Ligonier Valley Rail Road Newspaper Articles
We have compiled over 1,400 newspaper articles that mention the Ligonier Valley Railroad, or related subjects. The articles were originally published starting in 1873 and our collection runs through 1995. Enjoy!
Ligonier Echo
Wednesday, September 11, 1912
Coroner's Inquest Ligonier Valley Wreck
Held Friday to Place Responsibility for Wreck on Wilpen Branch Of L.V.R.R. July 5, 1912
Responsibility Placed On Railroad Company By Jury
The hearing of the inquest of Coroner H. A. McMurray to place the responsibility for the disastrous wreck of July 5, 1912, on the Wilpen branch of the Ligonier Valley Railroad Company was held last Friday, Sept. 6, in the dancing hall of the Ligonier Springs Hotel. The inquest was scheduled to begin at 10 o'clock a.m., but as the coroner and district attorney, who came over from Greensburg that forenoon in an automobile, were delayed it did not begin until 11 o'clock. In the dancing hall of the hotel more than one hundred officers, lawyers, witnesses, friends of those killed or injured in the wreck
and newspaper men were gathered patiently waiting the arrival of the coroner. Great interest was manifested in the proceedings throughout.
Coroner McMurray had selected the following Greensburg men to serve on his jury who rendered the verdict fixing the responsibility: Jos. B. Cherry, W. B. Hunter, Michael Moore, Geo. M. Gessler, H. J. Smeltzer and Jas. W. Towell. After hearing a large number of witnesses they retired at 5:20 Friday afternoon.
Many Attorneys Interested
Nearly every interest was represented by counsel. Messrs. Jas. S. Moorhead and Col. E. E. Robbins represented General Manager Geo. Senft and the Ligonier Valley Railroad
Company. Gaither & Whitten, ex-Judge John B. Steel, John N. Boucher and John M. Lightcap represented various clients. Attorney W. N. McNair, of Pittsburgh, represented the Italian consul at Pittsburgh, and he took part in examining Mr. Senft, Minich and other officials of the road. Captain R. D. Laird represented the coroner and District Attorney W. T. Dom, Jr., was at the counsel table and participated in the examinations. Court Reported Samuel B. Foight took a stenographic report of all the testimony.
The Verdict
After discussing the mass of evidence the jury rendered this verdict:
"That the deceased came to their deaths from injuries received in the railroad wreck
following a collision on the Wilpen branch of the Ligonier Valley railroad, near Denny's curve, on the afternoon of July 5.
"We further find that the said wreck occurred through the negligence of the Ligonier Valley Railroad company in operating its road without using written orders; without the certainty and verification of verbal orders; without employing a signal code or having a system of signals along its lines; without using track signals; without proper instruction in rules or signals to the employes; and lastly, without any recognized up-to-date methods of operating the railroad."
Conductor C. H. Kuhn, who had been brought from Allegheny General hospital on
Thursday evening to Ligonier, arrived at the hotel and was taken into the hall where the inquest was being held on a wheel chair, his broken legs being in bandages and casts. He looked pale and seemed nervous. He was accompanied by his wife, his daughter, Mrs. I. B. Mathews, and his nurse from the hospital.
Road's System Explained
General Manager George Senft was the first witness called after the jurors and witnesses had been sworn. He said he had been and now was the general manager of the Ligonier Valley railroad which position he had with the company for over 31 years. He stated that the road now had 101 persons engaged on its system and that the men were
usually promoted as they were deemed worthy when an opening for promotion occurred. Mr. Senft explained the manner of running the trains and stated that the passenger trains always had the right of way on the tracks unless by special order. He said that the road now has four full crews employed. The company does not employ a regular system of dispatching trains and has no printed rules for the trainmen. Written orders were furnished on picnic days and on special occasions. He said there was one general passenger train on the road which was run on a printed schedule time and the schedule of time of passenger trains was presented and that the two freight trains had no written or printed schedule but were to give the passenger trains free tracks. He explained that there were three regular sidings and six branches to coal mines out along the Wilpen branch. That the company had arrangements with the Shenango Furnace Co. to use its telephone at Wilpen which was often done, that the road had no signal code or system of signals along its lines or track signals and that orders were given to the men verbally and that generally no written orders were used. He stated the Conductor Kuhn had been employed on the road for many years being an employe 31 years ago serving as passenger conductor nearly all this time. He said that Russell Minich was assistant
manager and that Frank Noel was car distributor and that Minich and Noel acted jointly as train dispatchers and car distributors, Mr. Minich holding higher position than Noel. That the Wilpen branch was built in 1906 and that a passenger train had been running on this branch since 1907. The manner of running the passenger train to and from Wilpen was most generally with engine ahead of the coach. That there was a special combination coach for the Wilpen branch which lay at Ligonier station during the day from 7:05 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. Mr. Senft stated that he was in the office of the company the afternoon of July 5th, the day of the wreck; that others in the office were Russell Minich, Frank Noel, T. E. Peoples and Miss McGogney and Miss Williams; that H. H. Knox, conductor on the freight train at Wilpen, called the office from Wilpen by phone and that Noel answered the phone call. Knox stated to Noel that they had been off the track but were now on main track ready to come to Ligonier and inquired if he should come down to Ligonier before the Wilpen passenger train started for the afternoon trip. Noel said "wait a minute," he then asked me what to do and I told him to tell Knox to come on as passenger
train was just coming in, then ordered Minich to notify Conductor Kuhn to hold his train to Wilpen until the freight train got in; that he, Minich and Noel went down stairs, he to engine house, Minich to notify the conductor and Noel to look after freight cars. The above order was a verbal order no written order given. The order was given because the freight was very late and to enable the trainmen to get their work done at Latrobe. Mr. Senft testified he was not at the train that afternoon and did not help to put children on train as reported; that he did not know of the wreck until told by Mr. Minich shortly
after it occurred; that Kuhn had right of track unless ordered to hold his train and that company had no printed orders or rules within past 20 years or more; there were old original printed rules. He further stated that there were 14 cars and two engines in front of the freight train that was wrecked at the Denny race track on the Wilpen branch; that passenger train should have gone up the branch with engine ahead by going around the Y and that the custom was not to back the passenger train up to Wilpen. Cont....