Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-09


at all at Randolph-with the arms of the
signal post DOWN"
mo. didn't see the target at al. /
saw the bottom OF the pole
Not seeing any signal, would you have
said 1t was all right?"
No. Sir: and 1 don't remember saying
Asked point blank question whether he
knew anything about the rule of the Bal
timore and Ohio which specifies that the
absence of signal at any station where a
target is supposed to be displayed operates
the same a.red or stop signal. Nc
Clelland answered that he knew nothing
about such a rule.
Superintendent of Transportation Gallo
way was placed the stand and ques-
toned by Deputy Coroner GlaZebrook in
part as follows:
You have heard most of the evidence
offered at this case?''
Yes SIR
Can you say what rules of your COM
pany, II any, have been violated by the
operatives Of the road
Yes; apparently they have all been vio-
lated"
Required to specify. he detailed rule
13, relating to the use of cross-Overs.
Asked to name the operatives and crews
who have been guilty OF violation, Mr.
Galloway retorted with the query:
do l understand you want me to define
the responsibility for the accident?'
mo. name the crews which violated
specific rules
Proceedings Late Yesterday.
After The Stars report closed yesterday
afternoon Sergeant jeremiah Murphy Of
the tenth police precinct was called to the
witness stand, and he repeated orders re-
ceived to the effect that horrible blunder
had been committed and that the respon-
sible parties should be arrested.
Il proceeded to the scene of the wreck,
Mnrnhy he Arr at /
Engineer Hildebrand. He told me he had
received a double green signal at Silver
Spring, and none at all at Takoma-"
Sergeant Beam was recalled for mo-
ment and asked whether Engineers Hide
brand and Vermillion had opportunity to
get together and talk Immediately after the
wreck. and said he did not think they had
Sergt. Murphy continued his testimony
and said he asked Hildebrand whether it
was not mistake to run fast extra train
behind a slower moving local.
'He said he supposed 1t was witness
continued. but that he was not responsible
for his orders"
II asked him If he should not have
stopped at Takoma when 1t was so near
to the closing hour" SCRIPT. Murphy added
land he replied If he had stopped and an
other train had come along and struck him.
the first thing the officials would have
asked him would have been why had he
stopped there when he knew Takoma was
closed at 6:3O?"
Sergt. Murphy related another story told
to him by Engineer Vermillion to the effect
that red signal was set against train 66
Saturday night at Silver Spring. Yer
million said he stopped and sent his flag
man back and found that a mistake had
been made" Murphy went on to say THAT
flagman was killed Sunday"
D. J. Mattingly. druggist at Takoma
was asked whether Operator Phillips was at
his store about $50 o'clock Sunday night
the 3Oth Witness replied he did not see
him.
Was Standing on Platform.
Martin Cady. residing On Rock Creek
Church road, testified he was standing on
the platform at Terra Gotta Sunday night.
He saw train 66 stop and he was standing
abreast of the middle coach when some
thing happened; he didn't know what. He
thought an explosion had occurred. and
didn't know it was a wreck until after he
returned from the hospital
T. T. Roddy. fireman at Somerville's terra
Gotta works. gave vivid description of the
wreck. which he witnessed from distance
of about a city square: He said he did
the best he could to relieve the injured, and
he -telephoned to the police station and to
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad station.
Mr.. Roddy estimated it was an hour after
the wreck before organized assistance ar
rived. .. ...
Other scenes at the wreck were described
by Charles Walden of Terra Gotta. Repeat
ing a conversation he had with Engineer
Vermillion. Walden testified the latter said
he was Just slowing up at Terra Gotta sta
ton to get some passengers and that 1t
was good thing they did not get on. Wal
den said the last coach of the extra. after
the wreck, was stopped about 800 yards
east Of the Terra Gotta station platform.
William Ridgway, fifteen years Of age,
was among the people standing on the
platform at Terra Gotta when the collision
noise of any kind until he found himself
lying alongside the switch below the sta
ton. Ridgway said the first thing he did
was to run for doctors.
John Frazier. fourteen years OF age, was
also at Terra Gotta station. He heard no
whistle blown before the wreck by the ap-
preaching extra.
Fifty Miles an Hour.
Samuel H. Styles Of Philadelphia testified
he was a dinner guest at Stott'S and he
escorted others to the train and put them
aboard. He was just returning when the
extra rushed past He estimated the speed
of that train at fifty miles an hour.
George H. Burgess of Riggs road, D. c..
told about putting Mrs. Barnes and the
latters daughter, EsteIle. aboard train Go
at Stott's.
MY nephew and l were no more than
thirty feet away from the station when
the extra passed" he said, land l cried,
Our folks are gone" Burgess said he
was in the act of looking at his watch
when the second train passed Stotts. and
1t showed exactly 6:30 O'Clock.
According to the story Of Benjamin T.
Parker. a passenger on train GO, Engineer
Vermillion at first had a very haZy idea
of what had caused the wreck.
II was knocked out of my seat" Parker
said. land when / climbed out of the
coach the first man 1 saw was the engi-
neer. He said a coal car had broken loose
and bumped into the rear Of the train"
Charles Watson. colored. survivor of the
wreck, said he was so badly scared he did
not know what had happened. He stated
the local train slowing up at Terra
Gotta when the crash occurred
Hosea Cook. coiored. of D3I 26th street
another survivor. testified he heard no whs-
tie or warning.
Napoleon Thomas, colored. was standing
at Stott's Station. He heard the extra
whistle for Takoma. but not at Lamond or
Stott's. Because the two trains were so
close together he thought there would he
a wreck and he ran down the track toward
Terra Gotta.
No Warning Whistle.
Elizabeth Jefferson. colored. 1113 Fussells
court. was a passenger on train &C. She
heard no warning whistle from the follow
ing train.
Walter Goldfnch of Terra Gotta was on
the embankment about fifty yards from
the scene when the wreck occurred He
heard no whistle from engine 212O as it