Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-01
MANSLAUGHTER
CONTINUED from Page onc).

burning her. in railroad car at West
port on the date mentioned.
1t is further charged, that the ac-
Cident was due to the excessive speed
at which the train was being run; that
Messrs. Horn, Pollock. and Woodward,
as officers of the railroad charged
with keeping the tracks and other
equipment in proper condition To in
sure the safety of passengers, well
knowing their duty in that regard, but
being wholly unnindtul and disre
garding the same, felonously, wilfully
and with force and arms. with gross
and culpable negligence did then and
there wholly omit and neglect to keep
the tracks of the said railroad in
proper condition and repair for safe
travel; and wholly omitted and ne
elected TO furnish and provide sufi-
cient number of brakemen on said
train so running on said track of said
railroad for the safety and preserVa-
lion of the passe myers riding upon
said trains; and wholly omitted and
neglected to furnish and supply a
sufficiency of proper implements for
the protection of the lives of said pas
sengers, and did wholly omit and ne
and precaution in their power to pre-
vent accident and the injury and
death of any passengers on said
trains; neglected to employ compe-
tent and careful engineers and ne
elected to provide aud maintain cross.
overs of sufficient length to permit
engines and trains to pass from one
track to another in safety
There are four counts the warrants,
the fourth charging specifically that the
cross-over in use on the line a the point
of the accident was too short and that
| as result of this and the speed at which
the train was running it was derailed and
wrecked when it attempted to pass from
the inner to the outer track.
The train wrecked at Westport on Oct
was the second section of the Spring
| field express bound for New York. Be-
sides the engine crew five persons lost
| their lives, Mrs. James C. Brady. daugh-
ter-in-law of Anthony NJ. Brady of AL
bany, n. Y Mrs. f. p. Gavitt, daughter
of Mrs Brady; Mrs. Hamilton. sister of
! Mrs. Brady; Mrs. C. S Ransom, another
sister of Mrs. Brady, and Mark Wheeler
a mail clerk. The four passengers were
caught in the forward parlor car and
| killed and their bodies partially inciner-
ated.
The engineer. Geo. L. Clark, it was
shown, didn't slow up his train, then run
| ming so miles an hour, to take the cross
| over from the inner to the outer track
The inquiry by. Coroner Pheian of Fair
field county. brought in a finding that
| Clark was efiminally responsible for the
wreck; that the New Haven company had
CONQUERED IN the responsibility" that
the train crew was insufficient in num-
bers; that the track equipment was poor
| but was not responsible for the wreck:
| that steel cars would have prevented
deaths: that the company had no stop
devices and that the company had paid
no attention TO recommendations of the
coroner and interstate commerce COM
mission made after the Fairfield viaduct
wreck some months before.
Henry j. Horn is operating vice pres
! ident of the system He came here about
| Is months ago wrom western road to be
assistant to President Melor. Later he
became vice president and assumed
charge of the operation of the road.
Mr. Pollock was promoted from gen.
eral superintendent to general manager
of the road on Dec. 4. At the same time
| Mr.. Woodward who had been superinten-
dent of the New York division, was made
general superintendent. Mr.. Pollock fill
| ed the vacancy which existed after the
resignation of Samuel Higgins a year ago.
| Mr.. Pollock is AZ years old, began rail
reading in 1879 on the Lehigh Valley and
came into the New England field In 1881.
Mr.. Woodward as superintendent had
charge of the division of the system, upon
which there had been several serious
wrecks, that at Westport, on Oct 8. be-
| ing one of them. He was born In 1866
and entered railroad service in 1882 and
had been continuously in the service of
| the lines which now make up the New
| Haven system.