New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-06-02
THE EEIR SWIWP ACCIDENT.

COEONTRs INQUrsT BTGCN-TE~ rINoNY OF The
CuNprCToK AND E>GINLEE AND or TILE
GEAPH OPERATOR.
TKLNroN. y. j., June 1.-The Coroncr's in
qu, into ia, causr 81 the death Of \. H. Ritter and In
cplu Pennington. of Philadelphia. "n MAY 80. by the
accident .; LEAR swamp. on the pcnutrnua Railroad.
va, hre,m at the Court uoGse this afternoon. Levi
S.Ancc tie conductor who lives Ia Philadelphia, tc'ii-
He'd as ioIoNs:
The train w. 40 - and lcft New York M 800. and
We ,iur iu Trenton "a: $50 There wtrc one c"mhna-
non rai on, unrlrr ,ar aud thpc coa,hr-. We w'r'
inrf1 sven nilrs an hour The nfsl knowledge Of the
me-, l.. u ht, Wa the bumpns az tho tram over la"
s,u,f, Inc car ma in 'hc first car behind The
rlror car aud It was ups"t There are signals. did
not the -ignal, beng Inside the ear.
Levi, Ilu si,s was sworn. and testified:
I ON the operator at Bear swamp. My duty also
n 10 attend To the switch. j. X. SaiPhin rcrt'd me
.i' "'s r ~ tbrr The ,urir' iay up - I:O D. ~
the switch on the wrsthonnd track Il tNentl So ~
liz EAST -bnu, track The signals ar between 800 anl
1000 lo,t nom the Office door he due OF the signal
for The slim - | have never knoTn the sig
nails to Iaii In OPERATING 81 Item. &c.,, uor ItsS
orrr " ncn ct. II tue signal - 81 for The i"nrh
track will snow rtd can ', , " , . .,y .S" a.
fourth track at I4o O'Clock The fast iine was due al
49,
This witness explained his duties telegraph operator
and swtcht,ndcr, and ad It took him abou, one min
f. 10 20 from the Office to the switch II his duty
To give the train, the Signals, and after the freight train
passrs IL is his duty Tx the switches FOR the main
trains Ills duties IN both positions never concled lie
said:
II am pushed can let the t,lecraphng 60. There
f. not two men's wurktncr,; sometimes am pbsh'u
W. don't freight lines and main lines to run closer
than ten minutes.
Edward Osmond, OF Philadelphia the engineer, said;
when came down to Bear swamp the signal al TINS
point showed white The block signal was green saw
Ii before got to the block. IL means caution Ntohh
see thre miles down tue TRACK at TILE point me eI'
signal also that there Is train on ihe F T. sh
as could that there no tuiln on Tue NSA III AZ
that block Of rOuRe did not slow up LUIS uhu,i
stand We have a right to do. We were running ~ tnc
rate of fifty TO MT i've miles An hour lhAN ruh
greater speed. ON this occasion the IRAN Ians TaItrI
~ a mile after we struck the switch before tIe Lh
stopped when 1 looked up was saushtd
| saw cross the track sn"
he might have changed IL IA a moment IN coniuSl1h
thinking IL Was wrong before. think the slguai was
changed after passed 1t. believe this because "a"
man there.
Gardner Newcomb, farmer, testified that he mad been
track walker and understood signals On this occasion
he saw rhe signal and II red His son also saw II
and called attention 10 t. The father said To the son,
oer fright train had passed, ny, the operator has
MOI changed the signal" The young man said " Well,
tho train viii STOP and offered "a bet that would stop,
Int il did not They both ookgd at the signal after the
accident and IL showed red.