The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-01-04
THEIR DEATH WAS
ACCIDENTAL.
So Say the coroner's Jury In the Case OF
rIr. and Mrs. Mcbride.
THE CROSSING UNPROTECTED
It Is the Duty OF the Operator to Leave
the Tower at Night Regardless OF
Approaching Trains When
the Oates are Up.

Resolved That Il. Wesley Mcbride
came to his death in Wilmington Hundred
and Jennie u. Mcbride came to her death
in White Clay Hundfed on December 2i
1897, from injuries received by being accl.
deutally struck by tho second section OF
train No rs. of the p, w. Il B. Il. X Com
rany ut Stanton, the train being two hours
and seventeen minutes late. In our optn
ion tho crossing at Stanton should have u
gate; onder whose duty IL will be to raise
and lower the safety gaies and to perform
no Other duty, thereby atfording greater
protection to the travelling public.
Such was the verdict returned by thu
coroners jury empannelled to investigate
the death OF the victims Of tho Stanton
crossing smash up.
John ii. Rodney, represented the. Levy
Courf, Andrew e. Gray Railroad company
and William 4. Lyman and Horace II.
Knowles the representatives of the de.
ceased. 4. c. Hardesty took the testt.
mnny and Coroner Wright presided.
The first witness was the engineer OF
the train George L. Jackson. He testified
that he was over Two hours late, when ho
reached the crossing Tho clear signal
was given him from the tower
Whom he reached the crossing lie saw
whut looked like the back of horse The
next moment he felt the crash and brought
his trainto stand still.
Conductor Lewis w. Ryan learned from
the engineer the cause of tho accident and
went back to the crossing He found the
body of Mrs. Mcbride wedaed beneath the
mail crane. 1t required the strength of
another man and himself to pull hor body
from its position.
Mr.. Mcbride was found on the plat
form. After the bodies were placed
aboard the train he started through tho
cars in search OF IL physician and found
two students, who attended to the injured
until Wilmington was reached.
William J Wickes testified that he was
operator at Stanton station. On tho night
in uucs ion he had received orders for a
frei ght train. He gave the clear signal to
approaching trains, raised the gates and
went down to the crossing
He signaled to tho freight to como
ahead for orders. lie gave them to the
engineer and the conductor. Then he
went back to the tower and the express
dashed by. Several Of the jurors ,ked the
witness questions.
"How long were you away from the
towcr?" "Four or five minutes rs
there IL bell signal to your Officer"
"No sir"
''Is there bell signal at the crossing to
announce when train is approaching!'
There is'not. The only signal receiv-
cd Is by the wire"
"Whore is your next block?"
"At Prices"
''How far away Is that?"
1.-TWO and three quarter miles"
"Then train running at i5 miles an
hour would have been on the other side OF
Prices, before you wenS to tho traak.
1T would"
"If you had been in the tower would you
have time to lower the gates before tho
team reached the crossingr'
Il would
"Are your orders such that you arc to
leave the tower and give orders to freight
trainsp"
''rhey are."
when the gates are UP is that the sig
nal to tho county road chat the track is
clcarf'
"It is.'
"When you were on the crossing did you
soc the tenn approaching?"
"No"
-Ia---.x,x,t x,tAouy4 NJ a.lu 49, -.--.Ia-a a.
the identitysof the bodies
The jury oomprissd John d. Woodward,
foreman; James II. McIvor. secretary;
Alexander Barney, William Wiley, Charles
Il. Sparks, William H. Murphy, j. Frank
Carey and John e. Jackson.