The Detroit times., 1908-05-04
LIMITED FLASHED
AROUND. CURVE
. 1870 FEET AWAY
TO AVOID ACCIDENT
AFTER SIGHTING OTHER CAR.
SAYS MoToRMAN OF LOCAL
MEADE BLAMED AGAIN.

George Wingrove, motorman OF the
local suburban car which was in col
lislon with the limited az Smiths
switch on April rs. when 10 people lost
their lives, limped TO the stand in Cor
oner Parkers court Monday morning
and gave 10 the jurors the most thrill
ing story they have yet heard or the
wreck.
We got orders at Dearborn, and
were told that il we could not get 10
Harris on time, TO stop ar Smiths for
orders" he began. There we were
told TO meet train 1OS. the limited, at
Burrills. No. SO. at Harris, and then
phone when we reached Ypsilanti.
We had gone only a little way from
Smiths when the collision occurred.
Where was the conductor when
YOU left Smith's?"
AT first he stood on the front step.
but he left there and don't know
where he went"
What were YOU doing just before
you saw the llmited?"
Il had been examining the new
time card, which was lying on the con
self that we were right, and just
glanced up from the card in time 10
see the limited come round the curve.
My God. see what's coming? | yell
ed TO the conductor and | turned just
enough 10 see his uniform near me.
shut OF the power. applied the emer-
gency brake. and jumped
How far apart were YOU when you
saw the limited?"
About $50 feet | should say"
Did the fact that you had been
looking at your time card delay you
any in seeing the limited?"
NO, looked up In time TO see the
car just as il came round the curve. =
III YOU had been watching for that
ear couldn't you have seen il sooner
IF had nothing else 10 do | could
have looked across the fields and pos
sibly had gliMpses of il between the
trees"
Does any OF the blame for this &C.
cident attach 10 you?'
"Orders Clear; Obeyed Them.
Il don't think SO. Our orders were
clear. and We were obeying them"
Assistant Dispatcher Cady was on
the stand for a short time He cor.
roboratcd the testimony OF Dispatcher
Harrington regarding the orders to
the trans that were in collision, and
he remembered distinctly. he said.
hearing Harrington say 10 Conductor
Meade. OF the limited Don't forget
the local at Harris"
How do you account for the acct
dent?"
1T appears to me that Meade did
net stop at Harris for orders"
Answering the testimony of Miss
Smith. who on Saturday testified that
big yellow car stopped at Smiths.
and the conductor asked for orders.
Cady testified that train 80. following
the wrecked limited, and but a few
minutes behind, was also yellow. and
ii must have been this car Miss Smith
saw, as IL did stop near her home On
Saturday Dispatcher Harrington testi-
fed that No. SO was green. but the
- U. r. attorneys contend IL was yell
low. and that Harrington was mis-
taken.
Secrecy As to Dead
Testimony bearing on the efforts
made by ID. u r. officials TO prevent
anyone seeing the bodies OF the dead.
was offered by Earl c.. Howes. De-
troit attorney He said that he visited
the barn where the dead were taken,
found the door open and went I'm.
Coming out he was met by two men,
ore In ID. U. r. uniform, who ques-
toned him closely as to his authority
to go in the barn. his name. address
and occupation. While he was talk
ing. a man and woman, who were
looking for the body OF a friend. sup
posed to be dead. tried to enter the
barn, but the men refused them adj
mlttance.
Bernard Clark, superintendent OF
schedule and mileage. who made up
the new schedule, testified that under
the new rate, the speed OF the limited
at the point where the wreck occur
red, should not have been much over
80 miles per hour. and that of the To-
cal about "a The new schedule re-
duced the time from Detroit to Ann
Arbor 10 minutes.
At IL o'clock the inquest adjourned
until Tuesday morning Wednesday
the jury will visit Ann Arbor 10 take
the testimony OF Conductor Meade.
and TO examine the locality of the
wreck.