The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-07-18
HE ERIE RAILROAD CALAMITY.
THE CORONERS INQUEST.
THE TESTIMONY IN FULL.
VERDICT OF THE URY.
Appearance Of the Killed and WOunded.--Th
Way they were Treated.
&c., &C., Sc

When the terrible accident occurred on the Erie Rail
road and the Of Spread the most intense excite
mont prevailed throughout large section of country
rounding the OF the An express was
immedaaey despatched TO Port Jervs for assistance me-
dc and other wse and such could be procured being
hastily collected at conveyed TO the scene Of
disaster. In the meantime those the spot were ex
erng themselves TO do all that the circumstances per-
mied removing dead the train and assisting those
who were wounded in every possible manner. When
the aid arrived from Port Jervis all the wounded were
placed in the cars after being assisted carried up the
embankment TO the railroad track. The dead were
also placed in tho cars, and when everything
was ready, the train moved towards the town at
funeral pace. All inside the scene Of mourn
ng Amentation and suffering, and the scene presented
there said have been horrhyng In most impressive
degree When the train arrived at Port Jervis the dead
and wounded were removed TO temporary accommoda-
lions In the station house, the Fowler Rouse (hose and
several other places in the village. The condition Of the
wounded, however, was extremely wretched in very
many instances, owing 10 the scany accommodations
which could be Afforded In so small place. The morning
after the accident three o'clock, locomotive was de-
spsched from Port Jervis 10 Osve for Coroner Hard
ing, and at five O'Clock already among the dead
Some delay necessarily took place before jury could be
empsnneed also before they ready TO proceed
With An investigation, which was commenced, however,
in the Delaware House, opposite the railroad station, at
O'Clock Friday morning, four hours after the ar
rival Of the Coroner in Port Jervs.
The names Of the Jurors who were empanneed on the
inquest % follows
Dr. John Conklin, E. q. Peck Benjamin Y. Blysrd,
HArnuel a. Mills, Joseph Gibson, Francis W. Lockwood,
Henry Newne Oliver E. Wheat, Cornell B. Travis, J. j.
Van Deren, Philip Lee, Francis Martin.
The fret witness examined Phineas 8. Thompson,
the conductor of the which the accident occurred
and he depcsed follows-I am condutor Of the New
York and Erie Railroad between Otavie and this place
We ran over broken rail- and two thrown from
the track IL happened about half mile OF Shin Hol-
low the two went eff; II was at s56 or s66 P.
M should think that the perpendicular height OF the
emDankment where the cars went over Ia as much a.
twenty ave feet; the rolled much sixty 10
seventy Eve feet from the track train about nine
minutes behind time; travelling somewhere
shout thirty miles hour the first indication Of acct
dent Was feeling jerk ct the same time that heard
signal brake went the brake OF the baggage
thought the forward truck OF the baggage or
the track; about half a minute Afterwards felt q
hard jerk, and the train then went smoothly till 1t
stopped; / went back about q quarter OF q
niue and found two down the emDankment;
! made an examination l went, and found two
missing from the tcain went about half way; gave my
Amp 70 brakeman 70 signal any approaching train re-
fned my train and backed about half way 10 the
wreck found the tso cars down the bank and TIE pas
senRefs making noise and confuson the nrst car
killed In 10, out many hurts that car lay on
is sae the seats all broken out and smashed the car
was badly broken this next 10 the after found
90 dead 10 this car but many wounded how
many who, except Mr. White; the sfler car, which
went to s,erwards lay bottom appsrmost and badly
four that killed; they were carried 70 the
track where saw the four the bodies OF those rng IN
their uames; I got toe dead bodies together-four
were all I saw-and brought them 10 Port Jer
Wis; the bodies Of the three men now ii the station
house are all I saw ct the wreck; Iwish 70
rect the statement that / four At the wreck
The fourth saw aer arriving al PortJervs broken rail
the Of the accident; judge from the feet
that vent back 10 make examination, and found a rail
broken; feet Of broken out; the rail
broken the side OF the track, outsde there Is
double track along there our table calls for speed Of
thirty there which speed about runnng
anything We had lost hall minute or minute from
O,svile we were not running 10 make up lost time
let Ousvle eight minutes late have twenty ace min
u,ss twelve ana three quarter miles-from OTIS
vile 70 Port Jervis we have twelve minutes 10 shin Ho
low and thirteen minutes from shin Hollow TO Port Jervs
10 Juror-I think the rear car went down sideways,
that w. parallel with the track the other swung some
10 the Coropcr-The after car, think, had of the
track fty feet think the rear oar went OF ors aud run
along the track much ny feet and pulled the second
car oG when left the bank the lay hundred
feet apart when found tnem do not tblok there was
any dis connexion OF time previous 70 the accident the
new fracture, and fne IRON looked strong ana
good do not think the second turned over, bat the
rear one might have turned over twice We lost six
minutes time at Middleowp and two IT Otsvilie
We had journal al Otisvile, and stopped at 0ts
vile to nx ~; have boon conductor this road ten
sns s,1e 'p sesu
broken rss We left ovsvlc 81 s43; the accnient hap
pcped at sac, about six miles from otsyille
james radds dcposed-T reside II Eighty third street.
and Tenth avenue, New York; was on thc train last
evening; the afssr car the accident happened
about twenty minutes before arrival at this place
came on slowly afser the accident Identify one Of The
bodies lying o. The station house who was killed In the
train, A. George W. I. Rooinson, who resided with me
and who my son in-law; ! have the
body; ID numbered onc; we were IN coavcrs-
uon q moment prior 70 the accident; do not reco
sap as econ recovered, Which vas ssou. "a
quarter OF An hour After the accident, saw his
s DSa Rsy Who now as injured a's
The Fowler House, acq uainauce; had apprehen
Of any accident prior 70 lie occurrence; remark
made lust previous " the accident that making
GOOD time on speed, which not the before that
thought that We were going slowly some time before
wounded and dying do not recognise any other Of the
bodies.
the night express train last night ~as in second passenger
oar iron 'front.' got In the train at Jersey City, and
came from there 10 ~ nothing Of importrnce happened
sained BY no, journal thns we stopped there from
I've 70 ten minutes We stopped In Otsvihe a
minute or tuo from there 70 the top Of ,ne hill
We came along n the usual rate stopped some where
about shin Hollow thought we had reached Port Jer
VS. ". partly "ieep got up AID went 70 the after door
found that psrt train was gone; cannot tell
who informed me Of that the train had been atjpped
got out and went " the Of the train the engineer
overlook mo with torch which the conductor t,os and
said he would stand the after hamper and back up
slowly 70 see 70 toe missing cars; toe train backed
M slowly half te three quarters OF mile, stopping two
or three times when the trsn stopped, heard some
one say the cars down the bank jumped Oh and
afco, when came IN 81 ght the after down
W the foot Of the bank; the second one was, should
thpk alty feet from IT, both lying thsr sides the
cond car think had gone down the bank obliluey the
after psrt swinging out IRON track DO think the
arst car hsd turned over the second car lay nearly "a
rslle with the track at the foot OF me DILL BY
i,s Appearance | think II had turned; the bot
o. the Was towards the track ! made
examination Of the track, but went immedt
ssey 10 help the dead and wounded saw several dead
have not The dead this morning. them last night
90 no, think can give correct ides % 10 the speed,
being partly asleep; thought were coming down tbs
mountain ct good speed, but have come down "a ter
did not perceive TIA, we were going su unusual speed
when the signal was given my fret impression was that
something vas the tack nj the second signal thought
we bed arrived IN Port Jervs AN accustomed 70 riding