The record-union., 1891-09-21
Tt WAS UNAVOIDABLE.
Mail Agent Quimby's Death inquired
Into By Jury.
Verdict to the Yolo Coroner That
the Webster Train Wreck
Was Accidental.

killed in the wreck of the local San Fran
cisco train on August 3lst near the Sheep
Camp, about six miles west of this city.
The jurymen selected to listen to the
testimony were DR.. W. MacFarlain,
Henry Stelling, John Krimmer, George
Webber, Matt. Clancey and Frank Dick
erson. six prominent business men of
Davisville.
The inquest attracted large number of
people about the Coroner's office and
great deal of interest was manifested.
WAS IN THE WRECK.
The first witness sworn was c. P. Stod-
dard, the baggage-master of the train
which was wrecked. He said Quimby
worked in the same car, but he was the
postal clerk and his section was parti-
toned Oft from the baggage-room. Stod-
dard said the first indication he had that
the car had left the track was when he
felt 1t humping along over the ties. He
was about 10 look out of the door when
the car turned over and off the trestle,
falling distance of sixteen feet. lie
craWled out fthe ruins and saw Quimby
lying about ten feet from the partition
near the upper side Of the car. The side
of the car had fallen in on his head and
his head together with large piece OF the
scalp. Stoddard stated that he did not
know Of his own knowledge what caused
the wreck
Section Foreman w. NJ. Ahern said the
wreck occurred at the commencement Of
trestle l47. The track was in good condi-
ton.
Juryman K1immer wanted to know if
a split rail had anything to do with the
accident, but Mr.. AheTn readily replied
| that it did not. He said there was what
is termed a split rail few feet from
where the ears ran off. It,was put in in
order to square the Joints and allow the
section foreman TO more readily square
the track. They were used on every rail-
| road in the country, and always con-
sldered just as safe as a solid rail. The
cars fell over on the south Side of the
trestle, and after the wreck the split rail,
and, in fact, the entire north rail, was in
good condition, while three rails on the
south were turned over.
OBSTACLES IN RAILRoADING.
The most interesting testimony was
given by W. 5. Palmer, the resident en-
gineer of the first district of the Southern
Pacific Company, in the Maintenance of
Way Department. He said he was at the
wreck shortly after it occurred. It
was his duty to always go to wrecks to
see what the cause WAS, and, If possible,
to provide against their occurrence again.
He explained that when rails were laid
they were put together in such a manner
as to allow as much as thirtytwo inches
expansion or contraction for every mile
Ii was a Well-known fact that, heat eX-
panded steel. If trains ran but one
way on the track the tendency would be
for both rails to run in the direction the
trains travelled, the constant driving of
the engine and car wheels naturally fore
ing both rails in one direction. But on
the road between Sacramento and Oak-
land, as many trains travelled one way as
The other, and from some cause, which
could not be explained, one Of the rails
expanded in one direction and the other
rail heightened in the opposite direction.
! This was what necessitated the squaring
of the joints very often. To assist the
foreman in doing the work a split rail is
put in. 1t is made by turning one end of
the rail and fitting in tapering rail so as
to make the track perfectly straight.
| These are bolted together and have never
| been known to cause accidents.
One of the iurynien asked the question:
might not the fiange of the wheel have
run in between the point OF the tapering
rail and the main rail and split them
apart?"
Mr.. Palmer quickly explained away
such theory by informing the Juror
that such thing would be impossible. as
III the same direction the train was run
ming.
THEORY OF THE CAUSE.
Then Mr.. Palmer went on to explain
his theory as to the cause of the accident.
lie reminded the jurors that tie day was
uncomfortably hot and that an expansion
of the rails might be expected. He be-
lieved that the south rail commenced to
expand and crowd toward the west and
the bolts had become SO set in that par
ticular place on the rail opposite the split
rail- as not to permit of expansion at the
joint mot of the split rail-. With such
tremendous pressure against the south
rail- it was easy to understand that when
| the weight of an engine came upon il. the
rail simply warped and turned over, in
which condition it was found after the
wreck. The entire north rail, in which
the split was put in, was not injured or
bent, and the fact that the pony trucks of
the engine and one wheel of the tender
remained on this rail. went to show that
there was no fault with it.
Mr.. Palmer said that the roadmaster of
that district went over the road every
day or SO, the section boss travelled over
it oftener, and the track walker made two
trips day. He explained that the track
walker had passed by the place where
the accident occurred only an hour be-
fore the train, and that about half an
hour ahead of the train an engine came
over from Sacramento. He said that fif-
teen or twenty minutes later or earlier in
the day the train might have passed over
safely, but it struck the cramped rail Just
as it was ready TO warp.
CONDUCTOR WELLS.
Conductor II. H. Wells testified that
the train was running about thirty-fiye
miles an hour at the time of the accident
and he was in the second coach at the
grl1n % nG hn -
standstill he looked out and saw the
coach in front of him balanced on the
treStle. AS quickly and quietly as poSsi-
BILE he got the women and children out of
the car, and then sent brakeman to Sac
mento. He also ordered the fireman to
go ahead of the engine and flag any ap-
preaching train. 1t was his opinion that
the intense heat had thrown the south rail
out of line just as the engine reached it,
Engineer w. a. Belden said that when
the accident occurred he felt as though
the track had suddenly slid out from
under his engine. When he found he
was off the track he shut off the steam
and applied the air brakes He went
along on the ties about four car lengths
and his engine then parted from the train
and slid along about $50 feet on the
trestle. He found all four of his driving
wheels off the track and all the wheels of
the tender excepting one on the right
hand side. He went back to find out
what caused the accident and found three
Of the rails on the south side of the track
turned over.
f. w. Luzzader, the fireman, gave
similar testimony.
Edward A. Newland, the head brake
man on the train, was in the smoker
when the accident occurred. He braced
himself when he felt the car humping,
but when it pitched over on end he fell
out through the door onto the platform.
He made his way to Conductor Wells
and then won't To Sacrarlanntn dista,ano