Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-05-05
The late Collision.


The citizens of Chicago have called public
meeting, TO be holden in Market Hall, on the 29th
ist to take into consi Grafton the steps proper in
view of the recent catastrophe.
The second and third coroner's juIies have been
in session. Among the killed are Susan Smith, of
Little Falls; Stephen d. Gray, of Wheelock, VT,
and MIR. Misener. Mr.. Gray was farmer from
Vermont, who came west to see the country, and
was returning home to bring his family. A man
from Canada, with wife and four children, are all
supposed to be killed. The dead number about
eighteen, with forty to fifty wounded-some dan
gerousy. The conductor on the train of the South
ern Michigan Railroad, H. L. Whitney, coming
east testies that the night clear, but moon not
up, that there is no rule to whistle ring at rail-
road crossings, and that he kne,o nothing about the
running time on the Michigan Central road: that a
train with good head light could be seen three
miles Gil the night of the collision.
The engineer on the Southern Michigan train,
Edward Davis, testified that he was running about
| as fast as he could at the crossing, being behind
time; was not a quarter of mile off when he saw
the sparks from the locomotive of Central train.-
This witness produced time table for his guild
ance, on which was printed rule, requiring out
going trains for Chicago, to avoid all trains the
Michigan Central road, and witness stated that he
did not knoto of that rule until that morning. The
| conductor of the Michigan Central Road, NJ. NJ.
Tyler, testified that he was seven hours behind
time and had no head light because he had toieks;
was instructed to carry lights on the car, but
had no instructions in regard to head lights; sup
posed somebody had. The engineer on The Michi-
gan Central train, Thos. Rackan, testified that he
set out hand lantern, about mile from the cross
| ing; was required to have head light but his
would not burn, and had had no head light for two
| trips. Saw the light of the Southern Michigan
| train half mile off; shut off steam and whistled
down the breaks, but did not repcrse the engine,
| because he thought there no occasion; if he
hddrepersed the engine the train ,1oud haze stopped
| If the above testimony will not convict these
men of manslaughter-even murder-there is no
use for testimony. 1t is the most internal saugh-
ter of life by railroad officers, ever recorded. We
| hope the law will deal with these men, and that
the companies themselves, may in some way be
compelled to answer for their crime in failing to
| keep the proper watchmen at these croSSings-n
rot providing lamp wcks having been told they
were out; and not posting before their engineers
each others time table.-Cleps. Herald.
The following is the verdict of the Coroner's
Jury: ~
The Coroner's Jury rendered their verdict last
night, the bod,s of the sixteen persons killed by
the recent railroad collision.
| They found that the deceased came to their
deaths by collision between the trains, caused by
the gross careleSsneSs and neglect of Moses Tyler
conductor, and Thomas Backman, engineer of the
Michigan Central Railroad, and Herbert L. Whit
ney and Edward Davis, engineers on the Southern
road-holding them as causing the depths of the
bodies before them. '1- .FE' Sc Ftt.ss
They also censure Mr.. Jouriette, superintendent
of the machine shop, for not furnishing proper
lights on the engines of the Central Company.
Robert Davis, fireman OH the Southern Railroad
and Whitney, Davis, Tyler and Backman were
committed, TO await their trial. Those named in
the verdict are held for manslaughter. s fs..-..r