The evening times., 1899-01-26
RAILROAD NOT RESPONSIBLE.
Verdict of the Coroner's Jury in the
Bowen Case.

oI III thS
Bowen CHrr.
The inquest TO determine the respon-
sibiity for the death of Thomas Bowen,
the engineer who was killed in the rail-
road wreck at the corner OF Second and
X Streets southeast, Tuesday night, was
commenced at the Sixth precinct police
station at II o'clock today. The jury was
sworn in by the deputy coroner at Provi-
dence Hospital, where the body was lying.
The first witness was Deputy Coroner
G!azebrook, who described the condition
of the body at the autopsy held this morn
ing and ascribing the cause of death to
shock following the loss of blood.
Fireman Lewis, of the wrecked train.
was the next witness. He stated that the
train left the depot on time on the night
of the accident. There was a curve at
!, Virginia Avenue just before the train
| turned into X Street. He looked ahead
| at this point TO see if the track was clear.
| Seeing nothing he went about his duties
! as fireman. After raking over the fire he
was about TO climb into the cab of the en-
| gine when he saw the reflection of the
/ headlight on some cars ahead and called
! to the engineer to lookout" There were
! two signals visible from Virginia Avenue
| ed out. switchman was employed to
| watch one of these and the other is looked
/ after by the person operating it.
Coroner Carr examined the witness par
! ticularly on the location of the signals
and the rules for their observance At the
/ time of the accident the train was going
! at a speed Of about twelve miles an hour
! When the witness saw the reflection of the
i headlight on the cars they were about
i forty or fifty yards away He thought the
time was too short to stop the train.
Richard NJ. Fry, conductor of the train
: of empty cars, stated that his train was
/ crossing from one track TO another when
| the brakes on one of the cars became
| hung and it was necessary 10 stop the
/ train and fix it. He heard the train COM
/ ing up, but thought it would stop, as the
red signal was shown from the semaphore
some distance down the track. 1t would
have been impossible for his train to have
been where it was, the witness stated, and
! a red light not be shown at the sema-
phore. The switches are worked by the
/ Block system, and as soon as the switch
! is set the semaphore shows a red light
! automatically. When he saw that the en-
gine of the approaching train had run
past the signal, the witness ran out and
swung his lantern several times to stop
the train, but no attention was paid TO his
signals.
H.
going train, was the next witness called.
He stated that he was entering the sleeper
when he felt the first shock of the acci-
dent. He was thrown to the floor of the
car he stated, he regained his feet quick
! ly and again knocked down by the
second shock He Immediately left the
car and went toward the front of the
train. The engine was completely OBJ
scured by escaping steam. He found the
engineer lying beside the track badly hurt.
He telephoned for the ambulance. The wit
ness stated he noticed the signal was red
after the accident; he did not see it before
r. NJ. Davis, brakeman on the train OF
empty cars, was next called. His testimony
was substantially the same as that of his
conductor.
j. j. Cooper, trainmaster of the Penn
sylvania Railroad, was called next, and h.
explained to the jury the operation of the
semaphores and switch signals The sig
nal is at such a distance that the trair
could be stopped before the switches art
reached.
The witnesses and spectators then re
tired from the room, and the jury was al
lowed to return their verdict.