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ji rail from the bridge that a rail or earlier; I saw no strangers there; was gone; I then examined the I saw no signs of any robbery; they track on the left hand side; I saw all seemed to be trying to help.that the rail extended almost to the bridge; we were traveling at about that rate of speed which the pubi c clamor for until we have these acci dents.PATRICK E. RANSOM TESTIFIES;I was in the second-class car of the train which was wrecked; it was half way across the bridge when it first ran off, to my test knowledge:the second-class ear was, I think,the first one to 20 off; it ran 011front eight to ten sills before leaving the true!:; lit'* train seemed to m • to he running front forty to fnrty-tive miles tin hour; I g'*t out at the engine; I li ! not see a. v one walking cot !\ about; . saw no one try-, itig 11 • piling or ru! the train.r. r. - 1 kelt; rr.si i f ibs:Got !o v reck at 6:1«*»; 1 went down the railroad track; 1 noticed the rails wen uncoupled on the right hand side and that the right hand rail was o'.i‘, 1 noticed near by there that the wheels had run off the track; about 11 o’clock I came bark to this end of the bridge*; this was after the force had come to go to work; I saw some railroad men throwing rotten pieces of timber into the creek; the majority of the ties which I noticed were rotten; a superstructure constructed out of this material would not be safe; I am a carpenter and builder and have been for about eight years; the rotten tics weie on the bridge fromthis end to the middle; I examined a few just this side the bridge and 1 noticed several rotten ones amongthem; if a rail was out it would derail any train; the stone coping was broken; this is granite ten inches thick and over a foot wide.VLLF.N m’cUI.LOUGH TESTll IES:I am section hand 011 this road;1 got to the wreck about fifteen minutes past three o’clock. AYc went down the track; I noticed a rail torn apart on the right hand side; I went on and helped them at tie* wvcek; 1 went hack to break-TIIOMAS KERR TESTIFIES:I am night watch at depot; the train which was wrecked was some late; I do not knowhow much.•\Y. S. RICKERT TESTiriES:I am night operator and ticket agent at the depot; the train which was wrecked left the Statesville depot thirty-four minutes late.R. E. JOHNSON TESTIFIES:A few nights before this accident some one tampered with the air brakes on our train at Connelly’s Springs.HON. W. SANHKRI.IN TESTIFIES:I was in the lt;1 *eper and asleep; the first intimation I had of any thing being wrong was a sudden jerk forward and back and in an instant another; then came the terrible crash; I was unconscious a long time; when 1 came to consciousness I called for help; some one said, “Who is that?’’ I answered, “Dr. Sanderlin, of Raleigh,” and think-inaThe might get the name confused with Saunders, I called out, “Auditor Sanderlin:” finally Colonel Cameron succeeded in getting me out; while still in the car some one came to the window and lookeddence the jury find the following verdict:Statesville, N. C., Aug. 31__The jury in the bridge disaster case returned the following verdict at 11:30 to-day: “The jury find from the evidence and our own personal examination that the above named (naming the kilied)’4persons came totheir death by the wrecking of thetrain on the Western Xorth Carolina railway bridge over Third creek in Iredell county, X. C., i Thursday morning, Aug. 27, 1891; the said wrecking of the trainrrbeing caused by a loose rail, the bolts and spikes of the same having been taken out bv some person or persons unknown to the jury with tools or implements belonging to t he said railway company, tvhicli said tools or implements wvro by gross negligence on the part of said railway company left in an open shed, accessible to every pass»*r by.AYe also find ‘mat several of the cross-ties at and near the break in said railway track where the said loose rail was displaced was unsound and should have been replaced, and that the .superstructure on the bridge was in part defective and unsafe.Further, that the high rate of speed maintained in running trains over this bridge deserves and has the censure and condemnation of thisin; his actions aroused my suspi- jury.cions; I called out to him “What doyou want? Have you come here to h. lp us?” lie did not speak and I told him to leave, and he finally left; I lost one pocket bool , but nothing else.P. C. Carlton, foreman; Geo. F. Shepherd, J. Stephany, J. U. Lambrecht, M. C. AA'illiams, J. S. Ramsey, juror»; G- AV. Clegg, coroner.G. W. ROW I V TESTIFIESDo not waste your time on doctors when vour liver is diseased.J was 011 the wrecked train; the train was forty minutes late; I felt our car jumping the cross-tics, then came a terrible crash; I did not notice the condition of the track on this i(le; our car struck tin* crossties first; I feel certain of this because of the up and down motion when I first felt the shock; if the forward car or the engine had struck the cross-tics first tin* motionTake Simmons Liver Regulator.innfast about In o’clock; on going back '•’ouhl lmve b- en forward and backjerks and tin* same if a rear car bad struck first; 1 ha\e been in five or -ix wrecks before this one; 1 do not know whether we were on tin*tlii- side whet, weAbe Steelman asked me if we had used any claw bars tin* day before;I said no; we went into tlu* tool lions : tin* bar was setting on ttn*1* ft hand side of tin* door inside and • bridge or c 11 tin; wrench 011 tin* right hand side; -tuiiiT down.we picked them up and they hadb.cn recently umo; they howed bytheir brightness that they hud beenIJOE •' 11A Mill: US I F. - T1F I tmi a section hand on this see-MteiWiinshIused recently; there was mud on tion; I heard when tin* train fell; I tin* under side, of the claw bar: I got up and went down tin* railroad 11 could tell that the claw bar litul'track to the wreck and helped there iabout two hours; some fat old gentle- ! 0wet weatherbeen usee; inwhen you use it it will rust j men was sit.ing on a young lady; if you do not use it for a night or a 1 he did not want to move—did notday or two and win n you use it t want to come out of the car; 1 heard again it brightens again; the bar \ him tell no on« to leave; when wewere talking the old man got out; he said: “Hold on untili get my umbrella, walking stickhad not been used bv the section hands since last week, and then onthe east end of the section; we went on to the bridge; we saw the detach- and spectacles;” after daylight Ied rail; the end this way was on the ties; this rail was on the right hand side; we could see where the foot of the claw bar made a mark on the cross ties; we picked up a bolt and it had been unscrewed; the rust was off it; I went up the track the day before and tightened up all the bolts; I only found one out; this was about ten or twelve bars this side the bridge.HENRY NKSBIT TESTIFIES '.1 got to the bridge soon after the wreck; saw a big fat man calling for his gold spectacles, gold headed caneand hat. lie did not seem to carefor any one but himself; I eaw no one trying to pillage or steal.DR. OTTO RAMSEY TESTIFIED.I was on the. sleeper and asleep when the train left the track; the first 1 knew' of the accident w as the terrible crash; 1 went up the track; I saw one rail one end of which seemed to be lying off; It was en-tirly detached at the end nearest the bridge; it lay two feel from the other rail; I saw no loose nuts or bolts; it dashed through my mind that the rail was torn loose by the train; I saw no attempt at robbery.JESSE FREEZE TESTIFIES:I got to the wreck early; there were several there; they all seemed to be helping the people out; I saw no signs of robbery.• • HENRY HART TESTIFIES:I got to the wreck about 4 o’clockwent to the section house and sot my shoes; in cominu back I cameI came down the track to the bridge; I noticed the track; the spikes were pulled out; the rail was thrown on the outside of the ties; the second rail from the bridge on the right-C*hand side of the bridge was thrown clear oil; I noticed two bolts inside the track; I did not examine them; I saw’ the marks of the wheel on the right-hand side on the cross-ties; I saw no strangers on the outside;SII1when the old man was sitting there he did not seem to be much hurt; he was not fastened and was talking all rig there i 110 front to the tool-house of the section; I saw the claw-bar on the left hand side of the door andthe wrench on the other s'.uc ; theevening before we had put these tools on the lever car, expecting to use them next day; it had been as near as I can estimate about two months since we had d*, :e any work on the bridge.J. P. PHIFER TESTIFIES :Got to 'reck before daylight; I went to the Pullman car and the fat old gentleman seemed to be hurt; when some one told him to get out he called for his umbrella, walking-stick and gold spectacles; I did not hear him tell any one to go away; there wTere no signs of pillaging or stealing; every one was doing his best to relieve the wounded.On the above and foregoing eVi-
Newspaper Details
The State Chronicle
Raleigh, North Carolina, US
Wed, Sep 02, 1891
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 27 May 2022
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