The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-03
FIREMAN COLSON DIES
FROM HIS INJURIES
SECOND VICTIM OF THE ALA
MEDIA TRAIN WRECK.
The Coroner's Jury Censures the
Railroad for Running It's En-
gines With the Tenders
Ahead.

ALAMEDA, Feb. 2.-Hoodoo engine 10
has added the name of, Fireman Edward
F. Colson to its list of victims. He died
this morning at Fabiola Hospital from in
juries received in the wreck Tuesday
night at the Second avenue station. His
wife was with him to the last, and the
deathbed scene was most pathetic. They
had been devoted couple and Mrs. Col
son refused to believe that her husband
was dead When the dreadful truth
dawned upon her her grief was indescrib-
able The poor woman moaned and cried
by turns. She threw her arms around the
neck of her husband and bathed with
kisses the face of her dead. 1t was with
difficulty that the attendants led her
away. When she left the death chamber
she broke down completely and was taken
to her home at 3105 Encinal avenue, Ala
media Besides the widow three little
daughters survive the dead fireman. The
oldest is Il and the youngest Z years or
age.
roe Council No. "a Junior Order of Amer
lean Mechanics, and the members Will
have charge of the funeral. which Will be
held next Sunday. Colson was born IN
Oakland and was So years old. He had
followed railroading since he was Is as
brakeman, fireman and engineer. He
commenced four years ago to run on the
with his associates, and his genial. kind
hearted disposition won him many
friends. 1t is a singular coincidence that
both Jonas and Colson had been railroad
ing for the same length of time and had
never met with an accident until the
wreck Tuesday night of hoodoo engine 10.
OAKLAND, Feb. 2.-The heroism of
Engineer Henry H. Jonas and his fire
man, Edward F. Colson, was still more
forcibly brought out tonight at the in
quest. The inquiry into the death of both
at the same time. H E. Walker, the first
witness, told of Jonas repeated inquiry
as to the safety of his passengers Au-
gustus Hotchkiss, a brother engineer, tes-
titled to visit paid to the dying hero.
Jonas only said,' remarked Hotchkiss,
'"Gus, look out for the little ones, won
you? I am pretty. badly hurt AS to the
cause of the wreck Jonas said nothing
George H. Brown, an Alameda police
man, witnessed the wreck from distance
of 300 feet. He saw the tender jump the
engine the other way, Jonas was suf-
land begged me to shoot him
L. L. Shuler, Miss Jennie Stewart and
Dooley, roundhouse foreman, explained
that engine No. 10 had been out of the
roundhouse only about one hour when she
was wrecked.
The train was running at a speed of
about fifteen miles an hour. The cause of
the wreck was not ascertained at the in
quest. The testimony failed to show that
there was a defective switch or faulty
construction in the locomotive. The Cor
oner's jury found that Engineer Jonas
death was caused by shock due to burns
by steam and injuries received by being
crushed under engine 10, the same cause
existing in Colsons case, emitting injuries
by being crushed. The railroad, however,
was censured in the final clause of the
verdict as follows: 1--WE do further find
that, while we are unable to determine
the cause of the accident. we do hereby
condemn the practice of running the ten
ders in front of the engines on the. local
frai n PRO
White, H L. Mcdonald, William Lorenz
C. o. Evans, w. G. Latimer, ]. c. Hunt.