The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-07-09
TEN WITNESSES ARE
EXAMINED BY JURY
THAT IS INVESTIGATING CAUSE
OF THE TROLLEY OAR
DISASTER OF SUNDAY
EVENING.
MANAGER PURINToN TEsTIF1Es
SAYS HH DOESN'T KNOW THE
CAUSE OF THE WRECK.
EXPERT MACHINIST
EXAMINES CAR.

Ten witnesses have been examined
Iiby the coroner's jury which is inves-
tigating the cause of the trolley car
disaster on the GrasselI division Of
the local traction system Sunday
evening in which two were killed. and
a number of passengers injured. The
jury held session Monday after
noon and adjourned until Tuesday
morning when after examining three
witnesses it adjourned until We'd
nesday morning when more will be
interrogated.
Osborn Examines Car.
While the jury's investigation is
being neld, A. c. Osborn is examin-
ing the car that jumped the track,
at the traction company's barns at
Adamston and he will report the re-
suit of the same to the jury as soon
as he has finished Mr.. Osborn was
engaged to do this at the instance Of
the jury in the capacity of an ex-
pert machinist and he has been in
structed to thoroughly examine the
car and trucks.
Coupler Dug Into Ties
s. I. Buffers was the first witness
examined Tuesday He said he had
been out to the Industrial addition
in rig just before the accident and
had returned to the city. He saw
the car on his way back but saw
nothing unusual about it. After
coming into the city he was told of
the wreck and went back arriving
on the scene about the time the am
balances were taking the injured
away. While there he examined
the track and car and saw that
where the car left the track there
were holes in several of the ties
as though made by the front coup
Ter of the car digging into them.
He also examined the coupler and
found 1t bent back underneath the
car into a horseshoe shape.
Normal Speed Says Reynolds
John P. Reynolds, of Glen Elk
was examined and he said that he
saw the car turn over the hin as
me was sitting on the front porch Of
Jonathan Dan1ey's home at the juno
tion about 200 yards distant. He
saw the car coming around the curve
and as soon as he saw it turn over
he ran down there.
AZ don't think the car was rum
ming at any faster speed than any
of the other cars running up that
hil1." he said. He said that he
usually sat on the porch and watch
the cars turn up the hill but didn't
notice anything unusual about the
one that was wrecked. He couldn't
say what caused the accident. He
saw the trolley pole of the car be-
fore 1t came into sight and saw the
car come into view, stop and topple
over the bank. Judging. from the
sound he didn't think the car was
moving rapidly.
General Manager on Stand.
A. j. Purinton, general manager
of the traction company, was next
put on the stand He said that car
No. 80 was put into service two or
three weeks ago The trucks and
motors were used under a closed
body car all last fall and winter. a
yellow car. No. SO, he said. The
trucks and motors were bought in
the late summer. Were the wheels
of No. S9's trucks the same?" he
was asked.
''No, the wheels were different
ones. We ran No. SO to Fairmont,
took the car body from the truck,
took the wheels which were some
what worn from all the winter SER
vice and put
New Wheels on the Truck.
The truck was looked over
and given a general overhauling.
We put this new open car body, No.
80, which had never been used be-
fore. on this truck and ran it
around Fairmont a day or so to see
that the bearings didn't heat up and
so on and then brought it to Clarks-
burg"
Hasn't car 80 been unusually
unfortunate in being derailed?"
1T was reported to me that the
car, No. 80, was deratled once at
the Industrial crossing when the
rails had spread and let the car