The San Francisco call., 1910-06-08
COMPANY BLAMED
FOR CATASTROPHE
COroner's Jury Holds Carmen
Only Partly Responsible for
LeOna Heights Wreck

ALAMEDA, June T.-Censure To-
operating its Leona heights branch lin
IN lax manner was meted out toda.
by the coroner's jury TO the Oakland
traction company in the verdict Of th'
inquest held into the cases OF the nv
victims Of the trolley car collision ol
Decoration day. The motorman an,
conductor Of the eastbound car, whiel
carried the passengers who were fatal,
injured, were blamed in the verdict 70
falling TO inspect the register book Z
learn whether or not they had a clea
tEack ahead. After reciting the name
of the five persons who died rs tn
result of the injuries sustained in TIL
Christensen, Orvill
Lewis, Harold .. Hull, Maud Rothrocl
and GustaVe AudibeTt-their places o
residence, time and cause Of death ant
place Of death, the verdict continued:
COMPANY CRITICISED
We find that all OF said persons
came 70 their death from a collision
between two cars Of the Oakland
traction company near Bellevue
avenue, Oakland. which was caused
by the motOrnan and conductor Of
+ The eastbound car neglecting 10 in
kpect the register book to find out
D AlGL4lET lleA n6Q q CleaT
-. We further find that because of
:. the crowded condition of said cars,
cue 20 seid company falling 10 pro-
? vide sufficient cars to conveniently
carry its passengers. the motorman
and conductor were more or less
1nterfered with in the proper dis
charge Of their duties. and also that
the fun measure of protection vas
not given the passengers, owing TO
. the fact that the said company was
p. operating said cars on a single
g track with many sharp curves ana
= without a block signal system.
We censure said company for op-
= Grating said road under such lax
= conditions IL being the unanimous
opinion Of this jury that said com
. pany is equally responsible with
%. The said motorman and the said
conductor for said accident.
We recommend that said COM
pany adopt such measures as will
prevent passengers from crowding
;. ITS cars. and further recommend
? that il provide A sufficient number
az cars 10 conveniently carry its
we -further recommend that in
p order 10 enhance the safety of the
travelling public the state legtSla-
ture at its next session enact such
laws as viii compel all railroad
companies operating a single line
track in suburban districts to in
stall an automatic block signal syS-
TEN.
The verdict was signed by W. J
Behrens. J. C. Holland, c. ". Plotz, Il
D. French. J. s. Green and T Fl. JUDD
The Jury was out an hour and three
quarters.
OFFICIALS ATTEND
= Among those present at the hear
ing were State Railroad Commission
ers Theodore Summerland Of Los An
geles, A c Irwin of Sacramento an
Il -
II. Donahue and superintendent Jane
p Potter OF the Oakland traction com
Dsny were also in attendance. tn
testimony addueed did not differ ma
terially from the published account
OF the collision
Conductor William Holdorf, who wa
in charge Of the eastbound and heavil.
loaded car. and who took upon him
self the responsibility, was the moe
important as well as the last witnes
called. In answer to a question fror
Coroner c. L. Tisdale as 70 what tn
cause Of the collision was, Holdor
said:
NEGLECT ADMITTED
Il should have consulted the registe
al California junction to see II ther
was an oncoming car in the block. bu
IL slipped my mind. My car was over
crowded and was busy trying TO kee
persons from climbing on the roc
and from hanging on TO the sides {
the car There were between $50 an
160 persons on the car. When til
crash came I was thrown OF the ca
The" car started 10 back down and
tried TO secure a block OF wood to pC
across a rail- to stop il. When I di
ger on the car I tried to prevent
rrrrr-1a n from frrr-T,f11er off
After Holdorf left the stand a drs
matte incident took place. Mrs. o. Bar
tholomew. mother of OrvilTe Lewis,
youth who succumbed 10 injuries re
ceived in the collision, approached ti
boyish looking conductor and said,
do not blame you for the death Of m
son. You were not altogether respon
sible. You viii be a welcome visfte
at my home any time"
MOTORNIAN'S VERSION
.Motorman Michael McNulty Of tn
r7estbound car testified:
L was 200 feet from the other ca
when I drst saw IL. I threw the brake
on. The power was OF and We weE
. cossdng. ] thought that If Christer
seh saw me he could bring his car to
StandstifL Ny car was almost at
SION when the crash came. IF I had
feet more I could have stopped IT,"
g. Alfred s Dingle, a passenger on tn
esstbound car, testified that he wa
riding. on the roof. He said that theI
were two other men and a small boy o
the roof with him and that no objectio
was made 20 them riding there.
no EFFORT TO STOP
Reniaufn Johnson, who is a gate
man IN the employ OF the Southern Pt
cine company and who was a passer
ger on the westbound car, testi6e
that he saw the eastbound car when
vas $50 feet distant and that Motor
man McNulty made no ef1ort at II
time 70 stop his car
others who testified were II. B. A.
lett. Dr. ]. A. HILL Mrs. o. BartholC
new. r. .. Lowell, L. V. Hull, DR.. r.
Sanborn. william s. Rothrock, DR..
D. smith, DR.. ". T. Lum, n. Kreme
II. Helmstein, Earl E. Thornton ar
James P. Potter.
District Attorney Donahue said aft'
fle. fnouest that he would secure
transcript Of the testimony taken ar
confer with the police authorities
o. skland 70 ascertain whether or NJ