Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-02-13
The PainesviIle Railroad Disaster.
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE JURY.

TESTIMONY BEFORE THE JURY.
Stephen NJ .Mead--Sworn. Am Conduc.
tor of the Acc Dmmodation Train on the Cleve-
land, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad. The
collision was caused by the Accommodation
train running into the Night Express train.
My train left Erie thirty minutes late, found
much snow at Ashtabula and ran slower. Was
an hour late at Perry, warned at Geneva Of
freight train at Madison; passed it at Perry at
ten o'clock and fifty minutes The Night Ex-
press was due at Perry at five o'clock aud thir-
ty-seven minutes. We had two engines, one
baggage and one passenger car, and were run
ming about twenty miles an hour. The first
warning had of the collision was at the in.
slant of running into the Express train. My
train ran through the sleeping car and stopped
at TIE end of the next car. James Townsend
was engineer on the first and Henry Sherman
of the second engine. | went back to flag the
freight train behind me and was gone about
twenty minutes. 1t was pretty clustering and
quite difficult to see any flag or signal. |
think, in the position of the Express train it
would have been impossible to have seen th ;
train but a very short distance, as the car WI
dows were covered with snow aud ice think
the storm was considerably the worst have
ever seen on the road. The arrival and depar-
ture of trains are noted by the operator. do
not know that they are sent to the head Office
There is an operator at Perry. Cou Id not say
whether he was there the morning of the col
lision. l should expect if any train was in
trouble ahead of me 10 be notified by hag-sig-
nal or telegraph. 1t is not customary to en-.
quire at stations as to trains ahead. 1t is
usually practiced. yet it is not required. With
in ten minutes after the collision went back
with a flag fifty rods. Saw no one coming
back with signals who had been sent by Muir.
ray. After returning saw Foster, Murray's
man. If signal man had been back Of me
he would naturally have come on the track
but saw none.
H. E. .Murray-Sworn. / am Conductor
of the Night Express train which was run in
to. The train was at Chambers Crossing.
two miles and half east of PaiDesvile, aud
50 obstructed by snow that gave up the idea
Of getting through, was long way out Of
time-at the time of obstruction about four
hours. 1t was about 9 o'clock when | was de-
tanned, and it was an hour from then t. the
time of collision. At Geneva was informed
that the Accommodation was forty minutes
behind tine; there was a Freight between me
and the Accommodation. | was telegraphed
at Ashtabula that the fast Freight had right
to the road to Perry. if it could make time
ahead of me; passed it at Geneva, and suppos-
ed il was 10 follow me. 1 cannot be positive
as to the length of time between my first de-
tention and the collision. / became satisfied
! could not make Painesville with my train; |
went back TO the brakesman and told To go far
enough back to flag the other train, and that
was going to leave the train for gainesville. if
possible to get there. l also told Smith what
wanted done l then got on the engine with
the engineer, who run his locomotive back
and forth to get through the snow We could
not have been more than forty or fifty rods
from the train at the time OF the accident.
l ordered Foster, the brakesman, back to flag
the train about half after nne--fOrty or fifty
minutes before the collison-and saw him start
back to do it.
had eight cars in all beside the sleeping
car; had one hundred aud forty-eight passeu.
gers; have no means of knowiag how many
there we're 10 the sleeping car; there might
have been 25; awoke 90 passengers aud took no
other means TO provide against danger, suppo-
sing that had provided against danger suffi-
ciently, held no conversation with the passen-
gers
The storm was as hard as ever l saw. The
place was particularly exposed-a bleak, open
spot. Sometimes they could not see flag
man more than three rods. II the engineer
had been standing at the window with his
head out think he could have seen the flag
If il had been shaken at him.
@, Under all the circumstances. what was
the probability would the engineer of the Ac-
commodaiion have discovered flag or notf
A. think the chances were 10 favor Of dis
covering it. If he had been looking out and
his attention had not at the minute been called
TO the stop-cock or pump, he would have seen
il if it had been shaken at him. UDder all
circumstances the fagman would have had to
be within rod or two to be seen. ! had no
other way to flag the train. Had official no
tiee that two trains were showed up at Paines-
vile.
Foster was steady boy Smith was put
on the train by Mr.. Myers. He is stranger
to me. Was on forward brake. Before he
was with me he was op freight trains.
Mr.. Murray added some details OF his loss
OF time. He stated that when on time the en-
gipeer has con'rol Of the speed OF the train
James I'otpasend--Sworn. Was locomo-
tive engineer on the Accommodation train
Tow nsend gave some details Of time ofrunniug