i. .). OOIUCH.

37

J. -<fr.

74. Did you say anything to your fireman for not carrying out instructions? —No. . 75. Did you see Scroggy Hill crossing when you ran over it!— Just saw it as we ran over the top of it. 76. Did you know it was Scroggy Hill?— 1 knew it was Scroggy Hill. 77. You had a working time-table with you ? —Yos, I think so. 78. Did you know tho distance between Scroggy Hill crossing and New Lynn?—l knew the distance approximately. 70. You say you knew when you wore at Scroggy Hill crossing? Yes. About half a mile. 1 think, or a little over. 80. As it was foggy did you take any extra precautions in the matter of the speed of your train after you passed Scroggy Hill crossing?—l thought I was getting down closer, and from ten to fifteen miles an hour was running cautiously. 81. What is the distance from Scroggy Hill down to New Lynn? —I do not know. 82. Have you no idea? —About throe-quarters of a mile, 1 suppose, or half a mile. 83. As you were running through a fog and you knew that you were about three-quarters of a mile from a station at which you had to make a crossing, do you not think it was desirable for you to have slowed up, to a walking-pace if necessary ?—-No; I expected the fog-signals to be there any minute. 84. Why did you expect that? —Because it is in the rule-book. 85. Have you ever worked at a place whore you have had a fog-signal ?—No. 86. What particular reason had you for expecting a fog-signal this time? —As I had never worked in a fog before 1 thought it would be there. 87. You expected-, we will say. the tablet porter te put out fog-signals?—l did not know who was to put them out. 88. You expected fog-signals to be there. Do you not think that you yourself should, as a matter of duty, have also taken precautions?—l thought I was taking precautions. 89. Running down a bank at twenty-five miles an hour on a foggy morning when you did not know whore you were? —From the bottom, when I thought I was getting close. I slowed down to ten or fifteen miles an hour. 00. Why did you not reduce your speed from Scroggy Hill—from the top?—] was trying to run to time. 111. But is not the public safety the first consideration? —It is supposed to be. 02. Have you ever been found fault with for running late in the interests of the public safety?— You are expected to run your train to time. 93. You are expected to keep to time, but does not the rule-book say —you have a rule-book, of course? —Not now. I did have one. 94. You had one as a driver, did you not?— Yes. 95. You passed examinations in rules?— Yes. 96. Has not the rule-book got printed on the top of every page that the public safety is the first consideration —the first duty? —Yes. 97. As you were travelling through fog. do you not think it was your first duty to take precautions in the public safety, even if you ran late: that was your first duty, was it not?— Yos ; but I thought I was taking precautions all the time. 98. Running down a hill at an ordinary speed in a fog when you did not know where you were?- I knew whero I was for half the distance. 00. Which half was it : was it the first half when you started from Henderson, or when you got over Scroggy Hill bank?—Scroggy Hill. 100. You knew whore you wore, then, coming down? —No. I thought I had covered a certain distance. 101. You either knew or you did not know ? —I did not know, 102. Then you did not know and you took no precautions?—l reckoned 1 was taking pre cautions. 103. What precautions did you take? —I came down at ordinary speed. 104. You came down at ordinary speed in a fog without knowing where you were, and you call that taking precautions. You hail a Westingliouse brake which would have enabled you to slow iij), according to your own admission —to pull your train up if necessary mi the bank; yet you came down at an ordinary speed. Did your fireman tell you or give you any guidance when you were getting down tho hill: did he say you were close or were far off. or what did he sa\ ?—Ho did not say anything. He blew the whistle down at tlie bottom, and I asked him then 105. What did he say?—He said. " We must be getting close." I0(i. Had you previously asked him? —Not till then. 1(17. When he said that you must bo getting close did you as driver at once apply your brakes and slacken speed? —Yes. 108. To what speed did you slacken? —I had taken the brakes off just previously, and just as I did so I saw the home signal. 10!). You ran right down on to the home signal before you knew where you wore 1 ? I did not know whore 1 was till the whistle was blown. If I had known whero I was I would not have nli used the brake. 110. And you did not ask your fireman where you were?— Not till tlie whistle was blown. 111. How far wore you from the home signal when you saw it first? —Twenty or thirty yards. 112. What was the weight of your train that day?—l do not know. 113. Was it a train that you could conveniently handle? You had any amount of control over it?—Ye6.