Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-07-29
JURY PLACES NO
BLAME ON CREWS
COLLISION ON PASADENA LINE
INVESTIGATED
CRASH THAT KILLED KETTLER
CALLED UNAVOIDABLE
Testimony at coroner's Inquest Shows
That Carmen Made Every Effort
to Avoid Accident-Verdict
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No personal responsibility was es.
tablished by the coroner's jury for the
death of Fred Kettler, 100 East Four
teenth street. who was killed in g
rear-end collision of the Pacific Elec.
trio railway Monday evening, at the
inquest yesterday afternoon at Pierce
Brothers undertaking parlors. The
investigating body contented itsel1
with Offering a suggestion for future
safety at the dangerous curve.
The report of the men selected by
! Coroner Calvin Hartwell to hear tes-
timony in regard to the accident, which
resulted in the death of Kettler, is as
! follows:
I'VE, the Jurors, summoned to in
quire into the cause of the death OF
Frd Kettler, having been duly sworn
according to the law and having made
such inouisition after inspecting and
viewing the scene of the accident, and
| hearing the testimony adduced, upon
| our oaths, do each and all say that
the deceased came to his death on the
25th day of July, 1909, as II result OF
injuries sustained in a rear-end col
! lision between two cars of the pacific
Electric Railway company near the
Los Angeles city limits, and while the
evidence indicates that the accident
was unavoidable, we suggest that the
company issue a special slow order for
this particular curve in order to avoid
| a similar occurrence"
The report was signed by Calvin
Hartwell. coroner: George E. Rag
land, Joseph P. Duffy, C. A. Mont
gomery, Edgar H. Dake, James S.
| Green and E. j. Mcnamara.
The testimony given by the differ
ent witnesses showed that while the
trolley pole of Pasadena car No. 334
was being adjusted after having
! jumped its wire connection, Monrovia
car No. $50 crashed into it. The Mon
roVia car had succeeded in slowing
down to about ten miles an hour and
the Pasadena car, with it's discon-
nected trolley, was moving about three
miles an hour.
Motorman Seriously Hurt
The first witness examined was
Daniel H. Pores. 949 East Tenth street,
who was motorman on the Monrovia
car. His face and head bore terrible
abrasions and bruises and he appeared
to have been seriously hurt by the ac-
cident. To all questions he replied
that he absolutely could not ,remem-
! Der a thing other than that he had
| boarded the car at MonroVia for his
regular run. He could recall nothing
beyond this. 1.-THE first thing 1 can
remember about the accident" said
! Pores, was when I woke up in the
| hospital and asked them how 1 came
to be there" Pores was allowed to
leave without further questioning as
it was believed it might prove dan
gerous to subject him to any mental
strain.
Another badly bruised witness was
Walter Cooley 1410 Bank street, Pasa-
dena. He said the Monrovia car on
which he was riding had been making
noticeably slowed up just prior to the
accident. Cooley stated he could see
the red light on the back of the car
ahead but not until less than sixty
| yards distant. He also testified that he
saw the motorman applying the me-
chancal devices which are used in stop
ping cars, but that the crash came so
! quickly he had barely time to rise from
his seat when the collision occurred.
Frank Dixon, third witness, was on
the back end of the Pasadena car when
the trolley came off, and he told the
| jury that every effort was made to get
in motion quickly In order to avert the
accident.
Ferdinand Diethold, 412 South FL
/
to jump from the Pasadena car when 1t
stopped.
Reynold II. Vented, BOG West
Seventh street who was the conductor
of the Monrovia car, testified that the
car on, which he was riding succeeded
in slowing down to about ten miles an
hour before 1t hit the Pasadena car.
He stated that after the accident he
examined the motor of his car and
found the handle reversed for an emer-
gency stop. Vented said there were
forty-seven passengers on his car at
the time of the collision.
Brakes Were Applied
Solomon Levy, 1135 West Eleventh
street, testified he heard the air brakes
applied just before the car on which
he was riding collided with the proceed
ing car. He estimated the speed at the
time of the accident was not more than
ter or twelve miles an hour.
J. B. Rowray, superintendent of the
northern division of the Pacific Electric
railway and a resident of Pasadena,
after stating he had been with the COM
pany twelve years testified as to the
rules and instructions issued by the
company for the guidance of motormen
and conductors.
The deposition of Conductor Thomas
Bennett, who was attempting to adjust
car when the crash came, was read.
The document set forth that Benefits
car was barely moving and unable 10
pick up speed following the accidental
Jump" of the trolley pole. Bennett
said If he could have returned the troll
ley wheel to the wire in time the Pasa-
dena car could have made speed enough
to avert the accident. Coroner Hart
we'll told the jury Bennett was pain
fully injured and might lose his thumb
and remain crippled for a long time as
a result of his gallant efforts to get his
car in motion.
L. H. Fadley of Bairdstown submitted
testimony to show the Monrovia car
was making great speed just prior to
the accident. He did not note there
was any diminution of speed just prior
to the disaster
L. e. Ackley, motorman of the Pasa-
dena car, said the car which he was
guiding was barely moving when the
Monrovia car hit 1t.
The coroner's jury debated the ques-
ton of evidence for an hour but at the
time of their report were all agreed.
Arrangements for the funeral of Ket-
tier have not yet been completed.
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