The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-12-02
WHO WAS TO BLAME2
The Arrest Of the Conductor
Of the Wrecked Train.
y
a OF HI fIIt MI A n DI +. 9
Reticence ofAfhe RailroAd officials
and the Coroner-The
Latter's Inquest.

Special 10 MINER.
MlssouLA, November 2sl-Fhe a1aI1ion;
as to where lies the blame for the ro,ss;o =,
between the tea train aud ireiphtSNo ~.
on Saturday morning remains ,,,nsettled
The coroner's inquest adjourned last night
at . p. IN. and will meet. to-morrow a.a
o'clock. interviewed Coroner Farman
this afternoon. but he would not give anv
information as to the inquest, which, 4 A6els
ing held in secret. He stated that from the
information he had received the te,e.
graph office at Wallace is about thirty feet
from the track. The green light or flag is
close to the building. Thee appfoacn ssn,
Wallace for 800 yards is straight from a
long, light curve andno' obstructions. Two
whistles were by the Engine of No. ID. al it
passed the station. '",,.
THE EVIDENCE is VERY CONFLICTING
on the material points. No: 10 also
slackened its speed when it came .opposite
the station. Robert Baskerville, Frederick
Hammond and one. or two others were
present with the operator at the time the
train passed ana were standing on the
platform. 1t Was quite dark at the time.
The coroner would not state whether
Operator McGee went to the track or not.
and concluded by saying that your cor
respondent could not see the list OF wit.
nesses nor the testimony. He said: you
will have to wait until the inquest is over.
You can get it then, but not before: Good
day This morning Sheriff Knee made
complaint on information and belief before.
John l.. Sloane, justice OF the peace, against
William Doremus, conductor OF No. 13,
CHARGING HIM WITH MANsLAUGHTER,
caused by CT. minal negligence: The arrest
was made at 4 O'Clock this afternoon. l
visited him in Jail, but under Instructions
of his counsel, Judge Reeves, he declined to
give a statement. Colonel Id. McCutcheon,
of Helena, is associated in the defense OF
Doremus. He stated, however, that The
MINER report is correct, except the
statement about the right OF way. No.
13 had the right of way over al, trains ex-
cept passengers. He emphatically denies
any blame or responsibility, and said:
Our train was COMPOSED OF an engine, two
ordinary box and the balance was coal cars
and the caboose. At Bearmouth got orders !
to make Turah and give :the ten train a |
clear main track and not delay it.
The road has and does require absolute /
obedience to its rules, and a discharge is
liable at any time. We expected the tea !
train would be at Turah, waiting for us or |
would be there by the time We did. + got
my orders at 4:47 at Bearmouth, and they |
told me to run to Turah at twenty-five
miles an hour. We. had no perishable |
freight, and nave no idea why was ordered
to 80, /
THE RATE OF SPEED
for Turah, as was on time at B~earmouth. |
and would hardly haye been delay ed had
we stopped for the tea train at Wallace, |
which is IL night station, while Turah lis |
not " RAJ. Ctr,s t'}!lstti.E
Without exception, the engineers inter- |
viewed state that they III would |
not pass any night station without !
clearance orders. The track at Wallace |
is four feet above the entrance to the sta
ton. |
saw j. NJ. Buckley, Assistant General
Manager, last night, who stated that he did
not want any official orders OF the compa- |
nv given to the press. The information
might give would be little and u~nsatis-
and might cast unjust reflections
upon the living and dead employees. To
those unacquainted with railroad opera
tons he preferred to. say nothing at this
time, but to wait until we get the verdict |
OF the ~coroner's jury. The distances at the
point of collision on the Northern Pacific
Railway are: Desmet to Missoula, 81
Missonla to Turah, lob miles; |
Turah to Wallace, 6.5 miles |
Wallace to Bearmouth. 23.5 miles; !
At the time No. Ii left Bear1nouth the tea
train was about two miles east OF Desmet
The train dispatcher's office is at Missoula.
The tea train being west of here he had it
in hand when he gave the orders to No. Ii.
ANOTHER DEATH.
Norman Rice is the last Of the men in
iured in the wreck to meet the inevitable.
He died at 6 o'clock this moruing. His. re-
mains were embaImed and sent to his rela-
tives at Oakland, California. :IT Il
Frank j. Bohnert, whose left leg was am
putatcd between the Knee and ankle is
steadily improving. The wreck will be en-
tirely cleared by tomorrow night.