Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-07-03


IT,, engine. I paid no further attention to the
er CINE until l heard it exhausting. I did not
ST the killing of Mr.. Darwin. When I saw the
engine 90 close to the cars, turned to Jump off
rad got off the brake, the engine had struck the
cars. had no idea that there was going to be an
accident. I saw Mr.. Darwin as soon as had
turr ed around. My back was to the engine
when it was within coupling distance. saw
Mr.. Darwin just before the accident, and do not
think he was in position to get hurt, had not
the bumper broke. do not think the engine
struck the cars unusually hard: was on one of
down. 1t is about eight miles from the scene of
the accident to the water-tank at McConnells-
vile. did not think, until | turned and saw
it, that the car had been struck hard enough to
| three of them loaded with dirt Had the hand
been there in time, he could have made the coup
ling without getting hurt. i generally get down
when the engine approaches. do not know
that it was carelessness on the part of the coup
| ling hand not to be there. Our written rules
prohibit US from carrying passengers. In case
one had got on, we would have taken him to the
next station. Our rules do not authorize vio-
| lence. I do not know how far the engine knock
| ed the cars. I have known them knocked ten
feet. The brake was on one car of this train, but
| I do not know how many more. did not op)ect
to Mr.. Darwin going. with me on the train to
where we were working. I suppose it was the
end Of the flat car that struck Mr.. Darwin. He
was sitting on the pilot The bumper of the car
was knocked off and the brake-beam of the truck
was broken. The collision raised the end OF the
car. do not know at what speed the engine was
| running; was not looking at it. We have no
limited speed in making couplings. do not
| think the train was running faster than usual
this afternoon suppose it was the T6 dsa%oar h%noa
er would not have been broken had not the pilot
run under the car, which raised it, when the
bumper of the engine struck the end of the car.
| When we miss couplings, and the pilot runs un-
der the car, it always throws the end of the car
up whether we are running fast or slow. The
cars came up above the bumper Of the engine.
The bumpers could not have struck each other,
had not the pilot run under the car L did not
notice where the bumper that was knocked off
fell. I do not think the bolts of the bumper were
an inch in diameter. No damage was done to
the engine, except the breaking OF the smoke
head. To strike the smoke head the END OF the
car would have to be raised the width of the
| bumper-about ten inches I do not know where
the broken bumper was picked up:
| JASPER GoFoRTH, sworn: Mr.. Darwin ran on
and caught up with the engine after we had start
ed for water. The engineer told him that ne
could not 90 with US; but he got on the cab and
went. After taking water, we went to the wood
yard for wood. After taking wood, Mr.: Darwin
said he would ride on the pilot Of the engine. My
engineer objected, two or three times, to him
riding on the pilot; but he said he would that he
| wanted to ride there to keep cool. The engineer,
permitted him to ride there. We came on then,
as as can guess at it, at the rate OF seven or
eight miles an hour, until we came to the top of
the grade, when the engineer shut off steam and
| I put on my brake Immediately. She ala not
check up as much as he wished, and he then re-
versed her and gave her steam, in case OF holding
her back. But the engine went on until it struck
| the car, when the cars rolled back. From the
| top of the grade, where put on brakes, to the
car, is about three train lengths. The collision
knocked the cars three four or five feet, as near
as 1 can guess at it. When we put on brakes,
| we were about three train lengths from the cars.
cars had forgotten that he on the pilot until
I saw his brains on top Of the steam chest. MY
back was towards him. The pilot, guess, struck
the car first. The bumper cannot strike the car
the car struck the engine. do not know where
the bumper was picked up, but saw 1t near the
end of the car. I was not Jared. do not be-
lieve anything about it, whether or not the bump
er of the car struck the engine. The only failure
was that the hand was not there to couple the
car. His name is Isom Caldwell. He was dis
tant about half car length when they struck.
I did not hear any one speak to Mr. Darwin 10
| get off, that he was in danger do not know
what time it was when we started for water; it
was lust after we had dinner. We were not be-
hind time; were running seven or elght miles an
| hour. know fast from slow speed. we were
about ten minutes taking wood and water. 90
not know how long we were gone, but guess three
quarters Of an hour. The distance to the tank
and back is sixteen miles. The engine Knocked
the train three or four or five feet. The distance
was about two and a half car lengths. The
engineer reversed the engine because ne saw
he would miss making the coupling. When ne
! reversed he was two and a half car lengths
! from the cars. could have walked as fast as
the engine was running Mr.. Darwin was in no
danger if the coupling had been made. He was
foot or eighteen inches from the coupling. 90
not know his position before the accident a
piece of his skull and some bralns were Iouna
about ten feetdistant. could have went around
from the engine, without running, and coupled
the cars to the engine, after the engineer revers-
ed the engine There was no whisky on Doard.
I am positive that we never have any WHISKY on
the train sometimes buy some to carry home;
carry it on the engine, which is an attachment OF
| the train. There was no anger that could tell
between the engineer and Mr.. Darwin. The en-
eineer is master of his engine. He might have
Kept Mr. Darwin off. We both could have done
it but do not know that we would have tried
it. know that the engineer and both told MIN
not to ride on the pilot 1t was not a dangerous
place. Had Mr. Darwin been inside, ne would
not have been hurt. The car was thrown up
about eight or ten inches. don't know whether
or not the bumper of the car struck the engine.
do not know whether or not the bumper OF the
car was broken off before the car was struck by
the engine. When the engine struck, remark,
ed that I thought some one was killed, and
thought it was my boy, who was on one OF the
flats I saw brains on the steanl-chest which
caused me to make the remark.
IsoM CALDWELL, sworn When the engine
running slowly. I was shoveling as usual. l
turned around, to 60 couple up; but before l
could get there the engine had struck the car. 1
heard the engine blow at the crossing. | mo-
toned nv hand to Mr.. Darwin to get of the pi-
lot. was throwing dirt on the third car when
the engineapproached. did not 60 near the en-
CINE. started to couple it, but did not get more
than two steps when the crash came. 1t ala not
knock the train very far-a little dlstance-not
the distance from the engine to where I was
standing The bumper was pretty close to the
engine when went up. After the engine struck
the cars do not know the distance they were
apart but guess about five feet. When L mo-
toned to Mr.. Darwin I was approaching the en-
CINE. motioned to him because I thought he
was in danger. The engine was running at coup
ling speed. There Is no particular coupler. L
started because l was nearest the car to be cou-
pied. The regular coupler was In Chester, SICK.
ming so fast that was afraid to 60 to couple. l
started for that purpose, because was nearest.
I was about two steps from my shovelIng when
I motioned to Mr.. Darwin-waved my hand.
He took up his legs after motioned. The en-. en-,
rebound. did not notice whether or not the
engine ran backward after they struck: / saw
the flat when the end of it went over his head
T think the end of the flat car broke the smoke
door, I think it was the bumper, but do not
know. + do not know how high the end of the
car was raised. Mr.. Darwin was sitting to the
left hand side of the pilot; was on the right.
to me to couple, and this afternoon he whistled
to me with his mouth. He was not running fast.
A little white boy was on the car with Goforths
boy, on the last car from the engine. They were
all saw The captain might have been on. The
little boys were not knocked off. do not know
who picked up the bumper that was Knocked OH.
Ipaid no attention to what the engineer said when
he came around was frightened. had start
ed to couple the engine after he whistled to me.
I do not Know how far off he was when he whis-
tied. The engine had not stopped right still. 1