The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-10-28
JURY'S VERDICT IN RAPIDS COL.
LISBON INQUEST.
NO. 4 WAS AHEAD OF time
Dispatcher Charged With Contribu-
tary Negligence in Not Giving
Customary Meeting Orders.

the investigation of the wreck at
Rapids held it's fifth and last session
Saturday afternoon, and at $50 rem.
dered a verdict after celebrating a
short time on the evidence. 't
Several dispositions were submit.
ed to the jury at this session. One
from the Rev. George King, presid-
ing elder of the Methodist church, who
lives at Bozeman, stated that he
boarded train No. 5 at Park City, on
the morning of the wreck and that
Agent Brown was net there at all,
and he was unable to procure a tick
ct. Two other dispositions stated in
substance that the train had IA min
utes in which to reach Rapids, after
leaving Park City.
William A. Lewis, express messen-
ger on No. 5, was the first witness
called. He stated that there was not
much work in the way Of express or
baggage to handle either at Laurel or
Park City on the morning in question
and that the train stopped at those
stations a very short time. That it
ran at usual speed from Billings west
and apparently lost no time. He
saw no agent at Park City, and heard
Vaupel, engineer, say to Kelley, con-
ductor, that they had better try and
get a E,eet order against No. 4. Saw
Vaupel pound on the depot door with
the intention of waking up the opera
tor if he was inside.
James Burns, the next witness, was
a fireman On a freight train that left
Billings at / o'clock on the morning
of the accident. His train, which was
a double header" was standing on
the side track at Columbus when No.
4 arrived and he heard his engineer,
j.. R. Dean, and Engineer CARRIER,
when their train arrived at Merrill,
say that Nc. 4 pulled into Columbus
six minutes ahead of time. Both en-
gineers remarked this fact, he stated.
John Grant, passenger conductor,
was then called. Mr.. Grant runs be-
tween Billings and Missoula on trains
No. 5 and 6. He said that on October
10 he had a conversation with the
Park City operator about the clock in
his office. 1t came up over the time
the operator said he would report
Mr.. Grants train out. Grant told
him he was reporting him out ahead
of the correct time, and upon compari-
Q found that the station clock was
five minutes fast and the operators
watch four minutes fast. He said the
time was very fast on No. 5 between
Billings and Park City and from
there to Rapids was easily made. No.
SIS time from Park City to Rapids
was 10 minutes and he thought that
if No. S had ID minutes to run it in
that it was safe to go. He said that
first-class passenger engine was sup
posed to start a train of seven cars
q oIoA1uoC1lI duu I6dCu d SpCCu
of Is miles per hour in 80 seconds on
level track.
James M. Dean, freight engineer,
stated that he was on the Columbus
sidetrack the morning of the accident,
when No. 4 arrived, and that it was
six minutes ahead of time into that
station. He thought that the train.
stayed there an unusual length of
time but could not say whether it
left there ahead of time or not.
J. M. Griffin, passenger conductor,
deposed that he was conductor of No.
3, the morning of the accident, and
No. 4 at Columbus. He judged
that No. 4 arrived there on time. He
did not notice if it was ahead of time.
He got out of Columbus at 4:50 and
thought that No. 4 left there about 10
minutes earlier than that time. He
said that the rule in the trainmen's |
rule book providing that trains should
enter stations ahead of time ap-
piled only to terminal or junction
points where arriving and leaving
time was given on the card. He
thought that a train might get into
a way station as much ahead of time
as it wanted to if it protected itself.
E. e. Dennis, the next witness, did
not agree with Mr.. Griffin. Mr.. Den
ic an anpiDoor and hoe hoon r,p-
ming on the Yellowstone division ISL
years. He thought it would be practi-
cal for a train to get into a station one
or two minutes ahead of time, in
cases where the train had work to
do, but did not think it would be good
r%ailrOading to run into any station
minutes ahead Of time, even if it
could easily be done. Mr.. Dennis