The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-17

| track, the darkness and the smoke OBJ
| securing the switch engine from view
! until the freight train was so close il
| was impossible to have stopped, ever
at a speed of eight miles an hour, III
| time to have avoided a serious wreck.
| AT the inquest there was an apparent
| effort on the part of the two railroads
to shift the responsibility, or at least
| an effort on the part of each company
| to clear its skirts. The Northern Pa
| cific was represented bv Attorney G.. NJ
| Parr and the Oregon Short Liae by At
| torney Willis, and each questioned his
own witnesses with a view to creating
| the most favorable impression possible
| for his road, and cross questioned the
| others witnesses with the same object
| in view.
| The inquest was not finished, and
| after the members of the two crews had
been examined. an adjournment was
| taken to this afternoon.
William A. White. engineer of the
freight train, was called as the first
| witness. He said: We left here on
train 101 So minutes late. About half
mile out of town l saw a headlight
about 100 feet ahead. I put on the air
and threw over the engine. but it was
too late. we went into the switch en-
CINE. We are usually notified if there
is switch engine in that vicinity. but
ing down there that morning" The
witness said he did not see Grant get
off and could not describe in detail how
he was killed.
In response to questions from At
torney Parr, who was nresent for the
Northern Pacific. the witness repeated
that he was about 100 feet away when
he saw the headlight; said that he
could not tell how far the switch en-
CINE was from the switch, that he was
running eight miles an hour and no
faster that there is no "slow board
between the yards and the scene of the
wreck to warn the engineers to run
slow.
Replying to Attorney Willis for the
Oregon Short Line the witness said
he did not see any light on the switch
stand, that besides the engineer and
fireman he and the head brakeman
were in the cab. and that the accident
occurred on curve. Again replying
to Mr. Parr. the witness said he could
only see a headlight a short distance
ahead at any time. and at times when
the smoke hung low he could see scarce
ly any distance as was the case Sunday
morning.
Attorney Parr again took up the
question of the "slow board" and
asked if it was not true there was
sign board just east of Montana street
bearing the following words: Yard
limits, run slow. ring bell and whistle
continuously" The witness said there
was such a board, but it had been
painted over to indicate its injunction
to engineers was no longer in effect
Howard A. Pierce, the head brake
man on the freight, said his engine
was very close to the switch engine
when he saw the headlight He and
Conductor Grant jumped to get off the
same time. Witness was knocked
down. but succeeding in getting hold
of the handle bars and got off He did
not see how Grant got off and did not
see him killed. Witness did not think
the switch engine was clear of the
main track. Asked why he was in the
cab, the witness said he usually STAYED
there when not wanted on top Wit
ness had worked on the railroad since
1893. Witness did not hear a whistle,
but in the excitement one might have
sounded and he not have heard it,
Replying to Mr. Parr, the witness re-
piled he did not hear a whistle; said
he was not required to be on top until
a train got out of the yards: that the
train had all air brakes; that with a
train under good control it ought to be
possible to stop a train within 10. Is or
20 car lengths. Asked if he had not