Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-09
EMPLOYE
BLAM ED
Conductor Is Cause
of disaster
COrOner's JHry Returns
It's Verdict
Warrant Issued Charges Street Car
Man With Mansauehter-safety
Appliances for Grade Cross
ines Are Recommended
900 o @%%~~~~~% @ o 10000
o CORONER's VERDICT IN .
@ ONEONTA PARK CASE 6

10 ONEONTA PARK CASE @
10 - O.
20 eve find that Mrs. FIOrn ZObeI @
@ came to her death July 20 by In- @
jurics received in a collision be- @
@ tween locomotive No. 1883 of the @
@ Southern Pacific Railway COM {:
@ pany and car No. 2S3 of the Pa @
q cific Electric Railway company mt z,
o OneOnta Park In Los Angeles 9
o county, said electric car being in o
@ charge of Motorman S. @. Perkins 8
o and Conductor Allen l.. Smith. O
@ "COnductOr Allen l.. Smith we 9
@ find guilty of criminal negligence @
in signaling his ear to no ahead. @
O and we find Motorman s. G. Per- O
@ kins guilty of gross cnreIessness O
o in allowing his car To so closely 8
O approach the Southern Pacific @
@ railway tracks before coming to o
o stop. o.
@ "We recommend that all railway o
o corporations be required to place @
@ automatic or other sufficient @
@ danger signals mt all railway @
O crossings in Los Angeles county. @
O "(Signed) Homer LnuEhlin, fore @
@ man; J. II. Neff, Ed. G. HooISstrat- @
o ten, II. #. volimer, ID. b. Jerrue, j. o
9 NJ. Pitcher" @
o. @ g @~~~~~@& @ @ 100000
That the terrible tragedy at Oneonta
Park July 2S, in which two persons lost
their lives and many others were seri-
ously injured, was due to the criminal
carelessness of Conductor Allen l..
hn 0f
Motorman s. c. Perkins was the ver-
dict of the coroner's jury yesterday af-
ternoon at Pierce Bros undertaking
establishment.
Immediately following the verdict
Coroner Trout issued a warrant for the
arrest of Conductor Smith, and 1t is said
he will be charged with manslaughter.
He was discharged from the employ
of the Pacific Electric company shortly
after the accident and was not found
yesterday by any of the companys Of
fificials.
1t is believed that District Attorney
Fredericks will today bring all the ma
chinery of his office in play to locate
the alleged missing conductor and
formally arraign him on a man
slaughter charge. What action, if any,
will be taken against Motorman Per-
klns is in doubt, Coroner Trout said
last night.
He also may be criminally charged If
the district attorneys office sees fit
Testimony All Agrees
Six representative business men sat on
the coroner's jury and with the over
whelming mass of testimony introduced
at the inquest upon the death of Mrs.
Flora Zobel 1t was a foregone conclu-
sion that the jury would bring in a
verdict in accordance with the facts
Witness after witness testified that
Conductor Smith gave the signal to go
ahead without looking in the direction
of the approaching train, and only after
he realized his terrible blunder did he
signal the motorman to stop.
The evidence showed that Motorman
Perkins brought his car to a standstil
within the danger, point. and directly
violated the rules of the company,
which require the motormen to stop
their cars not less than fifteen. or twen-
ty feet from a railroad crossing.
Coroner Trout was congratulated by
number of spectators following the
return of the verdict, and he expressed
himself as gratifed with the result.
Llneman Gives Evidence
Il certainly did my best in this case
to summon all possible witnesses" Cor
oner Trout remarked. 'I was anxious
to have all the facts developed and to
fix the responsibility for the awful dis
aster. I issued warrant for the ar
rest of Smith Immediately the verdict
was rendered and shall inform the dis
trict attorney of the action at once"
The inquest began n Lao o'clock, be-
ing a continuation of the one begun last
week at the same place.
w. e. Hickey lineman for the Edl-
son Electric company. was an impor-
10 Il IL
ing at the time of the accident about
225 feet from the street car crossing.
He saw the approaching train from the
vantage point of the pole on which
he was at work.
Sees Fatal Crash
He heard the train whistle for the
crossing and at once saw the electric
was was dangerously close to the
tracks.
A little later he said he heard the To-
connective engineer blow his danger
whistle.
He saw the conductor of the electric
car go ahead of the car and give a
signal by throwing up his right hand.
"Then | saw the conductor glance in
the direction of the approaching train."
continued the witness. HE then threw
up the other hand. l saw the motor
man indistlnetly. He was working at
his levers, but could not tell whether
he was reversing or going ahead"
Arthur M. Smith, also employed by
the Edison Electric company said he
was working In the railroad cut and
stepped out of the way when he heard
the engine whistle.
When he heard the danger whistles
the witness said he turned and saw
the electric car about five feet from the
railroad track. 1t was not in motion at
the time.
The witness said he saw the motor
man start his car across the tracks just
before the collision. He did not believe
the trolley left the wire He said he