Inquest
County Coroner William McLaughlin, immediately upon hearing of the accident, went to the scene. He went directly into the block tower and questioned operator George F. Hauser. Hauser told him that he thought the excursion train had time to cross the tracks of the Reading before the express got there and he set the "clear" signal for the West Jersey train. (The signalling system worked as follows: the interlocking block system was used. There were three poles with semaphores controlled by the tower on the reading tracks and two on the West Jersey. The pole furthest from the tower on the Reading tracks was distant about 2,000 yards. The other two were much closer. When the operator set the "clear" signal on the Pennsylvania track, this would automatically set the "danger" signal on the Reading track, and vice versa.)
Before Hauser could make a further explanation to the coroner he received an order from the railroad officials not to say anything. He obeyed. Pending an investigation, Hauser was arrested by the coroner, but was released on $500 bond. A jury was impanelled the next day.
Testimony on August 4 seemed to implicate the dead Reading Railroad express engineer, Edward Farr. His action in running at a speed of forty-five miles an hour past a danger signal seemed inexplicable to those present at the inquest. His reputation was that of an experienced engineer and a man of exceptionally good moral character, and not of a reckless or careless disposition. Only two weeks previous to the accident his train was signaled to stop at that very crossing, and he obeyed promptly.
The coroner's jury returned verdicts on August 7. Six jurors merely stated the manner of the passengers' deaths. Three found that "Engineer Edward D. Farr of the Atlantic City Railroad failed for have his engine under proper control on approaching crossing, and that Tower Man George F. Hauser, in giving the excursion train of the West Jersey Railroad the right of way over a fast express used bad judgment... that Engineer John Greiner of said excursion train erred in not exercising greater care on crossing ahead of said fast express." Three others found that "the cause of the collision was the failure of Edward Farr, engineer of Train No. 23, to give heed in time to the semaphore signals and crossing under the rules...the tower man, George F. Hauser, may have used poor judgment in his estimate of the distance away of the Atlantic City Railroad train when he gave the white boards to the West Jersey and Seashore Excursion Train No. 700."
Read more about this topic: 1896 Atlantic City Rail Crash