The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-23
BRIBERY CHARGED.
Sensational Acknowledge
ment at the Inquest Into
the D. L. & w. R.
R. Accident.
GRAND JURY WILL INVESTIGATE
Coroner Volk Begins the Taking
Of Testimony A Number
of Witnesses Examined.
GRAND JURY WILL INVESTIGATE
of Witnesses Examined.

At twenty-five minutes to nine O'Clock
last night the Coroner's Jury to determine
who was responsible for the recent D.. l.. q
w, horror, met at Quartette Club Hall, Ho-
boken and heard a part of the testimony re-
lating to the accident. Not half was given
last night, and the hearing was postponed
until next Thursday evening, to be held at
1.-The same place. A long delay was occasioned
before the inquest began. The investiga-
ton was called for eight o'clock. When at
twenty-five minutes to nine the jury filed
into the room, Foreman Bender announced
apologetically:-
eve are sorry to have detained you so
long, and l will explain why we did. 1t has
been stated in one of the newspapers that an
attempt was made to bride the jury. 1
must state that the allegation IS partly true.
An attempt was made, but nothing was
offered. The matter has now been placed
in the hands of the Grand Jury to determine
whether or not such is the case"
TIL jury, comprising A. P. Hexamer,
Henry Hirtler, City Clerk Martin McDer-
mott, John R. Virgins, John Brqning,
Water Commissioner a.. Lohmann, R. A.
Alberts, j. A. Heath, Martin Daab. ex-
Grand Juryman A. Lankering and Ferdi-
nand Eichner, together with Foreman Ben
der, Fire Commissioner, occupied chairs di-
rectly in front of the platform, on which sat
the witnesses when called. The testimony
was taken in long hand by the Coroner's
Secretary. John R. Virgins demonstrated
against this method after the first witness
had testified, saying it took altogether too
much time. If application were made
to Judge Lippincott, he was posi-
tive that a stenogTapher could be
secured. Coroner Volk explained that, as all
testimony must be signed by the witness, it
was more expeditions to take in long hand.
Then there would be no trouble about OBJ
tanning signatures. Senator John Griggs,
counsel for the road, announced that all
railroad employees would sign when re-
quired. Coroner Volk said "aIl right and
the inquest went on in long land.
Superintendent A. Reasoner and Assistant
Superintendent Griffith were in the audi
ence. The room was filled with patrons of
the road from suburban stations.
ENGINEER %STITCHER'S TESTIMONY.
George Stitcher, engineer Of the Dover
train. which was t~elescoped, in answer to
questions, told the following story of the ae-
cident:-
s'On January Is. the morning of the acct
dent, my train left Newark four minutes
late, l think about Sill O'Clock, not positive.
The Sonth Orange train should come five
HUI III AK [o UlC l. GILL
s~ylyania Railroad shops l eased off. By
Sanford's crossing l was going at the rate
of about twelve miles an hour. Then l shut
off steam and slowed off towards the Hack
ensack bridge. When within i 800 feet of it
! took on the fagman of a South Orange
train ahead. ran oyer two torpedoes from
that train. At the time of the accident
my fireman was talking with me.
When | took on the fagmen l
might have been going at from eight to ten
miles per hour. There is a drop ball signal
at the bridge. In foggy weather we signal
by torpedoes and flags. 1t is required of the
fagman to place the torpedoes on the track
and flag the following train. We are not re-
quired to whistle except if trains are coming
in opposite directions. We have an order to
approach the bridge at five miles an hour.
l an due at the bridge at sos, and the train
following, the South Orange express, is due
at S:l3. I got to that point a. S:12. l
thought the train behind me would do the
same as | did in feeling for one ahead. The
train in front of me was due at 7:46 at the
bridge. 1t had already gone across. l
could see the bridge signal when the col
lision came. | was probably sixty feet away
from it.
"On my train there were eight cars, and
with the locomotive, the length of the train
was about $50 feet. When I slacken my
speed the hagman always drops. We drop
him when the train is going to give him
space he USES Ills JuUSulSuU WHEEL ~ UfOD
if / slacken speed. If | know l am to stop |
blow three whistles. 1 dom know if he got
off that morning or not. We are never
obliged to make up time across the
meadows. Our orders are from the superin-
tendent to always run carefully. l ave
been with the company for twenty-six
years."
FIREMAN cooPER's TOR
Frank Cooper, his fireman. said Stitcher
was considered a careful and experienced
engineer. He SAID not one minute elapsed
between the time the flagnlan that was
picked up and came through the train,
crawling over the tank to the engine, and
the shock.
De Witt P. Wheaton, rear brakeman of
the Dover train, corroborated Stitcher's
testimony. He said he took his flag and tor
pedoes in his hand when the train slackened
at Sanford's Crossing, and stood On the rear
platform. When the train slowed down to a
rate slow enough to jump he hoped off.
''Then | hadn't time to get scarcely ten
feet when | heard the rumble of the South
Orange express. had not time to give a
signal, and l was the only one to signal.
The train was going at from nine to twelve
miles an hour when / jumped. / shouted
and raised my flag, not having time to run
forward to warn the South Orange train or
r. * to warn my train. The engineer of my
tde.n could not see me because l had jumped
ON the left hand side. the only safe one to
jump. Had L jumped on the other L would
have gone down the bank"
HI TESTIMONY.
John Pierce, brakeman on the first part of
the train, said he went towards the engine
just about the time of the accident and that
'sthe first thing / knew we got hit"
Abraham Ayres, ba-ggagemaster of the
same train, said he was in the front baggage
car.
The most important question asked him
was by Foreman Bender. who said
'Isn't it a fact that the D., L. & W. Com
pany always uses old, worn out cars on their
roadp
"No, sir" laconically answered Ayres.
That concluded the inquest for the evening,
and at eight O'Clock promptly next Thursday
evening it will be taken up again.
MURAT HALsTED LECTURE.
Murat Halsted, the veteran newspaper
man, proprietor Of the Commercial Gazette,
and editor of the Brooklyn Standard Union,