Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-12
VERDICT RENDERED
Coroner's Jury Believes Capital R. R.
Car Was OVercroWded.
INVESTIGATION CONCLUDED TODAY
Suggestion Respecting the Use of
Safety Brake.
CONCLUDED TODAY
THE EVIDEN VEN

The coroner's jury in the case of the
young man, Franklin Carleton Hosmer,
who was killed Sunday night in the smash
up on the Capital Railway Company's
tracks in Hillsdale, published in yester-
days Star, concluded the hearing this
afternoon and returned a verdict as fol-
lows:
THAT Franklin C. Hosmer died at Provi-
dence Hospital July 10 from injuries re-
ceived in an accident on the Capital Rail
way Company in Anacostia, D. c., July 10,
1898, in which car No. ran down the asy-
lum hill and was wrecked from the break
ing of brake chain
I'VE Jelieve that this accident would
have been prevented if the cars on the line
had been provided with secondary. or
safety brakes, and we recommend that the
Commissioners of the District of Column
bla use every means at their disposal to
orlng about the use of efficient safety
brakes on all street cars opera ting in the
District of Columbia, and to have appoint
Ell by congress an expert inspector whose
duty it shall be to examine all steam and
street railway cars, crossings and appli-
ances as to their safety and compliance
with the law and report thereon to the
proper authorities.
We also recommend that some law or
regulation be enacted against overcrowd-
Ing of cars and that the same be done i'm
mediately, and We recommend all motor
men Oh street car lines to be more fully in
structed in the running of the same"
President A Z. Randle of the street rail-
road company on which the accident hap-
Pened was present at the hearing as was
his counsel, Mr.. Charles A Douglass At
torney Leon Tobriner was present to rep
resent several of the victims of the acct
dent.
Among the Witnesses examined today
were many of those who We're passengers
on the Inflated electric car Sunday night
From them came requests to let them be
heard early in the day because of their suf-
ferlngs, and as far as he could the coroner
granted their requests.
Statements of Passengers
young man named George Carter, who
lives at 7OS 1 street, testified that he was a
passenger on the car and was sitting on the
third seat from the front. When the car
had reached point just north of the asy-
lum gate he heard something under the car
snap. He noticed the motorman go to the
side OF the car and jump
where was the car when he jumped?"
About half way down the HILL
Did you know what had broken?"
Il imagined it was a chain.'
Did you hear a jingling noise after the
break occurred?'
No, sir"
Witness said he did not hear three bells
rung, nor did he see the conductor apply
the rear brake. The car was crowded and
witness could not have seen him.
J. 3. Shearer, 1910 LIST street southeast
testified that the car was crowded to its
utmost capacity. 1t was his opinion that
there were about 155 or 100 passengers on
the car.
1.-The car" said witness, was going at
such rate of speed that think the brake
would not have worked had it been in per-
feet condition"
Witness thought the car was going at the
rate of about eight miles an hour. 1t was
his idea that had the motorman remained
on the car the accident might have been
avoided He heard the bell ring and saw
the conductor make for the brake but
could not say that he applied the brake
The conductor, he said, remained in the
car until the crash came, but the motor
man did not. Witness did not hear the
chain break and did not believe it did
break. Every man who jumped from the
car fell. Witness was on the third seat
from the front and he advised his friends
to remain seated and not to jump
Witness said he is a machinist and it was
his opinion that a double chain on the
brake would have prevented the accident.
"Somebody Said Jump,
Arthur Marks, 1909 9Th street southeast,
testified that the car ran all right until the
asylum gate was reached. The cars speed
was not reduced there as had been the GUS
current and relied upon the brake. Wit
ness heard the chain snap after the car had
started down the hill.
Somebody. think the motorman called
Jump " said witness, land / jumped. The
motor nan jumped just ahead of me-
Wit ess was knocked senseless and
knew nothing more of what happened. The
car W s crowded. Passengers were on the
plato ms and running boards and they
were also packed in front of those who
were seated. He could not say who called
Jump"
Edward Stephenson, who lives in Ana
costa, testified that he was in the car with
his wife and mother-in-law. They were
riding backwards, and the first he knew of
anything wrong was when he saw a man
lying on the road. Then there were so
many men on the road that they looked as
II they were SO many telegraph poles rest
ing there. Witness said his wife attempted
to jump, but he held her, and he also ad-
vised another passenger to remain on the
car. Soon afterwards the lights went out
and then the crash came. The roof of the
car fell in and witness assisted in rescuing
the passengers. He was injured about the
neck.
w. ID. King. Anacostia, who was badly
disfgured about the face and head related
his experience on the runaway car. He
was on the third or fourth seat from the
rear when the chain broke. He heard the
motorman call THE chains broke" Then