Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-10-03
EDWARD IrhE,s DEATH.
A Screw Loose Somewhere i'm the
Railroad Management.

A Screw Loose Somewhere i'm the
Railroad management.
Coroner Gamble on Sunday morning
empaneled the following jury to inquire
into the death OF Edward Lyle, the vic
tim OF the collision on the B. & o. rail
road on Saturday afternoon w. II.
Quinn, George II. Crawford, Peter Fa-
gan, John Wagner, Lewis Townsend, II.
Il. Moody, Joseph Fenton, NJ. O. Tag
CART, James Thornton. The Jury heard
the testimony of the train hands of the
two trains and then adjourned to meet q
Tuesday evening at 7.30 O'Clock, when
the testimony OF the train dispatcher in
Philadelphia and the Telegraph operator
at East junction will be heard. Until all
tho Testimony is in il is difficult to place
the exact responsibility for the accident,
although the train hands apparently
cleared their skirts, but the train dis.
patcher and telegraph operator may haye
some trouble to do likewise.
The passenger train was due to leave
Market street station at 12.43 p. M, west
yard at 1913 p. M, and East function at
IL 81 p. III. Just as they were about to
leave on time one Of the cars jumped the
track at Shipley street on account of q
misplaced switch, and the train was de-
layed 80 minutes before again proceed
ing. 1t was going about 25 to 80 miles
an hour round the curve just baycnd the
west yard when shifter No. ~, with 10
coal cars, came backing in or the same
track at about an eight.mile gait. The
curve is 80 sharp at this point and the
w. Il N. track runs parallel and 30 close
to the b. II o. track, thar the hands of
the two trains did not realize that they
were on the same track until about so
yards apart. The engineer Of the
passenger train reversed his engiue,
end jumped, as did tue brakeman on the
rear car OF the coal train. The fireman
OF the passenger engine, Edward Lyle,
failed TO jump and he was literally
crushed to denth in the crash that fol-
lowed. The passenger engine was thrown
TO the right side OF the track and al
though she looked like bad wreck Ler
boiler and machinery are not thought to
be badly damaged. The cab in which
the engineer and fireman stand were
crushed to splinters. Five coal cars
were iammed into an indiscriminste mass
which left but little OF the oars that was
whole. The three coaches on the pas.
senger train did not leave the track, al
though the occupants were severely
shaken and several were bruised, while
Conductor Gante was 80 badly bruised
in the side that he is confined to his bed.
The wreck train worked all Of Saturday
afternoon aud Sunday morning on the
wreck and about noon the track was
again open for travel.
The body Of the dead man was brought
to the morgue and after being viewed by
the jury, was sent to his home at Newark
Sunday afternoon for burial.
The testimony Sunday showed that
there was screw loose somewhere IL the
management OF the Market street branch
of the b. Il o. railroad, and train men
made 1t very clear that it is difficult and
sometimes impossible to get information
whether the road is clear or not. Tie Is.
Il o. railroad has no operator at the
w. Il N. junction but the switch tower is
operated by the W. & N. railroad and the
expenses at the junction station are
equally divided by the b. & o. and W. IL
N. roads. Some Of the train men COM
plain that they have been delayed 10 and
10 minutes TO find out IL the track was
clear and often they could not get even
that information. The train men are
supposed to obey orders and not question
them.
"Well, IL you had your suspicious that
all was not right, what would you do 2"
asked one of the jorymen of Engineer
Cooper OF shitter No. 81.
eve are not supposed to have any sus-
picions," promptly replied the engineer.
This much was made clear in SUM-
days testimony. The fact that the pas
senger train was delayed at Market street
station by an accident was communicated
to Train Dispatcher CLARK at Philadel-
phia. At 12.48 O'Clock or five minutes
after the passenger train should have left
Market street station, Conductor j. A.
Carroll and Engineer John W. Cooper of
the shifting engines crew, received their
order to run engine No. ~ as an extra
from W. d N. junction TO west yard.
This order was shown in testimony.
Whose duty ii was to know whether
the passenger train had gone out
or not, did not show in the tes-
timony. Engineer Jacob Stanton Of the
passenger train said something about
thinking that he was to pass the coal
train at west yard. The passenger train
undoubtedly had the right OF way and
although an extra has not many rights
and has TO get out of the way of regu.
lar train, still extra az was running under
orders issued by Operator Buckley.
There seemB no doubt but that the shift
ing crew thought that the passenger train
had already passed on to the main line.
Engineer Cooper said that he approached
the curve, which is down grade coming
towards the city with the brakes on.
There are already rumors that near
relatives of the deceased will sue for
damages for I4yle's death.