Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-04-27
F0RGETFULNEss
Of Dispatcher Barry and Neg
lect of Duty by Him.
Found to be Causes of Railroad Ac-
cident at veazie.


peri do Not Hold Crossman biameIess.
A serious and fatal accident occurred
on the Maine Central Railroad near the
station In Veazie, on the second day OF
April, A. d. 1896, at about ten minutes
past seven o'clock in the forenoon, by
collision OF two passenger trains, in
which James Ward Of Bangor, fireman.
was killed, and several passengers and
employees seriously injured. The trains In
voiyed in the accident are scheduled the
st. John Daily No. "a and No. %. The
latter on that morning was made up OF
three different trains as follows: Two
locomotives No. g 80 and 20, baggage car,
smoking car, passenger car, baggage car,
smoking car, passenger car, baggage car,
smoking car and passenger car, nine cars
In all, and was composed mostly OF cars oil
the Bangor IL Aroostook Railroad which
were being hauled as usual to and from
Old Town and Bangor by the Maine Cen
trail Railroad Company over its line.
Train No. GA was made up as follows;
Locomotive No. "a, baggage car, mail
car, two Pullman sleeping cars and four
passenger cars, eight cars in all. AS
both OF these trains were fortunately run
ming. at the time of the collision, at IA slow
rate of Sped the loss Of life and injury to
persons and property was not so serious
az might otherwise have been expected.
Neither Of these trains, as appears, wete
running faster than at a rate Of from ten
to twelve miles per hour For that reason
the several engineers and iremen were
enabled to lump from their locomotives
before the collision occurred, and the
shock was not severe enough to wreck or
materially ihjure any Of tho passenger
cars on either Of the trains, though the
mall and baggage cars on No. 6f were
wrecked and the three locomotives badly
injured
Investigation Of the Accident.
BY the provisions of chapter 1870 of the
Public Laws Of 1891, it is made the duty
Of the board OF railroad commissioners,
whenever o serious accident occurs with
In the State to any passenger or freight
train. 4 whether any person be fatally in
juted or otherwise, to cause an investlGa-
tion to be made forthwith and imme-
diately after such investigation, to make
a special report stating what it finds to be
the cause of the accident etc. The pur-
pose of an official investigation like the
one we are considering, is two fold:
First, to ascertain, II possible, the nature
and cause of the accident, and ut whose
door tho responsibility lies, in order that
the delinquent, whether individual or
corporation, may be held to answer at the
bar Of public opinion, If not of the courts :;
and second for the purpose OF ascertain
ing what, If anything can DO done to pre-
vent an occurrence of such accidents in
the future.
On April 3rd the day following the
Incident, the board visited the locality of
the disaster and held an investigation at
the police court room In Bangor, at
which twenty or more witnesses were ex-
nmined The board then adjourned said
investigation till Friday. the twelfth day
Of April, 1895, to Portland, for the pur-
pose Of examining certain witnesses who
could not DO procured ut the first hearing.
After thorough and careful inquiry the
board finds the facts to be substantially
a. follows:
Statement Of Facts.
The St. John train, No 81, which, by
the time schedule. should leave Vanceboro
for Bangor at 1.30 A. NJ, on that morn
ing WINS detained there till 2.55, being
therefore one hour and twenty five min
utes late in leaving that point. At Cos
tigan this train received an order to cross
train II at Milford, which train was met
and crossed as per order. No other order
was received by those in charge of train
No. 81 till the collision occurred at
Veazie. As IS customary, when train No.
"a Ia late, u special train was sent to Ban
HOr for the accommodation OF such pas
sengers as might desire to take the train
going west from Bangor at Z. 10. For the
security Of this special train u blue flag
was displayed at Old Town station for
time, which, however, was taken down
after the arrival of train No. "a, thus
train No. 81 to proceed. At
Orono blue and red flags were displayed
till train No. ca arrived, but were taken
down by order from the train dispatchcrs'
office in Portland. These flags, as APP
pears, were displayed for the purpose of
holding train No 81 at Orono till after
tho arrival of train No. 81 Mt Basin Mills,
which train had orders to cross "a at that
point. 1t also appeared that train No.
which leaves Bangor at G30 A NJ, had
orders to cross No. 81 at Exchange street
In Bangor. and that train No 93 which
leaves Bangor at 6. i5. had orders to cross
No. "a at Veazie. These laso mentioned
trains as appears left Bangor on schedule
time. though train No. 93 was delayed
some eight or ten minutes in the yard near
the River switch in Bangor on account Of
the Bucksport trains arrival. Had it
not been for the delay above mentioned
train No 90 would doubtless have arrived
at Veazie in time to have gotten on the
siding there before the arrival of No 81.
From all the testimony taken at the in
vestigation 1t does not appear that there
was any negligence or want of care on the
part of any person in charge Of the several
trains above mentioned, nor on the part
of those whose duty 1t was to receive and
transmit telegraph orders. 1t is clear that
II train No. 81 had been given orders to
cross frnin M % Mt We lzic or had been