Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-10
RAILROAD NEWS.
Verdict Regarding the San
Fernando Wreck.
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On Sunday Michael Luna, the
Mexican injured internally in the Sar
Fernando disaster died at the Sisters
Hospital, SO when the inquest was re-
sumed in Coroner Meredith's Office
yesterday morning, his name was
added to those of Westerfield anc
Brooks, who were killed outright al
the time of the wreck.
Conductor O. A. Upson, who was il
charge of the work train, was exam
ined, and testified as follows: "Wt
came out of the tunnel about 5 O'Clock
in the morning, and, while waiting fol
the men to unload the cars which
stood on the main track, the engineer
came to me and wanted to know
whether we could not 60 back to Sar
Fernando as soon as train No. 80, the
Santa Barbara passenger, arrived
He said he would like to go ahead o
No. 19, as he had been sick all day
and wanted to come to Los
Angeles on No. 10 to get a
man to come out on No. 2(
to take charge of the work train. He
said that we might as we'll 60 ahead
OF 10, and if we saw "a coming we
could come back to the tunnel. !
told him all right, but to go slow, and
when he got to the curves to stop and
/ would send a fagman out to the
straight track. On the arrival of No
80 we started. was occupied in the
caboose and the brakemen were both
on the rear platform. We were back.
ing up, and when 1 noticed we were
right on the curve where 1 had told
him to stop so that I could send a
'fagman around the curve to the
straight track l started out on the
rear platform to have the brakeman
stop the train with the hand brakes
Just as got to the door 1 saw "a, and
/ did not have time to speak before
they struck. 1t is about a mile from
the switch 10 where the accident hap.
pened. think we were running
about fifteen miles an hour. Wester'
field should have only run within hall
a mile of the curve and then stopped
until f1agman was sent over; it was
his duty to stop. 1t is about three
miles from San Fernando to where che
accident happened. 1 did not heal
any whistles blown; it is the
duty OF the engineer to blow whistle
at all curves and obscure places
There might have been whistle
blown and 1 not have heard it.
have always been in the habit of hav
ing all curves flsgged. When 1 went
inside of the car after starting for Sar
Fernando I expected to be notified o
the nearing Of the curves by feeling
the train slack up. When l stepped
to the door OF the car went knowing
that the train should stop and went t6
give orders to the brakeman to set uE
the brakes by hand and stop the trair
as it was down grade. l do not know
that the brakeman knew that l tolt
the engineer to stop at the curve.
At the conclusion of Upson's testi
mony the jury adjourned for dinner
and after the recess was over returned
the following verdict after short de
liberation:
1--WE find that Joseph A. Wester
field, a railroad engineer, native o
Kansas, aged 27; Harry Brooks, &
fireman, native of Ohio, 26, anG
Michael Luna, "a, native of Mexico
came to their death through injuries
received while in the employ Of the
Southern Pacific Company"
The jury held that O. A. Upson
conductor of the work train, and j. A.
Westerfield, the engineer OF same, were
to blame for the accident and that il
was due to their criminal careless.
ness.