Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-11-28

The COr0nerss InquesS-TeslimOny
and Verdict.

The inquest BY the Coroner on the bodies
Of the unfortunate men who were killed in
the terrible accident on the Central Railroad
near the city on Thursday evening has been
concluded and the verdict rendered. Below
we give the testimony as taken by the Coro-
ner and the verdict returned By the jury:
J.E Cummings, engineer of the engine
Pennsylvania, testified: We were going to
the Charleston Junction to carry some cars
Of the Savannah, Florida and Western Rail
way; / noticed a small light which looked to
be quarter of a mile distant; l reversed the
engine and blew brakes three times and
stood on the steps of the engine until l
thought 1t was twenty feet of; then step
ped off the engine on the ground;
the collision followed; | then ran to
Mr.. Bird Wade and carried him
to Mr.. Meinhard's store; left him and re-
turned to the wreck; had light on both
ends of the engine.
o. G. Roberts testified: am conductor;
my train was going from Savannah; had
ten cars for the Savannah, Florida aud West
ern Railway; about two miles from town my
engineer blew on brakes; l was on the car
next to the rear, standing with my lamp In
my hand, looking out of the door; when he
blew brakes looked up the road but could
see nothing; just at that time he blew
brakes again, and in few seconds sounded
the signal of danger ahead; shortly after
wards the two engines, Vulcan and Penn
sylvania collided; jumped from the car to
the ground and ran up to my engine: there
| found several persons dead and wounded;
assisted in removing one wounded man
and then went to Savannah for assistance;
we have a regular schedule-5:2O-for run-
ming; did not get any notification Of the
train.
r. E. Meldrim, engineer of the engine
Vulcan, testified; | was driving lumber
train for Savannah; below the three mile
post saw the rel sction from a headlight,
the engine running backwards; on discover,
ing the danger called brakes. and did all
in my power to stop; / also blew signal
whistles to notify that there was danger
ahead; when / discovered that collision
was unavoidable l told my men to get out,
and then Jumped from the engine myself;
the trains then collided; l had headlight,
but it was not lighted; It would have been
of no use, as it was in the opposite direc-
ton; it was dark, $50 p. m.
Frank DE Burrows testified: On Thurs
day night, about twenty seven minutes after
five O'Clock, my engine and the river
pusher collided, killing four cOlOred men
and one white man, the wood passer on the
engine Vulcan, and breaking the leg of one
of my train hands, John Taylor, white;
both engines were running backward; my
cORluc OulJ udu ulu uOb E6t
any light on the other engine; when my en-
gineer called to put on brakes l promptly
obeyed; had two men to assist on the
brakes; the engine blew two or three whis-
ties; as got up to see what was the matter
the collision occurred; l ran up to the engine
and found men killed and wounded; | had
nothing but gauge light on the cab of the
train, which consisted of thirteen cars load
ed with lumber; the engineer can run an
h,n F-rrr apH Of to It,
erection; l telegraphed l would be
10 Savannah by five o'clock; l had
the passenger train to flag my lumber
train down to Savannah; the other train
knew that the passenger train had to lag
my train to Savannah, and also knew that
my train had not arrived In Savannah at the
time; If they did not know it they should
have known it; my engineer telegraphed
from No. when he left; there Is no sched- !
uIe for a lumber train; 1 took the day
schedule from Savannah to No. 6, and had |
the down daY passenger to flag me from No.
4 to Savannah.
Henry Meinhard testified: l was standing
in my shop door about $50 o. m. Thursday, |
when the pusher blew on brakes twice; l |
looked up the road and saw q lumber train |
coming also; ran down to the track Just |
as the collision occurred; l saw several per- |
sons covered with the lumber pitched from |
the cars; sent over to my store and got a |
spike and assisted In digging them out; |
the conductor asked me to carry be wound |
ed to town; l ordered my teams TO be hi ehed |
up and brought six of the injured, four |
colored and two white men, to the city; on |
the way one Of The colored men died; both |
engineers blew on brakes, the pusher first: |
heard two or three men hallooiug under |
the lumber for help.
George NJ Cooper testified: A lumber |
train came after my train after my lumber |
at So Central Railroad. fifty-four miles |
from Savannah; loaded ten cars and came
back to No. 5; at No. the passenger train !
passed US; heard the conductor tell the en-
gineer to flag US down to Savannah; we met |
the up freight at No. IL; when we got over /
the Charleston crossing | heard the engine |
blow on brakes, and in a few minutes heard |
three short whistles; In a second or two I |
felt a severe jar; the conductor
jumped from his seat and said |
that serious accident had occurredi we all |
ran to the engine, and saw pile of lum Der |
on the ground and two engines smashed |
together; heard some men crying for help |
and grooming: | Immediately went to work |
TO relieve them, aud the fir,t got ont was
John Taylor, train hand, who was caught
under the lumber; | found on he broken
car three of my men wounded-YOrk Lanier
leg broken, Jesse Harrison and Bill Jones.
injured and cut: near there | found Isaac |
then went to the front part OF the engine,
and found three more men under th3 head.
light-George Founder, Sam Lipsey and
Amos Hendersor-dead; looked uuder the
lumber the best ! could, but saw 40 one
else.
After considering this evidence the jury
rendered the following
VERDICT:
awe the jury fad George Founder, Sam
Ltpsey, Amos Henderson, Isaac Connor and I
G. Punk tt came to their death from an
unavoidable collision of the engines Penu-