Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-01-29

miles and half east Of Painesville, and so
obstructed by snow that I gave up the ides
Of getting through was q long way of
from time, at the time Of obstruction-sbout
/ four hours. It was about nine o'clock when
I was detained, and it was about an hour
from then to the time Of the collision. At
Geneva Was informed that the aceommoda-
/ ton was forty minutes behind time had no
other intelligence thatthat train was behind
time; there was freight between me and
/ the accommodation. was telegrsphed at
Ashtabula that the fast freight had right to
the road, to Perry, if 1t could make time
ahead of me passed it at Geneva, sad sup
posed it was to follow me. cannot be posi-
tive as to the length of time between my
first detention and the collision became
satisfied that could not make Psinesville
with the train; went back to the brakes man
and told him TO go far enough back to flag
the other train, and that was going to leave
the train fer Psinesville il possible to get
/ there. also told Smith what wanted done
/ I 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. I ordered FOs-
ter (the brakes s-msn) back to Gag the train
about half after nine-fOrty or fifty minutes
i OolhIo bub CUAAAhlOu-oAu saw AAl4 abati oeSe
to do it.
Ihad eight cars in all, beside the sleeping
car; had one hundrid and forty-eight pas
ssngers have NO means of knowing how
many there were in the sleeping car, there
might have been tWenty- Eve; awoke no pas
/ sengers and took no other means to provide
against danger, Eupposing that had provi-
ded against danger sufficiently held no con-
vsrsatiOn with the passengers.
The storm was as hard as I ever saw. The
place was particularly sxposed-a bleak,
open spot. Sometimes they could not see a
fagman more than three rods. If the en-
gineer had been standing al the window with
his head out think he could have seen the
flag if it had been shaken at him.
Q. Under all the circumstances, what was
the probability, would the engineer Of the
accommodation have discovered flag or not
| A. I think the chances were in favor Of dis
covering it. If be had been looking out and
/ his attention had not at tho minute been
called to the stop cork or pump he would
have seen it, if il had been shaken to him.
Under all circumstances the asgman would
have had to be within rod or two to be
seen. 1 had no other way to flag the train.
/ Had official notice that two trains were
showed up at Painesville.
Foster was a steady boy. Smith was put
/ on Lue tram Dy MI " leLEs Nc ID u otAeA SCI
to me. Was on forward brake. Before he
was with me he was on freight trains.
Mr.. Murray added some details of his loss
of time. He stated that when on time the
engineer has control Of the speed Of the
train.
jones s. Tolozseni-SWorn. Was loco
motive engineer on accommodation train.
| Mr.. Townsend gave somo details of time of
running the accommodation, corresponding
with Mr.. Mead's. In spots the road was
bare, in others drifted badly. Did not learn
Of train ahead until struck it. Could only
gee a train few rods ahead. It is my busi-
ness ts look ahead. Had just turned from
side window when VIC struck. Saw no
/ signals or persons on track. Running
about twenty miles an hour; could have seen
man OF signal at woods, one-f0urth Of mile
/ back There was no nearer point at which
signal could be seen. Collision occurred If
teen or twenty rods east of Chambers Cut.
| Did not see cars when 1 struck couldn't
| look out of head-window on account fsnOT.
/ When on time run by card, when of, run by
i dispatch. Think I could have seen signal
az the side Of the road if there had been one.
Whom struck the train 1 gave the signalfOr
the brakes. It was only an instant before
we stopped. One side Of the sleeping car
/ lay on one side Of the track and one on the
other The engine went into the rear
Of the second car. Saw no railroad hands
then the first saw was Foster, about half
an hour after we struck. Saw no one coming
from Perry. Saw Murray il about an hour.
Didn't hear him say anything. Mr.. Town
send gave some details in regard to the aid
to the wounded. He was Of opinion that
one good man would have stopped the train.
He added some further details as to position
sffiis; is;.,y T;ssI , @ Of the a4nrsss
woods or farther. There is q fixed rule for
sending back signals in cases of accident
that they shall be sent at least one-half mile
each way. In this case they should have
bsen sent farther than in fair weather. 1t
was not cold.
james a. Morss-sworn. Morse was fire.
man on the Panther under Mr.. Townsend as
engineer. His testimony is mainly cerrobo-
rstiVe Of Mr.. TOWAsend's. He adds that he
had been firing up and had just finished
had Just run fifteen or twenty rods through
a snow drift could not see ahead might
possibly have seen a signal if it was close to
the cars-but ten chances to one they could
not could not see any one ahead; at times
could have seen person at the side Of the
traek-at times, not; the engineer kept
good lookout saw him frequently raise the
window and clean the snow of; were carry
ing from ono hundred and ten to one hundred
and twenty pounds of steam, and running
about twenty miles an hour.
II. Shsrmaz-Sworn. Sherman was en-
gineer of the second engine on the accommo-
dation train viz the GaZelle. His tsstimO-
ny corToboratsd that already given. He
hadn't heard Of the express being showed
up. They generally have the means of
knowing whether the express train has ar
rived at Psinesville. Struck drift eighty
OF hundred rods from where we struck
the train. Couldn'thave seen signal twenty
feet ahead, or az the side of the track. Saw
no signal after leaving Perry. Passed
through a drift six feet deep. Running
about 20 miles an hour-usuaI speed % or %
miles an hour.
Hugh MeLrath-Sworn. Fireman on the
GaEelle, with engineer Sherman. Nothing
new testified to except that he had his head
out Of the window to see the Panther throw
snow. Some Of the time could see three or
four rods ahead, some of the time not at all.
@. B. CooE-Sworn. Am freight conduc-
tor. Was coming up from Erie on morning
Of collision. Night express passed at Gene
va. Knew Of no trouble on track. Had
conversation with Murray, and told him that
he would have a rum time at Chambers Cut
told him il he was stuck to send a man
back, and good man too. At Perry learned
that dispatch had been received, reading
as follows; "You had better stay whore you
are. No trains have yet reached Paines-
VILE" Mead was some taO miles beyond
Perry. This was at 10 OF or a. n. used
the signal in the morning and it was seen.
It was not cold.
When can always flag my train in case
Of danger. Mr.. Foster may be good man.
would as soon trust him as the majority Of
brRkesmen. I think could have stopped. |
1t is difficult to see anything when going |
through the snow at high rate of speed. !
think the more sent to flag the train the |
better. do not think it using good judg- !
ment or reasonable precaution to send one |
ordinary man to flag the train. Think, un-