The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-01-13
LOCAL MATrHns.

l 1
Central Railroad Collision..-The Board of Diree.
tors OF the Virginia Central Railroad. Messrs E.
Fontaine, lPresident,l Jacob Baylor, William
| Overton, n Il. Hill aud William j. Robertson be-
| ing present, have held Q meeting TO inanire into
| All the circumstances connected with the collision
| on the 18th of December last and made long re-
| port, the substance ofswhich we append |. Ia
proper to say that dM notice was given Of the
time at which this investigation was to take place.
| and that the late Superintendent the Conductors
Engineers and all others who knew anything of
| the circumstances were invited to be present Mr.
j. II. Timberlake declined to take part in the in
vestigation, but expressed determination to make
| q statement In the newspapers to exhonerate him.
self from blame. The Conductors and Engineers
on tue COLLISION trains as well Is other persons, did
| appear ana made statements, the substance of
| which we give together with the action of the
| board OF directors, as follows:
Tappears that the collision took place the 18th
hs DsGsmoer; iso, about three quarters of mile
| soose me elon D. the siding at which the trains pass
| each other below Gordonsye. and a little over
Inree miles from that place. The exact speed of the
trans coud not be ascertained but far informa-
| ton could be obtained on that point it appeared
| that when they came in view of each other the up
an I was going st the rate of from to lies,
ana tue down train at the rate of TWENTY-FIVE mica
o. herabouts, Fer hour. The collision took place at
| point on the road where, owing to it's curvature
and cut one train hid from the other until the
came too together to be stopped in time ,o nr.
vent IT. although all proper efforts were made to stop
| AhS ,Shcuuics oy WHICH tue trains were running,
provided that they should pass each other at Melton
at lo45 A. M and when the down train failed to ar
rve at that time, til st the up train should wait there
| until / 20 A. NJ, when it was to 60
Both of the Conductors stated that they stood
this rule, and knew that after liz A NJ, the up
ain was entitled to the trsck until it got to Cor.
donsVle; and that the down train therefore, had
no right to leave Gordonsvlls unless 1t had full time
to reach Metons before IL 20. They further state
In providing for the trains to meet and pass each
other, with safety, at Melton's than ct any other
point on the road. In which opinion, all others who
| said anything on the subject, concurred.
1t was further sscerta ned that the Conductor of
tee up train prepared to start from Mefons at IL 2
bat owing to the fact that his switch tender not
In place at the moment, it was Il "a when his train
got on the main track and actually started II pro-
ceeded slowly OWING to its having to ascend grace
| ana then pass on curve. and had been in motion
about three minutes when the collision cccurrsd-
| me up train wh1stled twice, once at | Il, when
prenang to start, and again at IL "A when getting
under way.
lie also appeared that persops at Melton's but not
| on the train, heard whistle which seem ed to
them to be that of train at Gordonsvs, about the
tEe the up train started from Meltons But all fa-
miar with the subject agree in the opinion that IT
almost Impossible for train either letting
on steam, or In notion to hear the whistle Of anoth
eraln And 1t did not appear that either Conductor
Pea1d any whistles whichlwarned him that train
| was approaching; nor, the other hand did it ap-
pear hat the collision attributable to any failure
to 1und the whistle when it was proper to do So
1t could not De ascsrtaned with the precision
| at what time the down train left Gerdonsville. 1t
1
Alexandra train, which was behind its schedule
| time, and which arrived at 1l8; according to the
| watch OF the Conductor of the down train, which
was found to agree with the watch of the
OF the up train on comparison made after the
collision.
The Conductor of the down train say, he thought
he would be able to get Off in time to reach Melton
before 20 and that he therefore used s diligence
| to get the mail and baggage which bad been
brought by the Alexandria train detached from it and
coupled to bis own snd to have the passengers
ferred-that this was done very quickly, and when ID
cried 'all aboard" he had eight minutes to enable
him reach Melton before II 90; that hs thoua hit
he would be safe if he had ak minutes to make the
distance. and woald not have started with less time.
He rays he got sf very quickly after crying all
aboard" and thinks he then had at least min
utes to make the distance Some doubt to the nc.
curacy Of his observation to the lime of leaving
s produced by the statement of the Engineer of
trein, vino says that according 10 his clock the
engine, which las ascertsined bya comparison that
DAY, at Gotham seven miles above Gordonsvie, J
was only ope minute faster than the watch OF tl,s
Conductor, it was IL ID when they started However
this may be- t Is probsble, nay, almost certain, that
the down train would have reached Meltnns in safe
ty, although the Conductor shaving his time toe
closely if it had not been for the following circam
stance: After the train had got under way and had
procee edsd from l5G to 2B ards from the starting
point. the engine drivers alarm bell runs ~
some person without the authority of the Conductor
and the train was thus stopped in order that lady
and some children who had been left might get it
The Conductor says that in the excitement of the
caslon, and most nnaccount ably to himself he fail
to think Of the effect CT this loss OF timethat he die
not look at his watch, and cannot say how much time
was lost by this stop. nor ST what time he got und
way again. The train proceeded and before it oc
cured TO his mind that thsre was aay danger, snt
while he ives engaged ia the front car in which th'
most damage done, in the collection of fare from
negro he was prostrated by the collision.
There il no positive evidence rs the length o
referrsdto After the collision had taken place
by stahders estimstsd it from two to four minutes
eut in the opinion OF the Beard it must have been
longer Not cniy would it probably have taken
longer for tue train to stop after getting l50 or 2Gt
yards from the place of starting Watng until tS lad
and children could overtake and enter it, and thea
get 1der way again, bat judging from ths time a
which the collision occurred (which is ascertane "a
with sccurscy not only from the Conductor of In
uaiD) tie place # the collision-and the time 81
which the whistles both at GoIdonsvile and at Me-
toms were heard (by persons not either train) il
| must have bee past lI.2G, when the down train 90
| under sy the second time.
In view of the facts, the niaiu points of which ".
eave thus stated, the Board have come to the follow
| ing conclusions:
Fst-Thst the collision cannot be attributed to tle
arrangement ut 70. the meeting OF the trains at M |
toms instead of 0Ordonsyille, and not occas
! by any defect IN the Schedule, or by any want O
| elesrness in the rule which applied to the case.
Second-That 3 d. Gooch, the conductor of th.
up train, acted with due caution and in accordance
| with tire rules, and was not to blame for the COLI
| sion
Tbrd-Thst the collision was caused by the failure
of 4. L. Swift. the conductor of the down traio to
| observe the printed rule on the time table, which
plainly declared that the up train should start from
| Metoh's at ll:lD, and which consequently sdoulc
| have restrained him frcm going Oh, unless he as
certain of having ample time to reach that point be
fore the time fixed for the up train 10 leave it.
The investi cation, which was commenced ON the
7th having been continued, and Seing completed ar
the late Superintendent having been fully heard the
| Directors adopted the following-the President rot
| acting.
Resolved That the Directors Of the Virginia Cen
trail Railroad CONF peny unanimously approve the aci
of the President in removing the superintendent, NJ
| John H. Timberlake, from office.
City C0unci.-A regular monthly meeting o
the Council was held in the Council Chamber srs-
terday afternoon at O'Clock, Messrs. Dove, Ssun'
| ders Stokes, Scott, Quarles, Whitfield, Epps
Cru,chfield, Roddy, Richardson, Morriss and Ro-
| binson being present.
Pistol GaIlerg,-A petition was presented from
j. b. LuDt. praying the privilege OF establishing
| pistol gallery on Wall street The Council nxeo
the license at $50 per annum. and then appointed
| committee of three to examine the lccaaty aho
| grant the license If deemed expedient.
1a1es.-Mr. Saunders from the Finance Con.
mittee, reported the Few tax Dill; which was resd
laid on the table and ordered to be printed for TIE
use of members
| Police Mr.. Scott, from the Committee on Po
lice, presented report; which was resd and laid
| on the table
Petition.-Messrs, RsgIand, Taylor and Elicit
petitoned the Council to be allowed TO make drairi