Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-26
FAILS TO SEE SIGNAL
Verdict of Jury Concerning Recent
Railway Accident.
ENGINEER BOWEN'S FATAL OVERSIGHT
Evidence Given by the Witnesses
Examined Before Coroner.
COLLISION OF TRAINS

| The jury of inquest summoned by Coro-
| ner Carr to Investigate the cause of the
cideut which resulted in the killing OF
Thomas N Bowen an engineer in the en-
/ ploy of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
| pany. at ID and X streets southeast Tues
! day night during a collision between two
trains, as told in The Star OF yesterday
met at the sixth precinct station at 11;"o
o'clock this morning. George Q. Miller was
foreman, the other members being George
H Gill, William Wolf, Charles Brill, An
drew Taylor ana Charles Eisinger.
The verdict rendered was that the death
of Thomas \. Bowen was caused by his
failure to recognize the signal which was
set for him to stop his train.
Deputy Coroner GIaZebrook the first wit
nass. detailed in what condition he found
the body at Lees undertaking establish
ment this morning. Death was undoubted-
ly caused, he said, by loss of blood He
knew nothing. he said, about what caused
the reported accident.
Charles l.. Lewis of Baltimore, who was
fireman for Engineer Bowen, said the train
in question left the depot on time. He was
busy with his fire from after leaving the
station until the train reached point
near New Jersey avcm lie. He suddenly no
ticed the rejection Of the headlight of the
engine OF his train the other train and
called to Bowen to look out. He had no.
ticed the signals at ID and X streets, when
going down Virginia avenue, and both We're
set white for Bowen TO go ahead. There
was time. in his opinion. to change the sig
nails from the time he saw them before
the accident, but did not know whether
this was done OF not. The outbound train
was running at the rate of about ten or
twelve miles an hour, regular schedule
time
Asked by the coroner how he escaped
serious injury. Lewis replied:
THAT is a miracle. ] cannot tell YOU
In answer to a question by a juryman,
Lewis replied that if the proper signals had
been displayed at the time he noticed the
reflection on the train ahead Bowers train
could have been stopped in time to prevent
collision.
Conductor Fry's Testimony.
Richard NJ. Fry, conductor of the yard
engine drawing the train which was struck,
| was next called. While crossing from the
north to the south track, the witness said,
| the wheels of one of the cars became locked
and his train was stopped. This caused, by
| automatic motion, The display of the red
| signal, which meant for the train following
to stop. Bowen did not do so. and witness
| ran OUT and swung red lantern as a
warning. Bowen paid no attention an.
| kept on past the semaphore signal. and the
! collision occurred a few seconds later.
There was 10 doubt about the signal to
stop being shown, and in fact it remained
set for several hours afterward. Tho first
| thing witness looked for, after the acct
| dent, was to see if the danger signal was
| set, and found it to be in that position
| R n. Chambers of Baltimore, conductor
| Of the outbound train. was about to go into
! the sleeper when. after several conclusions
| he was thrown to the floor of the car.
| Found Engineer Bowen lying by the side
| of the track badly injured. After answer
| ing a few questions he said Bowen became
| unconscious. and he had him sent to the
| hospital Witness did not know the cause
! of the accident. He saw the semaphore
| signal after the accident, and it was set
| red. Knew nothing about the reported ac-
| cident to the train which the passenger
| train ran into.
| brakeman Davis COrrObOrates.
| (. r. NJ. Davis, brakeman on the yard en-
| gine, Corroborated the testimony of Con-
| ductor Fry as to the movements of his
| train and display of signals, except that
| he said Fry waved a white light. This
| was, however, the proper thing for the con-
| ductor to do.
| ]. ]. Cooper, trainmaster said every
| cross-Over switch Is worked IN such a man.
ner that it cannot be thrown without dis
playing the danger signal. He reached the
scene of the accident within thirty minutes
! Gfter the collision. 1t was the duty of the
| fireman, as well as the engineer, to look
/ out for signals, and this, he said should
/ nave been done in the case under investga-
| ton The switch where the accident oc-
| CURED is constantly in use, and conse-
| quently is carefully protected. This closed
! the testimony, and after considerable de-
| liberation the jury rendered verdict as
above stated.