The evening times., 1898-09-07
RAILROAD IS EZONERATED
Verdict of Coroner's Jury on
the Long Bridge Accident.
SIGNAL WAS NOT HEEDED
Digest of the Testimony Tends to
Show That the Switch Was Set
for the Electric Train, But the
Engineer of the Freight Disre-
garded the Signals.

An inquest over the remains of Fireman
Frederick Freelapd and Brakeman Benja-
min Cooper, the two men who were killed
in the Long Bridge railroad accident
Monday night. was held this morning at
No. 6 station.
Coroner w. p. Carr presided and Law
yer FIannery appeared for the railroad
company. Nothing developed to show
negligence on the part of William E. Rey
nolds, and after a brief inquiry of several
witnesses the jury decided that the men
died lat the north end of the Long Bridge
causeway as the result of injuries received
in a railway accident
A digest of the testimony tended to show
that Reynolds, the switchman, believed
the approaching train to be an electric
train, and he insisted that both signals
and switch were set for that train. Then
ii developed that the freight approached
regardless of the electric signals, and ran
upon the wrong track
The first witness called by Coroner Carr
was Edward T. Thornberg. He said
The engine mounted the rail at the
curve, and then turned over"
How about the signals?"
We'll II was the one we shouldn't have
had, and the engineer should have stop
ped. as the signal which was up indicated
a clear track for the electric train.
tried to signal 10 the engineer. but he
| did not see. The train was going ten 10
! fifteen miles an hour
George p. Bente, a train hand, explain
ed that he was riding in the cab. AS they
passed the distant signal on the cause
way the conductor took his lamp and
went TO the rear of the train to try TO
shut off the engineer. II heard him shout
and went TO put down the brake, not
knowing what was the matter. By the
time | reached the front of the cab the
! engine left the northbound track, and
| was going up Fourteenth Street. l
braced myself until the shock was over,
and after the accident went TO see who
was hurt"
W. l.. Smith, of Wilmington, Del, fore
man of signals of the Pennsylvania Rail
road, was called to the stand and furn-
ished with blue prints with which he IL
Illustrated 10 the jury the working of the
signals. He insisted that the setting of
the signals would set the switch the
same way and IL would be impossible for
a switch to be changed without ? similar
changing of the signals. 1T is .he inter-
locking system he remarked, ''and if
the switch was set for the electric car
It could not be changed without chang
/ ing the signals, too -a.#
Robert Main, No. 3l6 Fourteenth Street,
stated to the jury that when he spoke
TO the engineer Immediately after the
accident he admitted having run on the
wrong signals.
How were the signals?" asked Coro-
ner Carr
The electric car paddle was down.
Then ii was not set for the passing of
| the freight tramp
mo, SIR
What color light was displayed?" ask
ed the lawyer.
White
What was your conversation with the
engineer"
II helped him across the street and he
told me himself that he had run under
the wrong signal"
He told you that?"
Yes, sir
! William E. Reynolds, the switchman
! volunteered a statement. He said that
/ about 1874 p m. he heard the extra had
reported at Waterloo, but he was ex-
/ pecting the electric car first. Il could see
/ the trolley flashing and pulled the signal
| for the electric car. l saw it coming and
| heard the operator report something
| Suddenly | saw that the train was the
| extra freight instead, and then | tried to
! throw the switch so as to run il on the
| right track but could not do it, and got
| the electric paddle down just as he pass
| ed under" He said he could not throw
| the switches back without setting the
! light red first.
After his testimony the jury rendered
| its decision.