The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-03-11
THE WRECK AT LITTLE GUNpOWDER.
It's appearance the Morning after
the accident.
THE CORONER'S INQUEST
Funeral of the Dead Engineer-FIOraI
Tributes of Respect.
THE JURY AT THE WRECK.


York to Baltimore, on the Baltimore and lie
high Railroad at Little Gunpowder Falls, on
the Sd instant, was investigated by coroner's
jury, summoned by Justice Charles w. Proc
tor, who visited the scene of the wreck last
Friday, the morning after the accident. The
jury consisted of F. w. Baker, foreman; Au-
gust Knofler Frank Bateman, Henry b.
Bruins, Isaac Amos, G. G. STREET., d. d. Wat
tiers, John E. Colder, William b. Jordan, John
s. Worthington, David Hanway and William
H. Bauer.
WHAT THEY SAW.
The Jury found the treStle but little injured.
There were marks on the ties between the rails
and other marks on the upper side of the
curve, outside of the track, showing that car
had been derailed and had bumped along on
the cross-ties until the train toppled over into
the ravine, which is about forty feet deep. As
seen from the top of the trestle the locomo-
tive lay with its headlight buried in the
stream the rear end resting on the bank. 1t
had gone down rear end foremost. Near it
was the tender, somewhat battered, but almost
intact.
THE BAGGAGE AND SMOKING CARS.
Behind these was all that was left of the bag
gage and mail car-the floor and one of the sides
laying partly over upon it. The other side and
both ends had been converted into kindling
wood by the sheer descent.
Aboya the baggage car lay the smoking car,
which had turned over on its side at the end OF
the trestle and slid downwardS a short dis
lance, being held on the steep and soft bank
by projecting stones and the trunk of tree.
1t contained very few persons. 1t went over
at the end of the trestle, and when its down.
ward course was stayed the passengers es-
capped by dropping through the windows ut
places where the ground afforded an opening
or by climbing up to the rear end of the car,
where broken window supplied an exit
Among the injured in this car was Mr.. David
Evans, of Philadelphia, witness in railroad
case on trial at Bel Air, who had a deep cash
cut in his leg, probably by broken glass. The
wound bled profusely and his life might have
ebbed away with it but for the application of a
9ed aromn9 the mb ghy Se
wound, and twisted still more tightly by means
of stick.
HOW THE LADIES ESCAPED.
The ladies' car, which was in the rear of the
train, contained about twenty persons, of
whom seven were ladies. This car, yielding
to the general impulse of the train, turned
over on its side against the sloping bank in
the cut near the trestle, and becoming thereby
uncoupled was not dragged into the ravine.
Its passengers were thrown violently ; against .
eral were bruised and all frightened none of
them were seriously hurt. They all escaped
ff9u bR ae Smes Rea The s
righted up during the night and the jury saw
it at Fallston.
TWO MEN LEAP FOR LIFE.
The baggage car contained a number of
milk cans express matter, the baggage of pas
sengers, etc, together with the railway post,
office with the mails. In this car We're Howard
Claude Hayden, of ST. Marys county, express
and E. K. Hughes, of Delta, postal
clerk.
stepped to the door on the upper side. As the
car was topping over raising the cross-ties
and track with it, he sprang out, alighted on
the upturned trestle, and as it fell back in
place he went with it, and found himself alive
with only y slight injury to his back.
Mr.. Hayden and Mr.. Hughes were not so for
tunate. They went over with the baggage car,
and were severely but not fatally injured.
The fireman, George Barton, also became
aware that something was wrong, and as the
nately grasped an uplifted. cross-tie, which,
with the the other cross-ties and track, settled
back into its place when the engine dropped
down, and he likewise escaped.
HE DIED AT HIS POST.
The engineer, Henry Raab, shouted to the
fireman to look out as the engine was going
over, but manfully stood at his post, with his
hand on the brake, and went over into the ra-
vine with his engine. 1t is believed that he
fell ON his head and had his neck broken.
wards, he was found lying near his locomO-
tive. He gave one or two gasps, his eyes
rolled once or twice, then his heart ceased to
' AFTER THE ACCIDENT.
One of the train hands hurried to Fallston
to stop the freight train going south, while
north-bound passenger train DR.. j: +: II.
Gorsuch was telephoned for and arrived in
about an hour after the accident. He did all
that could be done for the comfort of the in
iured and accompanied them to Baldwin,
where Mr.. Crumpton soon arrived on Il special
train with DR.. Trimble, the companys sur
geon, and appliances for taking care of the
injured. Mr.. Crumpton went on to the scene
of the accident and remained there until the
evening.
THE CoRoNER's INQUEST.
10 in
rails and the track, and looked upon the quiet
of the dead engineer, who lay in his
track. Then they adjourned to meet at the
Court House in Bel Air, Tuesday morning.
The jury assembled in the Grand Jury room
States Attorney Walter W. Preston and the
railroad company by MeSSrs. S. A. Williams
and George L. VanBibber.
The first witness examined was Mr.. w. X.
Crumpton, general manager of the road. He
said he had been connected with railroads for
twenty years. in almost every capacity. He
considered the track at the place of the ACCT
train as good as on any other road. The tres
tie was examined by him in February last, and
while the degree of curvature is high it is no
more than on other narrow gauge roads. The
elevation of the upper side of the track ut this
particular curve was not TOO great, 1t had
been his policy, he said, not to let the rolling
stock go down, for the reason that if it shonld
ever be necessary to sell it, it could not be
sold to any other narrow gauge road unless tit
for immediate use. He dIsclaimed the idea
stock to go down because of the probability
that the road would be broad gauged. He had
he said, to keep it up to the high
est state of efficiency, the same as if the road
were not TO be broad-gauged for ten years.
He had no opinion to give to the cause of
the accident, but insisted that it could not
have been due to any discoyerable defect in
the track, the trestle or the rolling stock. The
entire equipment is inspected every day, and
m examination of the broken cars fails to dis
for. hn
The baggage Car took fire from the stove
in it, but the fire was put out by pouring the
contents of milk can on it. The passenger
cars were heated by the Morton Safety Heat
ing Apparatus, by which the steam is taken at
stations along the road from the engine and
absorbed i'll earthen pipes, which 1mpart heat
steam or hot water to escape. The heater is
an experiment. If the cars had been heated
by stoves it is probable that the horrors OF
fire would have been added to the wreck,
and many more might have persisted or have
been seriously injured.
George Barton, fireman, testified that the
steam had been shut off several hundred yards
north of the trestle, and the train was running
about four miles an hour when it went over.
He was in the cab with Engineer Raab, and OBJ
serving a Jerking of the train stepped out on
the tank Raab called to him to look out. He
saw the baggage car going over, and as the en-
gine went over he jumped off, alighted upon Il
cross-tie and suffered but little injury. When
he got up and went down to where the engine
was he found Engineer Raab lying near it.
His pulse was beating, but it soon stopped.
Howard b. Anderson baggage master, also
noticed the jar, and opening the side door with
some difficulty escaped from the baggage car
as it was topping over. The car was not over
loaded nor was it top-heavy with milk cans.
The baggage car jumped from the track and
ran along between the tracks and the upper
side of the curve until it fell over. recovering
himself he went down below the trestle and
found Mr.. Hayden seated on some milk cans.
His head was cut and his side hurt. Mr. Raab
was dead. Mr.. Hughes was in the rear end of
the baggage car, also hurt, but had no diff
Guilty in getting him out,
L. j. DOdSon, of Delta, conductor of the
train, was in the ladies' car, and when it went
over tried to quiet the passengers, after which
he went to look for the engineer and put the
fire out. The trucks of the baggage car had
recently been repaired and ran well.
A. II. Meade, brakeman, who was sitting i'll
the rear end of the ladies' car, helped the la-
dies out and then went to Fallston to flag the
freight train. A moment after he felt the jar
he saw the rear end of the smoking car give
lurch.
James b. Knapp was in the rear end of the
ladies' coach. Is mechanical expert, and
represents the Morton Safety Heating APP
paratus, with which the Baltimore and Lee
high Company was experimenting. In putting
in his apparatus he was obliged to go under the
train from the engine to the rear coach. He
did this Wednesday night at Baltimore, and
again ut York on Thursday. Having formerly
been employed in inspecting trucks, he nat
urally looked at the trucks as he worked
among them. They were all in perfect order.
When the wreck occurred he felt n jar, and
thinking an accident was about to take place
he stepped into the aisle and graSped the ends
of the seats on each side. He was not hurt. He