Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1917-03-14
BLAME Williams FOR
FATAL TRAIN Wreck
CCroner'S Jury Says Pennsy
Assistant YardmaSter
Caused Bellevue
Smash
RAILROAD MEN
TELL OF ORDERS

Blame for the wreck at Bellevue on
the / q, q. & w. railroad, Saturday
night February 10, rests with one
man, II. =. Williams, an extra assis-
tant yardmaster at Edge Moor yard,
according to a verdict returned last
night by a jury summoned by Coron-
er Spring 10 hold an inquest in the
case of Anthony ]. McKensie and Roy
Daley, who lost their lives in the
wreck
The jury found that both men
came TO their death as a result of
train NJ. D. No 107, engine S4S0,
running into a draft of cars on the
southbound freight track due to the
negligence of II. Z. Williams, extra
assistant yardmsster"
H. p. Davis, of No. 301 West Tween.
ty-fourth street engineer on the
freight train that ran into the stall
ed cars, was the first witness called.
He still showed the effects OF the
injuries he received.
Davis said he was proceeding under
the signal to move cautiously and was
not travelling very fast when he ran
into the string of stalled cars. He
declared they had no light on them
and were without protection of any
kind. He said he had not been noti-
fed of their presence and saw them
only a few seconds before he struck
them.
d. +. Troy, of Philadelphia, con-
duct6r OF the freight train, was in the
cabin car at the rear end of the
freight train at the time of the impact
and was thrown partly through a
window and stunned He knew Of no
protection there for the stalled cars.
Harry Anderson of No. sos Concord
avenue was engineer of the shifting
engine that was running north along
side of the stalled car and the engine
on which Fireman Daley was fatally
injured Anderson had helped a
freight out of the Edge Moor yard and
he was going north to cross over to
return, he said.
H. h. Williams. Of No. SOB West
Eighth street, VINO was found guilty
OF negligence, said he is an extra as
s'stant yardmaster at Edge Moor, and
that he knew of the string of stalled
cars being on the track He said he
had given orders at the Bellevue tower
TO protect them and had ordered an
engineer to move them out, and It
was on its way north after the cars
Wneu the wreck occurred.
d. r. Baker, who was operator in
the tower that night, denied the
statements of Mr.. Williams as TO or
ders to protect the cars. He said he
had no received any such orders, that
tho cars had been left stand ng there
for more than FIVE hours, and that by
all rules OF the railroad company they
should have been protected by a fias
man and red light
Williams had testified at the in
quest that he knew OF the presence on
the freight-running track OF a string
Of cars. but claimed he had given or
ders for their protection and that
the operator at the Bellevue tower
should have blocked that track.
W. f. Murphy. of Chester, a sigma
filter, was n the Bellevue tower OF
February 10, and said he heard Baker
give a brakeman orders from the yard
master relative to leaving the car.
there. He heard no orders. however
to move them or to block the track
He said all the signals were working
properly when he left.
Mr.. Mckenzie, Of No 66S Nortl
Thirty-fourth street, Philadelphia, anC
Mr. Daley, Of No. 1901 Cedar street
were the victims of the wreck. Nc
Kenz.e was fireman on a southboun'
freight train that crashed into a strinl
of cars that had been left standing OF
the main freight track without an.
danger signal to warn Of their pres
ence.
Daley was fireman on a shifting en-
CINE that was running on a tract
along the side of the freight car
when the collision occurred One o
the cars buokled and fell on his en-
CINE. He was burned by steam AIT
otherwise hurt, and died three day
later at the Delaware Hospital