Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1872-11-30
THE RAILROAD DISASTER
Official Investlgation-The Jury Render a
Verdict OF Ineompetency and Neglect.


at Ellerelie on that morning, and to in
quire into the CAUSES Of their death.
The following Jurors were summoned 4.
Geo. s, Hagany, foreman, James Crooks,
Lewis F. Adair, Reece Pyle, Matthew W.
Macklem, John V. Christy, Elk. .Craw ford,
Thomas j. Bennett, l.. A. Palmer, John
Donahoe, John q. Peacock, John II.
Moore, Joseph II. Dickinson, Washington
Cox aud George WihelmL
The jury met yesterday morning at 9
O'Clock and viewed the bodies, and th,n
went out and examined the scene Of tire
accident They then adi0urnld to meet al
the depot ut =. ~, last evening.
The jury reassembled at the hour named
In the Directors room In the depot build
ing, and all the train hands and others
who had witnessed the accident, were
there o give ia their evidence.
The testimony was ia substance follows
Anthony Rue, sworn; Was conductor
In charge Of the injured train. / left the
Broad aud Prime street depot on time. An
accident occurred to my engine quarter
mile north OF the twelve mile post or about
two miles north Of Chester, Remained
there ilfty minutes before got uAolheI en-
glue to start away. Reached Chester four
or five minutes before o'tlock. l. f
Chester ht ten minutes past | O'Clock.
After leaving Chester with new engine
Ihuue ilttie more tnan usual speed TILL we
passed Bellevue keaehei Eilersle sta
uoh ae 81 minutes past O'Clock, and
ieiialneu theIe uii nearly elock.-
neu Sol hpouv fourteen hundred Let soith
VI ~, hl'eTSiic Wne" tue eollisl3h tOoh place.
neh l. nrst hau an lu.h that the hei
sI"ln was approaching IL was ABOUT JuOO
iee1 away: we stopped h.loW Eiiersliv
10, want OF 8 cam Is unaple 10 say wnethei
snlS e was IIoUl want Oh WAler or want OF
luel; IL was my uuly toHisia.ch mcssen-
Ncr pi'k 10 give lhe appfo tenlhg tram
Warhlhg o. uaugir anead' did leave a
hiessehAer at Eli I.ls slaiiou' mink
lu9t Womb Or suin-lent a. lance under
olu'n1'y clIcuuis Ahces' l had no Idea 1
mus gong W s-ay tuefe as we had been
nav ny oough steam an expected TO
set lhto wilmington qua not Know that
tne engine vas short oil ste I'M when
we leIt Ellerslle. Inc messenger | sent
osck was Mr. Daniels The officers
OF the toas ~ Shesier knew that
ny Tram was nlty minutes late.
10 not suppose the new YORK train
stopped III Oht ster as thal was not stop
ping place lor IT, MY lraln was not mOy-
ing wien the collision took place. Had
been stopped about four minutes II is
my duty 10 lay OIL "hen on nnother train's
uhe, but L was not on another trains
tlmo lhen' II noihlng mad happened 10
tue engine NJ Elersio we would have got
INTO Wilmington ahead Of The other trains
tlTe. When stopped the messenger was
about a thousand feet back Of the tram.
The rules OF III, company require tlat IN
such case messenger shall be sent back
SIN huudlel 10 el4ht hunired yhrja. 1t
was the duty OF the engineer 1t he found
ne had mol enough steam TO proceed to
wilmington 10 report Tie fact 10 the con-
auctor. lie ala hot 30 report, and hrst
learned that we were deHclont in seam
wheh ran up AMI a kad him after the
tram mad stopped. There Is siding
there, bat we bad not enough steam to
switch OIL, had not enough TO move the
train. do not know what made the steam
80 down so quickly. had not time to
nolily The Passengers hofore the collision.
The New York ana Washington express
train is due at Claymont at l.35 O'Clock.
The collision took place between 1.39 and
LAO. | was guiug back toward The ap.
proaching train when the collision took
place Had not got as far back as the
station. / slsnalied with white light,
he brake 'man hal III. rtd one. Amy
llght waved violently up and down, is u
$ gnal OF danger. There was red bull 5
eye nght IN rear platform. When
started back ! saw the approaching train
tuin the curve. had not time TO noiiy
the passengers then. The weather was Il
little hazy, but there was no iug.
Dr. John X. Kane, sworn Henry Fritz
was dead "hen first SAW him. ! exam
med the body. There were several severe
Cuatusilus about tbs .css and body, and
the hip and shoaldtr of thcrg S dc were
dslocatcd. Ih-ie were no evidences of
auy iujury 10 tie brain or of hcmorrhagc.
regard his death as du" to shock.
Joseph Daniels, sworn | was hinp
brakeman on the train that was struck
We aluO.t stepped at llllsIs ic anl went
back lOO OF l5O yaIds tJ signal ile train
Heard the train coming, Heard tnginccr
blow for brakes before he rounded the
curve or | Saw the headlight. when lie
came in sight of me | was waving red
light. fle bowed tor brakes twice or three
times afier he came in sght Of my red
light. Whtn he a.scl M his cugiue was
reversed ana the brakes were down ou the
second and third car. | stool ,Here tiil
heard collision, and first started toward
it but then turned AID went back to stop
the ireirLt train which was following. /
Walkcd Judge about tlrcc-lsnrtcls of 81
mile, clear around the curve. | ttoppsd
the freight train, got ON the engine and
rode down to the scene of IN, accident,
and then went TO work. aupn,sr tlr
New York train was about thrc,,-onartcr,
of mile flom our train whcr / Grt
il, ard il blow for dow. brakes. did moi
know, when | cot of at EIlersiic. mat
there was anything wong win tie
engine or our train. L. had run well