The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-03-05
DIRECTORS ARE HELD
Blame for WOOdIaWn Wreck
Placed OH MilliOnaiPeS.
CORONER ANGRY At VERDICT
Owing tO Lack Of Specification, the
Board of Directors Must Answer.
Proper Precautions Not Taken, and
Train Running at Excessive speed.
List of the Men Named

New York, March 4-Coroner Sclwan-
neck. Of the Bronx, was dissatisfied with
The lack Of specification 60 the verdict of
his jury tonight upon the wreck on the
New York CentraTs electric line at Wood
lawn. and announced that he would hold
the entire board Of directors responsible.
They might consider themselves on pa
role overnight. he said. and could come up
20 his Office I'm the Bronx tomorrow at 10
O'Clock in the morning or later. in per
son or by proxy. and give bail
The jury had been i'm session under
Coroner Schwanneck's direction consid-
eTing evidence on the wreck all day long.
At 1915 p. m they retired and brought
in a verdict in fifteen minutes. The yer
dict found that the train was running
at excessive speed, that the spikes on the
rails were forced out Of place. and the
company did not take proper precautions.
This does not satisfy the coroner, be
cause no names were given Of persons
responsible for the accident. The coro-
ner then decided 20 hold the directors
responsible
List Of Directors.
The directory of the New York Central
and Hudson River Railroad Company 5:
Chairman of the board. Chauncey NJ.
Depew; president, William H. Newman;
vice presidents, r. V w. Rossiter, VIII
lam Crown. john Christensen, William J.
Wilgus, and Nathan Guflford: secretary.
Dwight ". Pardee; treasurer. z. T. Ros-
sitter; assistant treasurers, Melton s.
Barger and Louis Bender; auditor. r. A.
White; directors. J. p. Morgan. William
Rockefeller, F. w and W. X. Vanderbilt.
George r. Baker. Samuel +. Barger.
George :. Bowdoin, Charles c. Clarke,
Chauncey N. Depew. Darius O. Mills.
William II. Newman, James SuIlman.
and Hamilton Nick. Twombley. Several
Of them are abroad
BY the time the news Of Coroner
Schwanneck'S action reached Manhattan
all the New York Central Railroad d-
rectors in town were asleep. Even Cen
eral Manager A. II. Smith had gone to
bed in ignorance Of the fact that the
directors were under arrest. Senator De
pew remained in Washington tonight.
and can hardly reach the Bronx coroner S
Office at the stipulated time.
AFTER Harry van alta, the foreman,
had read the verdict, Coroner Schwan-
neck asked If the jury would name any
persons specifically responsible for the
disaster. The foreman answered:
NO; this is the verdict we have de-
cided on. We have not thing to add
Coroner sets Verdict Aside.
Coroner Schwanneck then said:
In that case I will hold the board Of
directors OF the railway company per-
sonally responsible. They will be paroled
IN the custody Of their counsel until 1O
O'Clock tomorrow morning, when they
will appear before me personally, or BY
proxy, and be admitted 10 bail"
Lawyer Harris, representing the rail
road company, objected Your honor.
you have no right TO make ruling like
this. Your holding these men response
bic when the jury said nothing about
them is altogether outside your power -
Mr.. Harris was going on 10 say more
but the coroner cut him off quickly. bang
ing his fist on the table and showing
signs. of excitement and anger. This
case is closed he said.
He Immediately adjourned the inquest.