Perth Amboy evening news., 1907-03-14
GRAND JURY ATTACKS
THE PENNSYL LVANIA R. R.
ent on.
The SteItOn
Accident.
STATES CASE
Special to The EVENING NEWS:

NEW BRUNSWICK, Mar. H.
The grand jury yesterday handed In
seven more indictments, its third
batch for the term, and also a pre-
sentiment taking the Pennsylvania
railroad to task for failing to proper-
ly protect the Stelton crossing. Yes
terday afternoon they banqueted at
the Mansion House. They will re-
turn again March 81.
The presentment concerning the
railroad is as follows:
To the Middlesex County Court OF
Oyer and Terminer.
The Grand Inquest sitting In and
for the body of the County of Middle-
sex. for the December term, nineteen
hundred and six, respectfully makes
the following presentment to the
court:
In accordance with the recommen-
dation of +. a coroners inquest, this
body took under consideration the
matter of the killing of Isaac G..
Dunn and Elizabeth at the SteIton
crossing of the Pennsylvania railroad.
at about $3.50 o'clock on the evening
of December 1S last. A special conn
mittee of this, body familiarized itself
with the testimony taken at the cor
oner's hearing and personally visited
the scene.
Flagman At Crossing.
We find that the fiagman at about
that hour was tagging on track No.
| an eastbound passenger train; that
he stood about twenty feet from the
track in the middle of the road,
swinging a white lamp; that Mr.. and
Mrs. Dunn, who were returning hoE>e
from a church service ait Steiton.
stopped their horse and wagon about
sixty feet in the rear of the ttagman;
that after the eastbound passenger
| train passed the fiagman saw an en-
/ gine coming west on track No. 3, but
that he did not see 1t until he him
self had reached track No. 2 because
there stood on track No. 2, some little
distance east of the crossing, an east
bound freight train, which obscured
clear vision of tracks Nos and A.
that Immediately upon seeing the APP
preaching westbound engine, the
flagman turned and shouted to the
occupants of the carriage to hold up,
but by this time they were even with
him on track No. 2, and Immediately
thereafter were struck and killed by
the engine on track No. 8; that al
most simultaneously with the acci-
dent fast westbound passenger
tain passed on track No. A.
The Sole Protection.
We find that this crossing is guard
/ ed by one hagman in the day time
and by another in the night time, and
that these two fiagmen constitute the
sole protection given the public at
the crossing. No gates are there nor
have any ever been there. We be-
lieve this crossing to be very danger
Gus. The tracks compose fifty feet.
The traffic on each and all OF the
four tracks is heavy, both by day and
by night, and that it is no infrequent
occurrence that any two or all four of
| the tracks at or near the crossing are
| occupied at the same time, as In fact
was practically the situation on the
night of the accident, which resulted
in the death of Mr.. and Mrs. Dunn.
South of the tracks and west of the
roadway is the Stelton station; east
of the roadway is the hagman's
shanty, and a little beyond trees,
which especially in summer, effect an
imperfect view of the tracks. To
person going north, which is the di-
\ rection in which Mr.. and Mrs. Dunn
were driving when they met their un-
timely death, it is difficult to see the
tracks clearly until one is nearly upon
them, and 1t is fact that all tho
victims of accidents at this Inflated
crossing have been going NORTH
When going south clear view OF the
tracks is afforded at safe distance
Merits Severe Condemnation.
We believe that the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company merits severe con-
demnation for the inadequate rrotec-
tion which it gives the public at this
crossing, and for it's past attitude OF
Indifference to the expressed desire
of residents of that section who daily
have to cross these tracks. We un-
derstand that at present railroad rep
/ resentatives are in conference with
I the Middlesex county Board OF Free
/ holders and with the Raritan town
ship committee, and with citizens re-
siding in and around Stelton, anu
have expressed a willingness to do
something to lessen the acknowledged
danger at the crossing. We believe
/ that two lagmen should be on duty
! both day and night, and that gates
should be erected and operated from
tower so that the operator can haYe
an unobstructed view of all four
tracks at all times, no matter now
many tracks are occupied or IN what
relative positions the trains may be-
w do not, however, believe this 70
be the final solution as it Is our frnl
conviction that the dangers here ap-
parent will not be eliminated until
4 the grad crossing is abolished.
Whether this should be done by an
overhead bridge, or by depressing the
roadway is for the purpose of this
presentment immaterial; but that it
should be done is in our Judgment
without doubt.