Wilmington daily gazette., 1872-11-23

What time It should take to stop tho train under
he circumstances, "a Il was a down grade. and
The rails very slippery. II
Joseph w. Mitchell, sworn-I run a small
train on the Darby improvement,
when got to Chester, last night, ] met Mr.. Rue
afer his train; took my train to Lamokip. and
put It away, then came back with my engine
and took the other train; left the disabled engine
oil at Chester; went all right until ! got 10
Bellevue, and was holding about nine minutes
a head OF the other train; the long train worked
the engine pretty hard, bat could shut of BE-
tween stations. and get up steam; between Belle.
vue and EIIerslie, my fireman, who 10 q new
hand and rather inexperienced, fired up, and
steam went down to about 80 or 40 pounds: We
care around the curve, ut the rate Of four or
five miles an hour; there was an upgrade there.
and when the train got over il, run down ID The
station with steam shut Of; when. the brakes
were let up, at the station the train started down
the grade, when 1t stopped, the rear car was 200
Or 5OO yards below the station, laid there four |
Or five minutes. the bell was being pulled for |
me to 60 an, and 40 told my former conductor, |
Mr.. Chas Davis. who was on the engine With |
me, that hs had better tell them to 20 back and
stop the night line because could 70 no further,
Davis did 40, don't know whether anybody en-,
back or not had only about 80 pounds Of steam
when We left Ellerslie, generally have about 80
The conductor did not come 10 me when the
Train stopped, aud could not go back to him,
1 as It IL my duty TO stand bv my engine "A long
AS 1t is on the main track, had not steam emo ugh
TO move the train, aud therefore could not run
II on The siding, the fire was very low, the
l'reman, being new hand did not rightly ln-
ierstand his business, the blower would take
away the steam faster than the fire could make
IT, II had had an old hand for fireman, nigh,
nave done better. but even good iremen will
| occasionally make similar mistakes, my engine
was also very small for such large train, after
the collision, went into Wilmington, with Mr.
| Dawn. ON my engine, fer assistance, saw nothing
the OF conductor from the time stopped, until the
collision. Should judge it would take about
mile to stop train, under the circumstances,
this morning.
Charles w. Davis, conductor Of the Darby
Improvement train, was sworn, but his testi-
mony was merely corroborative ofthe foregoing.
walter l.ackey, conductor of the New York ex-
press testified that the first intmatlon he received
OF anything wrong was at "ked Cut" when he
icit the engine being reversed; from the time he
'et the reverson of the engine until the collision,
about minute elapsed; he then sent man back
10 stop the following freight train; the engineer
| the north bound train gave them signal as they
went by; did not think it was possible to stop the
train IN any less time; had seen trans run mile
and quarter after the brakes were down. with u
man at every brake.
1ohn Urem sworn; am engineer Of the New y ork
express. known as train No. l.; when / run into
"hed Cut" above Eerslie station, noticed the
north bound train standing still and the engineer
signaling me with guage light; immediately
whistled down brakes and reversed the engine,
! thinking the other train had killed something
and thrown 1t OIL my track; when got around the
curve, saw the light on the rear Of tram No. IL
wAen reversed my engine l was about l2Ot
yards above Ellerslie station, aud about y of d
mile from the rear Of the other train; the messen
ger with the signal light was not more than zoe
feet away from the first train when saw him, hs
was near about the station; l could not possibly
stop In less distance than u mile; the signal light
should be sent at least half mile back 1 AWAY.
pay particular attention to my fireman. and Sc.
that hs keeps his fire right fremen are often de-
e csived in ther fires at night
81 4. NJ. Sargeant, engineer on the north bount
tram testified that he passed No. II train, ieavin;
Elierse. moving very slowly; he stopped his traiI
because ne saw the red light signal at the station
t the man who had it could not have run more thai
r 400 yards before meeting the down train; whel
r tho down train passed him he signaei it, but di
not think u possible for the tram to stop in tn
d distance Intervening between the place where h
u gave the signal and the rear OF tram No. l.
e Mr.. H. A. L. Pyle, one Of tho passengers. testi
Il fled that he did not notice any action on th
d part OF the employees indicative OF DANCE
n and Knew nothing of the origin of the acc
e dent. After the collision, he went to work in n
d leasing the unfortunate inmates he went int
3 the car and saw Mr.. Fritz helped to hand hir
e out OF the window and thought he was dead III
g ter Mr.. Legg arrived from Wilmington. ever
e possible attention was given to the wounded.
f Mr.. George II. Marble testified that he was si
!. ting by the stove at the rear of the car lust
they left Ellerse, he looked back out of the VII
dow aud thought he saw q train approaching Il
went out ON the platform, aud saw the train bea
= ing down upon them brakesman 10 yards frol
II the rear OF the train waving . light; he the
4 jumped: he saw red light on the rear platforl
v OF the car, but did not see any ut or above h
station there were about 10 or 20 persons in Il
car ut the time, not 90 many in the other car
soon a. possible he returned to the car in seare
u OF his wife whom he found aud rescued; did n
N see Mr.. Fritz
N Mr. James G. Pierson testified that the first i,
/ timation OF danger he received was Q stamped
among the passengers, the door was blocksdsd IN
10 80 he turned to the window; ~ he was attemp
hi ing to raise It tho craah came; he afterwar,
saw no red light at or about the station; sAw N
Fritz before and after his death, and helped
~ take HIM out OF the car he was then breathip
IT, but unconscious, and died shortly after beiI
AZ placed in the other car.
he II was within few minutes Of midnight VII,
~ the hearing of the witnesses was concluded, 81
IN the jury decided, for prudential reasons, to AZ
journ elsewhere before rendering verdict. Sc
nj eral places were proposed, but they finally N
ps at the residence Of Mr.. John H. Moore, No. 2
II. Market street. The evidence was careful
re examined, the subject fully discussed, and abb
of quarter OF two O'Clock, a. M, the jury, throul
so their foreman, Gorge 8. Hagany, unanimous
rendered the following verdict: