The morning call., 1894-12-07
BLAMED THE ROAD.
Miss Coates Death Due
to CarelesSneSS.
RESULT OF THE INQUEST.
All Cars Should Be Stopped at
the Crossings.
SPIRITS IN THE LEMON CONTEST.
SPIRITS IN THE LEMON CONTEST.
A Witness Tells of Some Strange
Happenings at Seances Over an
Undertaker's Shop.

OAKLAND.-A Coroner's jury yesterday
censured the Oakland Railroad Company
for the fatal collision at The intersection of
Seventh street and Broadway which re-
suited in the death OF Miss Mae Coates
aud the serious injury of her beiTothed,
William Il. Waste.
The inquiSition proceedings were begun
shortly after 10 o'clock. Coroner Evers
conducted the examination OF the Wit
nesses, but from lime TO time he received
suggestions from Attorney j. I. Martin,
who represented the railroad people, and
Assistant District Attorney Lincoln
Church. The latIer's presencs was prob
ably in consequence of the proceedings in
the Police Court, where Grlpman w. +.
Josephs and Conductor j. II. Wilson ap-
peared for their arraigDment on the
charge of manslaughter. The cases we're
then stricken from the calendar, osten-
sibly because no complaints had been hled
against them, but In reality because 1t was
understood that the accident would be in
Yestigated by the Grand Jury. Mr.. Church
therefore was present to obtain lnforma.
ton fer the public inquisitOrs.
a large number of gentlemen, who were
eye-witnesses OF the tragedy, were exam
ined, but their testimony for the most part
was unlmportant as tbeyinadnot noticed the
details Of tine accident because they turned
away their heads just before The crash came.
{. N. Willard, the engineer of The locomotive,
testified. IN substance. that he had started the
tram in obedience 10 the signal OF Flagman T..
A. Blethen. HI saw The cable-car but thought
II would STOP. Then when be saw that COLI
sion was inevitable he put on the emergency
brakes and reversed his engine, too late, how
ever. The train did not come TO full stop
until II had passed through The demolished car
about TWO coach lengths.
h. NJ. Peters the fireman, corrobOrated the
testimony or the engineer. While the latter
was applying the air brakes he noticed that the
gripmaC OF the Cable-car was also Juggling at
his brake lever.
In their testimony Grpman Josephs and
Conductor Wilson fully corroboraIed each
other. They both claimed that the brakes were
applied hallway between Seventh and Eighth
streets, or about $50 feet from the point where
the collision occurred, and they both insisted
that Tie car with ats light load slipped along
Tie wet track the entire distance, notwlthstand-
ing that the BRAKES were hard set. Both were
positive that the broken strand had not caused
the accident but tney placed all the blame upon
the wet and slippery tracks.
The examination of JoSephS developed the
fact that the San Pablo avenue cars are not
supplied with sdnd-bOXes and that the brakes
are only the ordinary wheel brakes. Had the
car been supplied, as all the caDle-carS IN San
when applied lifts The wheels clear above the
rails, the car would never have slipped $50
feel If IL really did slip that far.
Conductor Wilson testified that he mad
alighted from his car al the point where
JoSephs says he first applied the brakes, and
ran ahead OF the dummy 10 signal the car from
the crossing as usual. As he ran along beside
the dummy JoSephs said TO INN, Jack. she's
sliding" AT thirty feet from the railroad track
they both saw the train. Wilson says he
caught the side rails on The dummy and tried
TO hold the car back, but the wheels continued
to slide until the collision. Such was Wilson's
story.
officer Quigley who stood on the northwest
corner of Broadway ana Seventh street. not
more than forty feet from the scene of the acct
dent was OF the opinion that the carmen. with
a careIessness born Of experience, had tried TO
get across The track ahead Of the train. He
saw Gripman JOsephs manipulating his levers
in lie full glare OF the headlight on the on
rushing locomotive. He saw a woman on the
rear platform. The next instant the engine
struck the car which whirled completely
around. Almost simultaneously with the crash
he saw a WOmans body shoot horizontally
through the air about four feet from
tie ground, and then fan upon the pavement at
TenPs corner. He rushed to the PROSTATE
form Immediately and forced some whisky
down her throat. He thinks that she was then
alive The physicians, however, say that
death must have been instantaneous with her
impact on the pavement.
Flagman BeIhen also thought that the con-
ductor signaled Josephs to go ahead, and that
he obediently tried to DO So When he sig
nailed the train With a white light he pre-
scented red light toward the cable-car, which
was then 100 feet away. He saw the conduc
Tor run ahead OF his dummy, and didn't notice
the cable-car again until Ii began the fatal pas
sage of Seventh street. He said that he mad
received no instructions TO flag the cars, and
be complained that whenever lie does so on his
own responS Utility the conductors pay no at
feDtion to him. He was not certain that they
wifulIy tried 10 cross ahead of the train. but it
seemed TO him that the car was going little
faster than usual as IL approached the cross
ing. and from this he thought The grip held the
cable.
the good condition Of the cable TO dtsprove the
theory that a broken strand caused all the
trouble. He stated that 1t was always con-
sideTed safer TO stop on the further side Of the
crossing so as TO alleviate The possibility OF a
broken strand carrying the car into passing
train.
superintendent Marun was Tie last witness.
ana after celebrating for several hours the
jury returned the following verdict:
And we do further find that the said accl-
dent and death were directly due 10 the neglect
and gross carelessness on tile part of the OAK
land Railroad Company in not requiring all of
their cars approaching Seventh street TO come
TO a full stop before crossing said street, and
also for not providing all OF said with sand
boxes and appliances for stopping tile cars
promptly 10 such an emergency.
From the evidence before us we believe that
the gIipman and conductor used their best
endeavors TO prevent the accident.
"And do further recommend that the
Council of the city OF Oakland Immediately pass
an ordinance compelling the Southern Pacific
Company of Kentucky 10 construct automatic
gates at this and all other dangerous crossings
In regard TO tie question OF The erection OF
automatic gates al Seventh and Broadway
Councilman Marshall remarked yesterday that
ne had been thinking uf the matter for a long
time aud said that he would introduce an
ordinance in The Council requiring the erection
of such a gate just as soon as lie could ind ont
what kind of street gates give the most salts.
faction. Mr.. Marshall thinks that Conductor
Wilson is not entirely blameless
W. II. Waste, the other victim Of the wreck
Is improving rapidly. He was removed 10
Woolsey's Hospital yesterday, as he had en-
iirely recovered from the terrible shock Ii Is
thought that be will be able To 20 to his own
home within tue week.
Alliance Officers Chosen.
There was an increased attendance at Odd
Fellows Hall yesterday morning on the open
ing of The third day 81 the session OF the Farm
ers' Alliance and Industrial Union. The re-
Vised report Of the committee on credentials
was presented. Ii made the list Of delegates
complete as follows;
Alameda-H. X. Shaw, A. Z. Dewey.
AmadorTHeDry NorthTup.
Butte-C. w Tnresher
Contra Costa-Al Jones, o. r. Mcpherson j.
S. Ambrose. i. Strap.
Ell Dorado-J. B. Rlgdon, Joseph Helsser,
George Van Week.
Fresno-John 5. DOre, Miss Ella Gilbert
Humboldt-Willam Ayers, b. 4. Harris, 7.
j. Knight, +. p Cook.
Lake-N. Smith, }. W. Bates.