Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-14
ONE MORE TRAGEDY
An Addition to the Grade Crossing Death
List.
Death Traps Claim Another Victim
Ninth Street and Maryland
Avenue the Scene.

When Congress abOlisheS the grade
crossings of the steam railroads in this city
the citizens will no longer witness such
scenes as the one at 9th street and Mary
land avenue southwest about $50 o'clock
last evening, when the Alexandria local
train struck a horse and wagon. There
are gates at this Gre ssing, but they were
not lowered in time, and the result was
that the driver of the animal, Oscar Ora
ham, was killed. Witnesses to the tragedy
differ as to the exact manner in which it
happened, but all agree that IL there had
been no grade crossing there would not
have been one more death to add to the
long list of victims who have gone before
this one. Some of the other victims met
their fate at this particular crossing. which
is only one of the scores of similar places
on the lines of the two steam railroads.
Oscar Graham, the victim, was employed
as the driver of one of the wagons belong
ing to n. T. Redman's grocery store, No.
Oh Louisiana avenue, and was driving
south along 9th street at the time of the
accident. 1t is said that the animal was
blind, and not being able to see, had to
depend upon the driver for safe guidance
about the dangerous places.
At the Gates.
The Alexandria local train coming this
way had crossed the Long bridge, and in
order to reach the top of the grade the en-
gineer had as usual, made the extra effort
required, and had shut off part of the
steam before the 9th street crossing was
reached, so that the train was not going at
a fast rate of speed when the accident
happened.
Gateman Paris, it appears. was in his
little watch house looking after the fire,
and had intrusted his gates to the care of
Dennis Kane. the switch tender at Sth
street. Kane claims that the colored man
drove beneath the gates as they We're being
lowered. while, on the other hand, it is
said that no attempt was made to lower
them until it was too late. This important
part of the affair will be settled by the
coroner's jury.
The Tragedy.
The wagon was directly in front Of the
moving train when the collision occurred,
and it is said that the colored man, seeing
his danger, made an effort to urge his horse
to move faster, and it was at this time that
the heavy engine struck the team. The har-
ness was torn from the animal and the
wagon was demolished. Engineer Mattinsiy
brought the train to standstiu in short
time, but not before the driver and mass of
broken iron and timber had been dragged
some distance.
Graham had received severe injury to the
head and his right arm was broken.
Policeman Bruce of the fourth precinct
was on hand soon after the accident oc :.
CURED, and when he called the ambulance
the injured man was removed TO the Elmer
gency Hospital, where he died in few min
utes.
Graham, who was more than forty years
old. lived with his wife on Fenton street.
The dead body of the victim was removed
to the hospital morgue and the coroner mott
fled. An inquest will be held at the fourth
precinct station in South Washington at L
o'clock tomorrow morning. This delay in
holding the inquest was necessitated by the
inability to get the witnesses together today.