The evening times., 1898-09-06
OBHYHD A FALSE SIGNAL
Two Men Killed in a Railroad
Wreck Near Long Bridge.
THE WRONG SWITCH OPEN
A Freight Train Runs Onto the
Track of the Electric Railway on
Fourteenth Street-Fireman and
Brakeman Are Dead and the En-
gincer May Die.

A fatal railroad accident occurred about
11:40 o'clock last night at the Washing
ton end of the Long Bridge.
The cause of the wreck was the setting
of a switch for the Washington, Mount
Vernon and Alexandria electric cars,
while the semaphores indicated TO the en-
gineer of a northbound train that the
track was clear.
Frederick Freeland, fireman, of 220 New
Jersey Avenue southeast, and Benjamin
T. Cooper, brakeman, of 129' n Street
southeast, were killed, and Darius Har-
man, engineer, of 749 Sixth Street south
east. was taken to the Emergency Hos
pital so badly scalded that he may not
recover.
A rigid investigation is being made and
William Z. Reynolds, of No. 469 Maine
Avenue, the operator In the switch tower
at the time of the accident, was arrested
last night and locked up at the fourth
precinct police station.
The wrecked train consisted of several
freight cars drawn by an engine known
as Extra 10S''
1t was in charge of Engineer Darius
Harman, Fireman Frederick Freeland
and Brakeman Benjamin f. Cooper. 1t
was due in Washington at about the
same time as an Alexandria electric train.
Both trains had TO pass over the same
track on the Long Bridge. Reynolds was
stationed at the switch tower at the
north end of the bridge.
Engineer Hartman preceded the cleo
tric train, and saw the paddles and
semaphores that signaled a clear track.
to him the signals indicated that the
switch was so set that he could enter
and turn TO the right to pass on to the
Jersey yards. He opened the throttle OF
the engine and started across the bridge
Some say that in order TO make the
heavy grade at the city end, he was run
ming the train at full speed. The train
men claim that the engine was going at
regular speed.
To the left of the tower. is the switch
for the electric cars that pass up Four
teenth Street. The tracks make a sharp
turn that will not allow the passage of
a locomotive With the signals announc-
ing ''all welF' for the freight train this
switch should have been closed.
Engineer Harman supposed ii was, and
IL was only when he arrived at the point
that a slight jolt told him that it was
open and that the engine was going on
the electric car tracks. In another mo-
ment the mistake made in the tower was
evident to him His engine was bound
ing wildly and the tender swerved from
side to side Suddenly the engine left the
track a PIPE in the boiler burst and the
hot water filled the engine cab and ran IN
streams over Engineer Hasman.
Freeland was buried beneath mass OF
/ coal and was crushed to death.
! Cooper. the brakeman. was thrown &c
| the ground and covered with steam and
h1- ~
/ Other railroad men escaped injury by
jumping from the train when il ran or
/ the wrong track. A car containing &
large number of sheep was wrecked, and
many of the animals were killed.
As soon as the news of the WRECK
could be sent 70 police headquarter:
4 Sergeant Dunnigan, in charge of the of
/ flee. dispatched patrol wagons and ambu
+ lanceS to the scene. The railroad wreck
ing train also responded Immediately
! When il arrived fire was raging in tn,
cab of the enginei Chemical engine No
] was called and extinguished the blaze
/ after which the train wreckers removed
/ all obstacles and recovered the body o
! the fireman.
Sergeant Dunnigan made an investiga
! ton and ordered the immediate arrest o
! Reynolds, who refused TO make an!
! statement about the accident.
The bodies of Freeland and Coope
were sent 10 the morgue and their fami
lies notified Freeland was Is years oil,
| and unmarried. His mother and fathe
live AT I3 Seventh Street southeast.
Cooper was so years old and lived wit
his wife at 129 Street southeast. II
had no children.
Harman has a wife and child living a
T49 Sixth Street southeast, and has bee
I'm the railroad company's employ abou
ten years.
Coroner Carr was notified early thi:
morning OF the disaster and immediately
arranged for an inquest to be held a
II O'Clock tomorrow morning, when al
official inquiry will be made to determine
| responsibility for the wreck.
William f. Reynolds the operator i
! still held at No police station and up
on the advice of counsel refuses to MAX
any statement. II is understood thougl
that he attaches all blame to the rairoa
company owing to the switch tower
This is the Philadelphia, Wilmington an
Baltimore Company. in a statement t
one of the policemen Reynolds said tha
, ! both the paddle lever and the switcl
lever refused TO work as il should. III
explained that he was sitting in the tow
er and saw the trains at the south end o
the bridge He could not tell positivel,
whether or not the electric train wa
I in front.
With the belief that II was the electri
car he set the switch. but before he ha
time to fit the danger signal paddle tn
train dashed across the bridge Then h
endeavored to work the lever to thro'
the switches that the train could pas
through all right but it would not worl
1t seemed to stick fast and in the passin
, of q second the engine rolled upon III
track and tumbled over.
Another story is that Reynolds set Il
lights and paddles for the train and wal
, ed its approach before throwing II
switch But he waited too long and cou
not change il in time. Trainmen say II
switch should have been set first and II
signals arranged afterwaId. Coroner Ca
has determined upon rigid investigator
though, and will inquire closely into the: