The evening world., 1903-02-25
Companions Of Girls Whose
Lives We're Crushed Out
in Newark Give Details
of the Horror at Inquest.
NO SAND WAS ON THE RAILS.
Sandman Testifies that the Ma
terial Was Frozen and that
He Had Made Frequent Com.
plants to His Boss.

coroner =. w. Hellman ana Jury
to-day began an inquest on the grade
crossing trolley-car horror of last Thurs
day in Newark.
81 Coroner Heilmann opened the inquest
in the Freeholders' Chamber by charging
the fury TO bring its findings upon the
death OF Ernestine Miller. one OF the
!, schoolgirl victims Of the awful collision.
Public Prosecutor Riker examined the
witnesses.
Former Gov. George werts appeared
for the North Jersey Traction Company
and u. B. Williamson for tho Delaware,
Dackgwanna and Western. Neither took
any part In the examination OF wit
neases, but as Prosecutor Riker finished
with each one he courteously asked IL
they had any questions to suggest.
A surveyor. who identified a diagram
OF the scene of the disaster, was the
County Physician William III. McKenzie.
81 went to the scene OF the wreck"
said the doctor. 'Hn the line of my duty.
] saw the body of Ernestine Miller at
Clifton avenue and the crossing of the
Delaware. Lackawanra and Western
road and then l saw 1t in the Morgue.
We knew who she was by little ear
ring. She had only one ear left. The
James Kay, letter-carrier. gave a
graphic description of the disastsr.
at was cold morning" he testified,
livery cold. The rails were slippery
car coming down the grade. The motor
man was working hard at the brakes.
He could not stop: The gates al the
trains warming bell was ringing and
then the train came along. The car and
the train came together heard the
crashing and crunehinG OF wood. ]
heard cries from the passengers and
saw bodies thrown In the air. 1t al
happened in second-just like that"
md he snapped his fingers, II cannot
Wheels Slipped on Track.
Kay could not tell II the trolley car
wheels were blocked by the brakes and
sliding or IN they were revolving. He
presumed that the first woulG be a true
description of their condition because
he saw the motorman hard at work on
the brakes.
Mounted Policeman William stucky.
who saw the collision. testified:
IT heard the hagman's bell ringing.
That told that train was coming,
Then the gaits went down, saw the
Then the Lacka wanna train came in
sight. 1t struck 1t about eighteen Ia
ches back from the front end OF me
8. was the motorman applying his
brakes? A. I did not sec him. All | |
could say was that he was in his posi-
q; You didn't see him work his
for my attention was mostly directed
TO the movement of the car Itself. The
car Sls crowded, ard there were five
or SIX c11ildren on the platform with
the motorman,
sand Used from Pail.
Mounted Policeman Frederick Thorns
told how he had examined the trolley
rails few moments after tho accident.
They we're covered with STOW and no
sand was discernable. Later he re-
Turned 70 the scene and found an
Traction Company shovelng sand out
of a pail on the ice-covercd rails.
Mounted Policeman Wolf. who was
only half block away at the time of
tae, crash, testified that he heard no
bells and tina; the railroad train did NOT
swnist!e as u approached The crossing.
,.".Tnne trolley ca. cnr wss not moving
die Of the bloyk k'Gxt1@ bT t%een en- '"S orange lao
street and tho Morris and EsscX ROAD. road
When Il Reached a point aloout forty
or nifty feet from the iailroad tie
moving slowly. could no; say what
the motor,nan was doing"
"A 7 Jacobus, Of No. 50 High street.
f;cYiIsrks ;sciIsk estimated the ,apecd of the
an hour at the time II crashed through
when, the eatos started 10 come
down" no said. the car was about
down and in place It was about thirty
feet away. Twenty seconds could not
nave elapsed between The time the car
vent through the gates and the col
hflon, The train was rlsat on her In
an instant"
Rails Covered with Ice.
Q. What was the condition OF the
steel rails AT that time? a. They We're
covered with snow and what ] would
Q. You saw no sand? a. No. not
until half an hour after the accident.
Then ! kaw an italian sanding the
Iailt. u was tand that he was using,
Carl Riquet, one Of the school-boy
gsssengers on the car Of death made, a
aseR Impression on the Jury and the
u Eot on the car" he said. Fat Mur-
pay avenue and had a seat about bir
middle. Everything went al right unt!l
We reached Orange street, The car was
crowded, There we're about ten on the
platform with the motorman. We were
song slowly Th,n suddenly ! heard
cow, ] san that the gates We're down
~ the crossing. In another moment
tnefe was crash. The train was on
~ nht all tnat i KNOW
f @, What became of your A. ] woke
Hp under = pile. OF lumber. When they
1QQ< II on me | got out.
ilfrquet wss sure ne car did not
ptop ln the block between Orange street
aid The railroad tracks.
William MenEen, OF No. 20 Fulton
street. Newark. another school-b boy
eAEYlyor q the ,Nreak accustomed %
r|u|nG on thc Clifton avenue road, said
f|I4t he Jumped from the ear as II went
W!pplh the gates.
we're N tht nlSdd,a OF the block" said
UtNptiI. II knew a train would be
1otS 5. siiyern. member OF the
....|U FIrN Department.. testified that
||'Inf1 the rails of the trolley line
~ 'I|I[ IIofkA hut found no sand on
1||t witness happened TO be
..|||||| 11 11IAof thu rear platform
'te''.{ eef shen The colt