The times., 1898-08-30
COMPANY Held TO BLAME
Double Inquest Over Two Rail-
road Accidents.
COUPLER WAS DEFECTIVE
1t Failed to Hold the Passenger Car
Result, According to the Finding
OF the Jury-No One Responsible
for the Death of Milton Pettitt.

A double inquest was held at the Sixth
Precinct Police Station yesterday to fix
responsibility for the deaths of Thomas
J. Landrigaf, railroad machinist, who
died at the Emergency Hospital yesterday
morning of injuries received late Sunday
night at the South Capitol Street and
Virginia Avenue railroad crossing, and
Milton Pettitt, the fiagman who was killed
freight yards Sunday.
Acting Coroner Glazebrook presided and
the same jury investigated both cases.
Pettitts death, it was found, was acci-
dental, but in the case of Landrigan the
jury decided that the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company was responsible, because
of a defective coupler.
The Testimony.
j. d. Anderson, the engineer in charge
OF switch engine rs, was the first witness
in the Landrigan inquest. He testified
that he was shifting cars at the time of
the accident, and was about 500 wards
from the spot, in the New Jersey Avenue
!dTus, WHen II occurred.
The track in front of his engine was
clear all the time and his engine was
moving not faster than man could walk
Anderson said that from what he under
stood of the accident 1t wag not his en-
gine which struck Landrigan.
Charles j. Motley, conductor. who was
also at work shifting cars with An
derson, to make up a passensar
train. testified that there were eight
cars attached 20 the train which
was being made up the last one
being the Pullman 'LyIette." The cars
were being pulled out of the yard on an
upgrade, and when the train was stopped
the jostling causel the Pullman to break
loose.
In response TO questions from DR..
Gazebrook witness said that two kinds
of couplers were used on the cars. one a
Janney AMI the other Miller. The coup
lers would not work well together. As
long as the cars were in motion the coup
lers would hold, but he could not say
what would happen when the cars were
stopped.
much lower than those IN use on the
others, and was not entirely secure. After
the train had gone about a hundred
yards the pin in the rear coupler drop
ped out and the Pullman started back
| down the grade.
Runaway Car.
Wines shouted, and a brakeman who
was on the Pullman ran - the rear of ii
! and began tugging at the brake. The
yaFdmaster also Jumped on the Pullman
and helped with the brakes. The car ran
for about three hundred yards at a rate
| of speed considerably greater than when
it was being drawn by the shifting en-
| gine. When the witness saw the rear
car break loose he gave the engineer the
signal 10 stop.
Kenneth Wilhoyt, q brakeman testified
| that he helped to make the coupling on
| the Lylette, which had a higher coupler
| than the car ahead of it. A link and
| two pins were used in making the coup
| ling, and owing TO the difference in height
| one OF the pins was pulled almost out of
| the coupling. When the Pullman broke
| loose witness attempted to apply the
brake on the front end, but it would not
| work. He got on the rear, but when he
! saw that the combined efforts of himself
and the yardmaster could not stop the
| car ne jumped.
Morris Wilbur, who was on the car with
! him, also jumped. There was a light in
| side the Pullman. but ne could not say
! that there was one on the platform. The
! gates were down. The car kept on until
! il passed South Capitol Street, when il
| struck another car and stopped. Witness
| saw Landrigan lying at the side of the
| track west of South Capitol Street, but
did not recognize him and did not know
| he had been struck by the Pullman un-
| til ne was told about if afterward
Frank Keeper, employed at the round
| house, testified that Landrigan went 10
| work about I O'Clock and left for his
| lunch hour a few minutes before the ac-
| cident. This closed the Testimony and the
| jury returned a verdict holding the rail-
road company responsible for Landrigan's s
| death.
| The Case of Pettitt.