Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-06-02
TIE ACCIDENT.
COrOner's Verdict--TestimOny of Rail-
road Employees aud Others

The circumstances Of the late accident
have received a very thorough investlga-
ton. DR.. Schenck, the Coroner Of the
County, was early at the scene Of the acct
dent, and promptly took measures to collect
all the information and evidence possible.
On the afternoon Of the accident a few
witnesses were examined by the jury sum-
moned, and several more testified yester-
day morning.
At . p. m. the Jury repaired to the Charity
Hospital and took the evidence of Engineer
Allen.
As soon as this was accomplished, they
visited the scene of the accident and made
a thorough Investigation of the wreck and
its vicinity, and returned to the Court House
for further deliberatiOn.
Last night the following verdict was re-
turned:
The collision was occasioned mainly by
there being but ten minutes time allowed
between the passage of trains, also requir-
ing a speed Of over thirty miles per hour in
order to make the schedule time between
the stations, giving thereby in case of ac-
cident to one train, too little time to check
the following train. We also believe from
the evidence before US, that there was 4
lack of due diligence and expedition on the
part Of the aagman of the Sandusky train,
F. A. Rive, in signaling the Toledo train.
The verdict was signed by the following
gentlemen who served as jurors:
Charles W. Kraus, J. Marchand,
Theodore Voges, j. G. Graham,
l.. A. Benton, George F.. Marshall.
We publish below, the testimony given
before the Jury by the several witnesses
Mr.. L. Phelps, being duly sworn, said
l am engineer of the Sandusky train. |
was under my engine taking down my &C.
centric rods, one of which had broken, when
they told me to get from under it, that a
train was coming. A passenger pulled me
out. Jumped on my engine with the in
tention of starting the train ahead. The
engine refused to start. A few seconds af-
ter, the collision occurred, breaking the
| coupling between the tender and baggage
car, starting the engine some three hundred
feet down the road, also two baggage cars
which had broken from the passenger cars.
l think a train of ten cars, going at the rate
of twenty-five miles an hour, and down q
grade like the one where the accident &C.
Cured. could not be stopped in less than
from I50 to 200 rods if ell brakes were used
speaking of the patent brakes and engine
reversed. l left Berea on time, SOD a. NJ,
and know that the time for the Toledo train
to leave the same place is Sis A. NJ. The
Toledo train should be six minutes behind
my train. From the time l whistled down
brakes to the time stopped was not more
than half q Misunderstanding a distance OF
| twenty five rods. | think it was not more
than eight minutes from the time stopped
until the collision occurred.
". ". Parker being duly Sigorh said: l
am Conductor on the ~Sandusky train. l
think the engineer whistled "brakes" for
the station, coming to the first curve, going
east. When we stopped my hind brake
man took the flag and went back at once,
out of my sight. l went on the "going out
track and there saw the brakeman swing
ing the flag to the Toledo train, which was
coming to a stop. l shook my hand and
| called as loud as | could for them to stop.
When I saw they could not stop, l called
for my passengers to get out, which was
about thirty seconds before the collision.
There were eight or ten wounded and one
killed. woman. l think the Toledo train
had ii ne to stop before reaching my train.
The trains make from 90 to Is miles an
hour. 1t was about Q o'clock, A. NJ. +
heard the Toledo train whistle "brakes"
three times.
j. B. Tyler being duly sworn, said l
was conductor of the train that ran into the
Sandusky train, about 9 A. n, this morn
ing. had Just collected the tickets and
passed out of the sleeping cars into the
passenger car, where l took a seat to count
nv tickets, when I heard the whistle for
down brakes. l think the whistle sounded
| three times; heard the engineer put on the
patent brakes. The three brakemen also
had their brakes set. My train consisted
of ten cars, and we were running from 70
to % miles an hour. If al the brakes we're
put on I think the train would run from
six to seven hundred feet, at the rate we
were going, before itcould be stopped, and
itmight oyerrun that l think it was not
more than three minutes from the time the
last whistle was sounded, until we struck
the Sandusky train. l think VIC struck
that trUIu while gUiuS at the roto of about
- or Is miles an hour My train probably
passed three times the length of itself, al
ter the first whistle was sounded before we
struck the other train.
C. L. U~nderhill, after being duly sworn,
said I was on the first car of the San
dusky train, and the first l knew of any
trouble, after we had stopped, was when
some one said ga man has been sent back
with q flag to stop the Toledo train"
| soon heard a man say run" and heard
the Toledo train whistle down bra -es, three
times, when l got out of the car just at the
instant the train must have been struck.
The lady that was killed was in my car.
One of her legs was severed from the body
by the second car passing through the first.
There were about SIX other ladies in the car,
all more or lest injured.
0. W. Kendall, after being duly sworn,
said I was on the Sandusky train when
it stopped, and asked the cause, when a
-oTl 4, h,1R haJ haan Ioet frop,
the engine. l was in the rear car and no.
ticed the brakeman going back with q flag.
He was moving at a common walk and did
not appear to be in much of a hurry. AT
ter he had gone twenty-five rods saw him
making motions for the Toledo train to stop.
I was or the back platform and watched
closely. Isaw the train coming and heard
them whistle down brakes three times.
The engineer Of the Toledo train could
have seen the signal of the fagman, if
properly displayed, at the distance of at
least half a mile. think l could have
gone a mile, from the time we stopped un-
til the time they whistled down brakes.
Henry Snider, being duly sworn said l
am employed as brakeman on the Sandusky
train. We were coming down the grade at
our usual rate of speed when the engineer
discovered that enc Of the eccentric rods
was broken. We stopped as soon as we
could and both got off and under the engine
to see what the trouble was. The head
brakeman asked me if we were broken
down. | said we were, and told him to
take the flag back as soon as he could. l
saw the brakeman start. The engineer told
me to get on the engine to get some tools.
When on the engine l saw the brakeman of
the rear car, with the flag. He looked to
see whether he should go back, when l mo
toned to him to go back and he started off
on run. l got the tools and went under
the engine to the engineer. l had to 60
back two or three times-en the engine for
more tools. l think we were at work under
the engine for five minutes or more. Most
of the male passengers were out of the cars |
and around the engine, inc the first we
knew of the danger, was by them shouting
for us TO get out from under the engine.
The engineer did not get out right away, SO |
a passenger took him by the coat collar and
pulled him out. saw him jump on the
engine. Think the Toledo train was some
three hundred feet from us, when l first saw
it and after the train was struck, it broke
the engine and tender loose from the bag
gage car; also the two baggage cars from
the two coaches and all ran down the track
som three hundred feet or more. l think
if the engine with the train had not been
stopped, the engine might lave broken
some of her machinery or run off the track.
The engineer would not have had any COM
mand over her, if the eccentric rod had not
been fixed. The train coming, struck the