The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1899-10-05
OPERATOR BLAMED.
Finding of Jury in North West
ern Wreck.

DAY In the station house Dy Coroner
Eugene Cheesman of this city. The
jury was composed of Dan Unsicker
of Wright, Sam Cannon and Berry
Aldrich of Fremont. The inquest
was commenced about nine and last
ed until after three o'clock including
and intermission for dinner.
The finding of the jury was as fol-
flows after the gentlemen had been in
the jury room about one hour.
THE VERDICT
"A head end collision-on the 26th
day of September '99 about 11:20 a.
m. of the said day on the O. & N. w.
Ry. between Wright and Tioga sta
ton, Mahaska county Iowa by what
is known as trains No. 106 freight
train east and north bound and train
No. 101 passenger going west and
south, and from the evidence we find
that the said wreck and collision was
caused by wrong orders issued and
given to crew having control of pas
senger train known as No. 101 by the
agent of the G. & N. w. Ry Tioga,
Iowa, Mr.. A. A. Preston"
Dan Unsicker.
Signed Sam Cannon.
Berry Aldrich.
THE EVIDENCE.
The above verdict was arrived at
after the gentlemen of the jury had
carefully considered the evidence
that had been offered by the several
witnesses who were examined. The
evidence that was given was in the
cause of the collision and in the eff
fort to discover where the blame for
the same should be placed.
There was a number OF the train
men examined and the operators of
Tioga and Wright stations and the
dispatcher of Belle PLANE. There
were produced as evidence in the
case the train orders and the clear.
ance cards that had been received
by the trainmen of the trains that
came together and from the evidence
offered the following facts were
learned.
On the morning of the collision the
dispatcher, Mike K. Baysoar at Belle
PLANE, photographed the agent of Tioga
and Wright to take the same order
for trains 106, the freight north bound
from Wright and for passenger 101,
south bound from Tioga. The order
read "No. 1O6 can have until 1880 a.
N. to go to Tioga against No. 101,
block clear"
1t is the rule in railway practice
that the station receiving the order
repeats the same to the dispatcher
so that the possibility of an error
may be guarded against. If the
order is correct as the dispatcher
sent it in the first place it is o KID
by him. The order in question was
No. 9. 1t was copied by both the
operator at Tioga and the operator
at Wright at the same time but the
orders that were thus copied and de-
livered to the trainmen did not have
the same meaning. The wording of
the order that was written by the
operator at Tioga read that No. 106
had until 1880 to reach Gainford sid
ing, against train No. 101. Both
messages were repeated to the dis
patcher as he sent the order and he
swears that they were repeated as he
sent it and he offers his train book
and his check on the Tioga repetition
in evidence. In addition to this con-
fusion of the order as sent out from
the dispatcher's office there was an
other circumstance that helped make
the wreck possible. The "block sys-
tenn" is in use on the North Western
and this supposed to be check on
the dispatcher and to make a COLI
sion impossible. When the agent at
Tioga received the order No. 9 he
telegraphed to Wright for clear
ance of the block between Tioga and
Wright stating that 100 and 101 would
meet and pass at the Gainford sid
ing. This was in conflict with the
order as understood by the operator
at Wright and he replied: 'No they
meet and pass at Tioga," and back
came the reply 81 understand" This
was taken by the operator at Wright
to mean a clearance of the block for
train No. 106 and so he let the train
go. In the mean time the Tioga
agent had let the passenger train go
and the collision resulted that cost
four human lives and great loss of
property.
The train orders that were taken
from the clothes of the dead men
were offered in evidence and bore
out the statements concerning them
made above and there was consider
able testimony offered by the train
men in confederation of the facts set
forth.
The name of the agent at Tioga is
A. A. Preson and that of the agent
at Wright is II. w. Landfear. The
others who were examined were Mr..
Knight engineer of engine No. 3s1,
the front engine of the coal train, G.
II. Baxter, extra fireman running in
engine 381, A. II. Haw conductor of
the freight, Guy Smith passenger
John Taylor also brake
man on passenger 1O1, John Walton
rear brakeman on the freight, w. H.
Hill head-end brakeman on the
freight. The dispatcher and the OPP
orators were recalled and the jury
asked additional questions to those
that were first put.
With one exception the trainmen
faafified that the freight train was