Telegram-herald., 1890-06-27
SEEKING THE CAUSE
A Coroner's jury Investigating the
Railway Accident.
The NATTER IS SILL i MYSTERY.
Witnesses TeI the way ths Oak Timber
IhFss the Train from the Iraes, eet
Not AnJ Tsn How ths Timber cot
Ihsrs-Ihs Iaqasst AdJourHsd.

Ay4LAE4 LatAtrA Nrr@A ~ 40. 1~~@~
yesterday on tie body OF Herbert Mes
ser. the hreman Killed BY the "accl-
dent atthe Clancey street crossing.
The FIRST act u the coroner and the
jury Wls 70 yew the body OF the
deceased dreman, and then % view
and examine the scene Of the tragedy.
The testimony VAS taken a. the othce
Of Dr. LOcher, on EllswOEth-aye.
William Richie. the hrst witness,
testified '.sly home sin Detroit. / am
a locomotive engineer, and ran engine
No. 50 GA the D., O.. If. & VI. railway.
/ brought IN No. IS express last even
lng I shut OF steam from my iOcOmO-
tive about four miles east OF the sta
ton coming around the curve my nrst
duty was % see that the semaphOre and
switch Eghts were al right. discOy-
cred them so. h ." About one mile east
of tile station or little less, struck a
piece of timber. at first thinking some
thing had broken about my engine.
felt 10 great Jar, but Immediately ap-
Piled the air brakes. The timber /
afterwards found WAS Is feet long and
sxl0 inches square; did not see the tim
ber before striking lt. IL was dark
night and the stick was lyiag length
ways; q was about the color o.
tine ties and It's end would not
be- easily noticed; think the trucks
only weat OF az nrst and the drivers
when the switch rau was struck few
rods further west. After the engine
WAS stopped l jumped OF; called my
treman's name anu, receiving no an
swer. / went around 70 the lett side Il
my locomotive, found the fireman Is
ing upon his back as / supposed dead;
the fireman never used the brake upon
the tender, the AIR brakes work upon
the tender wheels. He must have been
standing M the gang-way, dangerous
point about 4 locomotive, where we per-
INIT 10 one % ride. / have known sew
eral men % be killed while IN the gang
way. | think We were running about
twenty miles an hour at the time We
struck the obstruction; have been IN the
emDl0yof thecompany since 1854, as an
engineer since l-6S, and never struck an
obstruction before. The tram was very
nearly upon schedule time; | was not
making up any time at this point; the
engine, tender and baggage car only
LETT the rails. About a week ago while
coming west on No. ii express, my fire
man soaked tramp pretty thoroughly
with water, while be Was steahnga ride
upon the baggage car platform, next
tue tender. InIs was near Lowe IL when
We were coming west. ! paid no atten-
ton % this man; We eaten these fellows
81 nearly every trip, and pay little
attention TO them, althOu we are
supposed 10. | did not SCI .-Ay suspi-
clOus characters about the tracks either
before or Just after the accident
Thomas COnlOn testified that he
walked along the track a. 1928 the
evening OF the disaster. and saw 10 OBJ
structOn on the track. He saw
stranger on the track Just west OF the
College ave. crossing. and spoke 70
HIM, but he made no reply. Tne man
vas a stranger, but COnlOn thinks he
would recognize him # he saw HIM
again The man looked and acted like
sneak thief.
William Ingraham also testified to
seeing the strange man. he passed
along the track past whore the aCc.-
dent was about l0.0j, and the timber
was rot on the track then. lie SAID be
would have seen 70 II 1t had been
there.
After this testimony the inquest was
adjourned % 4.3O il the afternoon.
TIE first witness 1t the adjourned
meetu- was James J. Shceran. the
conductor of tine train. He testified as
follows.
-l reside in Detroit Have been run
nng ON tbe u. q VI. railway about
twenty-five years as brakeman and
conductor. / should Judge that when
he Wh,sticd Tor tine station we were
running eighteen or twenty miles an
hour I found nothing definitely as 10
who placed the obstruction on the
track Al 20 any theory OF mine, oil /
can say 8 that Attorney John Mitchell,
OF Iona. told me that he would take
the names and address OF the two boys
who claim tlat they saw boys putting
tho timber on the track Another the
CRY & that somebody might have Teen
stealing Che timber. Those two boys
were about N and l3 years Of age. /
have not lately had any trouble with
Any passengers. That run last % gbt
was not my regular run. and was tne
first time for about month that Dad
tlkcn To-, 10 would not BE- possible for
an engineer t0 see an obstruction 0t that
kud u time 90 stop, especially
as tac semaun0re showed everything
clDar. Ms engineer Is a very careful,
competent man. He whistied 40 tue
usual crossings. / dom know what
srorf we are perm ltted to run WITHIN
tne c.tv Emts We ram ltte faster
al ght fn8n bv day $50 we're frlc-
u. ID. D