Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-03

time your car struck the green carp
he was asked.
"As nearly az I can state, It was
running about six miles an hour"
Did you have any trouble with the
asphalt sticking to the wheels on any
other trips you made that day or any
other day2' was another question that
was asked him by one Of the jury.
mo. l had only run that car two
round trips that day and the air had
given me no trouble at all That par
ticular occasion was the only time the
air had failed 10 work"
l.. D. Hutchison, grocer Of 1902 Reid
street, was one of the passengers on
the front end of the Washington street
car and was called TO tell how the ac-
cident happened. He said; when we
were seventy-i1ve feet east Of Bush
street the motorman seemed to see
tho gren car for the first time and shut
off his power and applied the air.
When he first tried to stop the car,
we were running Mt n rate not under
twenty-five miles an hour
eIames the Motorman
81 was motorman on the Los An
geles railway for many years and am
II good Judge Of speed" The latter re-
mark was made I'm answer to question
by the coroner.
Hutchison continued: ",rhe green car
had stopped on the far side OF the
street, In accordance with the rules,
and had Just started to cross Washing
ton street when we struck it,
1T would have been impossible for
the motorman to have stopped the car
in which l was at the speed at which
he was running in n less distance than
100 feet. The motorman of our car
first shut off the Juice, threw on his
air and then. when we We're within ten
feet of the other car and collision could
not possibly have been averted he re-
versed the car. but with no result"
When Hutchison was seen after the
trial he said: II don't altogether blame
the motorman. He had his orders TO
get his car through on schedule time.
But any one with an atom Of intelli-
gence would have known that COL
lision was imminent and would have
reversed the car to start on. The
burden OF the blame must fall on the
shoulders of the motorman of the Los
Angeles car"
Conductor Gives Testimony
NJ. S. Thomas, $40 East Second street,
the conductor of the Los Angeles car,
was then called and testified that he
lldu hIlOWn llOlIllleS vi lht pltoCllSC OA
the other car until the shock Of the
collision There had been no stops
since he had pulled the switch at Es-
trella street, some eight blocks east of
the point of collision. He also said
that he knew that there had been work
going on in the street, and that 1t was
possible that the wheels had become so
slippery with oil that the brake shoes
would not hold. But he stated that
any evidence on that subject on his
part would be merely conjecture and
would have no backing of fact for a
basis.
Earl A. Brown, S21 West Eleventh
street, the motorman of the Interurban
car, testified that he had seen the Los
Angeles car approaching, but that he
knew he had the right of way and did
not slow up. He stated that he thought
the Los Angeles car was running at a
high rate of speed, but that he was not
judge enough of speeds to make an es-
innate The car which he was running
was struck in the middle and was
thrown off the trucks, while the Wash
ington street car was not seriously in
jured.
G. Veltham, conductor of the Inter-
urban, stated that the Washington car
was about fifty feet away when he first
saw it and that it was running to eX-
ceed ten miles an ilour. Nothing lead
ms was brought out through his testi-
mony.
Throughout the inquest Norman
Sterry. attorney for the Los Angeles
railway, occupied his usual seat at DIR.
Trouts right hand and suggested such
questions as he saw fit. Henry j.
Stevens, attorney for the Davenport es-
tate, attempted on several occasions to
question the witnesses, but was given
no opportunity by the coroner.
FOLLOWING is the list OF Jurors who
rendered the decision which has been
quoted: F. o. Lindholm, ]. Bindeham,
J. Arnold, II Guyot, ]. A. Jepson and
Z. j. Brent, foreman
The funeral of James P. Daven-
port, who was killed in the street car
collision Thursday afternoon will be
held this afternoon from the First
Methodist church.
The city council will attend in a
body and Mayor McAleer will proba-
bly, attend. Mayor McAleer and Mr..
Davenport were colleagues in the
council at one time, and there has al
ways been 81 strong bond of friend
ship between the two.
The Elks, Masons and G.. A r. OF
the city will attend and all will par
ticipate in the funeral services.
The condition of the persons injured
Thursday afternoon in the street car
collision is without an exception much
improved. Several of the women were
thought at first to be fatally injured.
but all are now out of danger and
unless unexpected complications arise
in the condition of some of the most
seriously injured, all Will recover.
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