Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-07-18

WANT JOINT INQUIRY
Six Persons Dead from Fearful
Crash on Ocean View Railway
Near Norfolk.

Norfolk, Va, July 1S.-Louis Good
man, fatally injured on Thursday
pi-ht IN the wreck at the Virginia
Railway grade crossing on the Ocean
View Division of the Virginia Rali-
way and Power Company, declared a
few minutes before he died yester-
day that the collision resulted be-
cause Motorman w. X. Atkinson was
either asleep or sick.
"We are running very fast" sta
ted the boy, "when we saw the fed
lights on the gate across the track,
and | asked the motorman why ne
did not stop. He did not answer, SO
| showed him and he Strengthened up,
shut off his power, and tried to stop
the car, but it was too late.
eve hit the freight train with an
awful crash, and Joe Cooper was Kill
led. When I woke the motorman,
Ainsworth Ca boy with Goodman)
said it was too late to stop, and ne
vas going to jump and for me to do
the sane, but 7 was in the middle and
couldn't get out"
Fifteen minutes after making this
statement in the presnce of his faith
or, I1ynsn Goodman, two brothers,
and attaches of st. Vincent's Hos
pital, young Goodman was dead.
This was the sixth death as result
of the awful crash between trolley
ears and coal gondolas at the Fair
mount Park crossing at an early
hour Thursday night, which resulted
in the death Of four men and two
women, the serious injury of twelve
of twelve others, and minor injuries
to thirty one.
The Virginian Railway has re-
uuested the Virginia Railway and
Power Company to participate in a
Joint investigation of the tragedy, to
be conducted here on: Monday. under
the supervisor Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission. To this the trac-
tion company has replied that it will
participate in this inquiry, provided
the State Corporation Commission
gives its. sanction. A message has
been sent to Richmond to the effect.
Norfolk, Va, July 1S.-Six persons
were killed and nineteen injured in
collision between an electric train
of the Virginia Passenger and Power
Company and coal train on the Vir-
? ginian Railroad early yesterday
morning at Fairmount crossing,
about three miles from Norfolk.
Five Of those killed died almost in
stantly. and, the sixth fatality was
that of: a victim who died just be-
fore noon.
The electric train left Ocean View
at midnight. At the. Virginian Rail-
road crossing, trainmen say, the
safety gates were down and a coal
train of 70 cars was passing en- route
to Roanoke. The electric train
crashed through the gates and. into
the freight train.
The electric train, made up of two
wooden coaches, crumpled up after
the collision and passengers were
pinned in the wreck. They were re-
leased only after rescuers had cut
away the broken seats and timbers
that held them.
Many of them had broken legs and
arms. The groans of women could
be heard for blocks, and scores OF
persons residing near by went to the
scene with bandages and water.
W. A. Atkinson, motorman of the
trolley train, who suffered a crushed
leg. in statements given out today de-
clareS that a quarter of a mile from
the crossing he saw the danger ane
that the airbrakes of the motor cal
Tor some unexplained reason failet
to work. He was unable to-: stop tht
car, finally reversing his motor, bu
too late to prevent the accident. Pas
sengerS on the car shouted at At
kinson and declare that something
seemed to be wrong, as he could mo-