it that morning—a good or bad rail? —It was a good rail. 21. Was it frosty? —Yes, it was frosty. 25. What engine were you driving?—Wa. 26. Had you previously driven an engine of that class? —No. 27. What'class of engine had you been driving previously?- Generally an F. 28. Wa was the biggest you had ever had? —No, 1 had driven a compound. 2!). After you left Henderson where did you stop coming down? At Waikiiiuete. 30. Did the brake act efficiently there? —Yes. 31. Y r ou had no difficulty in stopping? —No. 32. You did no shunting on the road, did you? —No. 33. What was the composition of your train? —There was a total of eight vehicles. 34. Did you have any difficulty in getting the train up the grades? No. 35. You were able to handle it conveniently with that class of engine?— Yes. •'>(>. What speed did you run at coming doxvn the grade?—l suppose, about twenty or twenty five miles an hour. 37. Supposing you had wanted to stop on the grade, could you have stopped at that speed?— Yes, in about a couple of train-lengths. 38. There are certain speed restrictions on that route, arc there not ?—1 think so. •'ill. Did you reduce the speed of your train? —Yes, 1 tried the brakes just over the top. 40. Did you sec the lower-speed board that morning?—No, 1 did not. 41. Was it on your side? —I think it was on the opposite side. 42. Did your fireman say anything to you about it?— No. 43. Was it daylight when you left Henderson? —Yes, it was just breaking daylight. 44. When you shunted from Henderson was it by the lain]) or hand-signal ? —I got the signals from the fireman. 45. Did you not see the porter when you were shunting?—No, I got all the signals from tho fireman. 46. How did the guard start your train—by the hand-signal or lain])? —I did not see him— he was on the fireman's side. 47. Did you light your headlight?— No. 48. There was sufficient daylight for you to consider the headlight unnecessary?— Yes. 49. Have you any idea what the distance is from the top of the grade to Now Lynn Station? —I did not know then exactly. 50. Did your fireman know the road?—l do not know, but 1 should think he did. 51. Did you ask him?—No; I did not ask him anything about the road, but 1 said to him. " It is a bit thick this morning, you had better blow the whistle —1 do not know whore the cross ings are." 52. If that was the position, did you slacken the speed of your train at all? —Not until I thought we were getting close. 53. Although you did not know the road you ran down at a speed of twenty-five miles an hour and took no precautions through the fog? —Yes, I was taking precautions. When we got down to the bottom, and I thought wo were getting to the bottom, I went a lot slower. 51. You did not know the road, and you ran into a fog, and you did not make any inquiries to ascertain whether the fireman knew the mad?—l was expecting him to give me the tip when we got close. 55. You say you do not know whether ho knew the road? —1 think he ought to have. He had been over it for three or four years. 56. You knew the fireman had been regularly running over the road?— Yes. 57. And did you not make any inquiries to see whether he knew it?— No. 58. And yet you did not reduce the speed of the train .'---Yes, the speed was reduced at the bottom. 5!). Going down the grade when you ran into the fog, did you reduce the speed of the train then ? —I could not say. I suppose I kept just at twenty to twenty-five miles an hour. (it). Did you know what crossings you had to make?— Yes. 61. You knew you had a crossing to make at Now Lynn? —Yes. 62. Did you know there was a semaphore .signal there?—l knew there wag a home signal there, but I did not know where it was —not that morning. 63. You still made your train travel? —No. 64. What did you do? —Reduced the speed to ton or fifteen miles an hour, 65. Where did you reduce the speed to ton or fifteen miles an hour?—l could not say. Down the bottom somewhere. 66. How far down were you when you ran into this fog?—Wo ran into it from the top. 67. How far could you see ahead? —About 30 yards. 68. How do you gauge your distance—this 30 yards?— Generally. You could see further sideways than you could ahead. 69. How far could you see at the side's? —About from here to that window [indicated]. That is only a rough guess. 70. You left the whistling for the road-crossings to your fireman? —Yes. 71. Did you instruct him to whisle?—Yes, I told him to whistle. 72. For the road-crossings?— Yes. 73. Did you see your instructions carried out? —No, the xvhistle xvas not blown at all on the two top crossings.