The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-30
LONG TRAIN OF MISHAPS Cause of Loss of Twenty eight Lives. AN INQUEST BEING HELD Operators Tell of Failure to
 Stop Freight Train. Dispatcher Kerr Got Each Station Just Too Late to Turn It Back.
 Conflict as to Order to
 Carson.
AN INQUEST BEING HELD

wyoming. Ont. Dec. 2s-when the prin. cipal witnesses today in the inquest te place the responsibility of the wreck or the Grand Trunk at Wanstead had given their testimony, a chain of mishaps was unfolded, the absence of any one of which would have tended to prevent the disaster that caused the death of twenty-eight persons. The principal witness was J. c Kerr. the London dispatcher. who up te this time had been silent. He said:
 No. arrived at London one hour late I ordered it to watford for further or ders. knew the freight was coming To Photographer Carson at Watford wired to have No. wait at Wanstead but added wait a minute; may bust. This was in the telegraphic code. I then started to send @ regular order to Car son at Watford to have No. watch for the freight at Wanstead siding and to have him s.gn and get Conductor McAu- liffe's signature. He told me No. 5 had gone. l then wired Wyoming to stop the freight, but he also replied that 1t had gone.
 Got It Too Late.
 'T then tried Kingscourt and Carson tried 1t. but could not get 1t at first. When did the operator said No. had just gone by. I then told the chief dispatcher that was afraid No. would meet with trouble Then came the news of the wreck at Wanstsad and a request from Assistant Superintendent Costello to send an auxiliary. I said: May bust but did not, and continued with a regular order to have No. $ watch for the freight train at Wanstead."
 William Carson. the watford operator, said:
 T received a message to have No. s watch for the freight at wanstead but Kerr said Wait 6 minute and then said Bust, which meant to destroy the order. In the meantime No. s came in and Con- ductor McAuliffe asked for orders as I had displayed my stop signal, the sema- phore. He said: What orders have your l replied, l had orders. but they have been busted He then asked for a clear ance which l gave him. He added. The boss Is on meaning Assistant Superin- tendent Costello. I gave him clearance orders. Then Kerr called for signature to his order. but said 1t had been busted. He said No told him No. had gone. I heard him calling Kingscourt to stop No. 5. I opened a commercial wire and tried to get Kngscourt but could not. I heard Kingscourt say later that No. had passed"
 w. G. Watson. 1s years old. who is the operator at Wyoming. testified as follows:
 Tried to Stop Freight.
 'The special freight pulled in and I handed Conductor Graham an order to take the siding at Wanstead. His engine took on water. London called me to hur- ry up the freight train. When I got an order to stop the freight I wired that it was too late. I rushed out of doors with a lanterns and the caboose of the freight was just passing me. I signalled the rear brakeman to stop and yelled at him to stop. 1 thought he heard me as he gave the stop signal then threw up my stop signal, which is a sempahore about half a mile from the station. Yes, it was in working order, but is not now. It was all right before and after the accident"
 Conductor Graham, of the special east bound freight said:
 q received my order at Wyoming to take the siding at Wanstead. The engine took on water. My rear brakeman sig nailed to stop and l signalled all right. 1 thought he meant Wanstead. The sempahore was not displayed and there was no stop signal. I proceeded to Wan stead, but owing to the snow the engineer did not see the switch and ran several car lengths by. It was necessary to back up.
 Was at a Standstill.
 ''The train was at a standstill on the main track when No. 5 loomed up. She was but a few feet from us. A jump ed and touched the ground the crash
 aIa 4YtP naA could not have stopppedI at the rate she was going even If she had had orders to stop
 Rear Brakeman Hardness of the freight in his testimony said:
 q was on top of the caboose and saw a man signalling stop from the depot and thought 1t was my conductor l signalled ahead to stop and the front brakeman and conductor answered me l could not think who It was signalled from the depot when the conductor signalled from the train all right. I did not hear anybody yell stop to me at Wyoming, as my cap was down and 1t was showing hard. Yes. I saw the stop signal from the Wyoming depot. I was on the rear when the crash came"
 Conductor Jerry McAuliffe of the pas senger train, in his testimony said:
 "l was late into London one hour and sixteen minutes, I received an order to proceed to Waford. l asked for the order at Watford but there was none 1 asked for the clearance and Carson gave it to me. I told the operator that the boss was on meaning that Costello. as- sistant superintendent. was on the train. I received my clearance and started. ! was in the Pullman when the crash came and knew at once a collision had occurred. There Is my clearance order"