Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-13
CAUSED BY ACCIDENT
JURY's VERDICT REGARDING EN-
GINEER MURPHY'S DEATH.
Investigation Does Not Disclose Ex-
actly How Accident Occurred
Testimony of Witnesses.

After hearing all of the evidence of the
witnesses who knew about the accident
and after asvisit to the scene of the wreck
where Engineer Hugh Murphy was kiiied
at 9th street and Maryland avenue south
west yesterday afternoon, the coroner
iury. sitting over the remains of the en-
rineer. rendered a verdict declaring the
death was accidental. but unexplainable.
After the Stars report closed yesterday
Fireman Joseph Reynolds continued his tes-
timOny.
1T has been intimated to me, said Coro-
ner hewitt, that the railway men were
prevented from going to the assistance OF
the engineer. Do you know anything about
that?"
II was personally kept by the firemen OF
the city fire department from going to my
engineer" replied Reynolds.
Did you tell the firemen that you were
railway MANI?
Yes sir said the locomotive fireman
None of the railway men was allowed TO
get to him after the policemen and fre-
men arrived.
tons, stated that he thought the technical
knowledge of trains and locomotives pos
sessed by the railroad men could have been
employed to release the engineer sooner
than he was. He stated that the train was
going about six miles an hour, in his judg-
ment, when it went off the track.
AS to the speed. the conductor. Q. w
Loving and the fiagman of the train w.
NJ Bennett. both agreed with the fireman
that the train was not making over SIX
miles an hour when the accident happened
Conductor Loving's Testimony.
Conductor o. w. Loving testified that, in
his judgment, from the Investigations he
made, the locomotive left the track at the
frog beyond the switch, or the place
where one track crosses another.
why. in your opinion, did the engine
leave the track at the frog?" the conductor
was as,-ed.
Gentlemen. / have been railroadng for
thirty years" he replied, land this is the
most mysterious thing l have ever seen"
James Maloney and Oscar McQuade, gate
tenders at 9th street and Maryland avenue
southwest. were witnesses, but they added
nothing new to the inquiry.
Capt. W. III. Matthews of the fourth police
precinct stated that there had been COM
plants of trains running too fast around
the curve at the point of the accident. and
he had called the attention of the railroad
company TO it,
Says Train Ran Too Fast.
MY opinion to why the locomotive was
wrecked is that the train was running too
fast around the curve, and that the weight
OF the heavy cars behind the engine pulled
it off the track" stated the captain. In his
opinion, the train must have been going
ten to fourteen miles an hour. Three SINH
lar accidents have occurred at this same
place, he testified.
After hearing the evidence the jury was
taken to the wreck in the patrol wagon Of
the fourth precinct. From Investigations
made 1t stated to be the opinion that
the engine left the track at the frog. When
a switch runs off from a main track one
rail of the switch must cross the opposite
rail of the main track, and where it crosses
there Is a frog. Just opposite this frog in
the track there were marks the guard
rail, showing that a wheel was off the
track at that point, and from there the
course of wheels on each side of the engine
could be traced by cuts on the ties. The
frog was apparently in good shape and not
broken.