The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-12-29

Andrew Carson, the Accused, Declares
Dispatcher Kerr 10 80 Blamo-says
Kerr Sent Order to "Bust" or Cancel
tho One for the Express to Pass the
Freight at Wnnstead.
London, Ont, Dec. 28.-There was no
deaths to-day among the persons In
jured in Fridays night collision at
Wanstead on the Grand Trunk road, in
which twenty-eight persons lost their
lives. Tonight the Associated Press
was informed at Victoria hospital that
while several of the injured are still in
a serious condition it is expected that
all will recover. ..ssss s-.'
9 The body Of Fireman Ricketts, Of the
express train, which was last night be-
lieved to be buried under the wrecked
engines, was found to-day covered with
snow in the ditch beside the track.
One arm was completely torn off and
the body was otherwise mangled. Death
must have been instantaneous. 1t is
believed that the body was thrown
clear of the engine and into the deep
snow in the ditch. Snow fell rapidly
all that night so that Ricketts, body
was completely covered at daybreak.
Tonight there is but one unidentified
body at the morgue, that of woman
who was ticketed from Toronto to
Duluth. The mans body which was
unidentified last night was this after
noon identified as George D. Southern,
Of Lockport, N. Y.
Andrew Carson, the operator at Wat
ford, the first station east of the wreck,
whose failure to deliver orders to Con-
ductor McAuliffe Of the Pacific express
to pass the freight at Wanstead, is
said by the Grand Trunk officials to
have caused the wreck, this afternoon
made to the Associated Press his first
statement since the wreck. He says he
received the order for Nc. 5, the ex-
press, to pass the freight at Wanstead
at 9:4S o'clock but declares positively
that few minutes later Dispatcher
J. G. Kerr, at London, called him and
ordered him to bust" or cancel the
OrQeT. E1S. Sdlus
about 9:54, after calling Wyoming
and ascertaining that the freight was
there, the dispatcher called me to bust
this order. I wrote bust it across the
order just as the express was coming
in, Conductor McAuliffe came in and
asked me what the order board was out
against him for. told him that we
had an order for him but the dispatcher
had busted it, He asked rae to hurry
and write him clearance order which
| I did. After the train had started and
was out of my reach the dispatcher
| learned that the freight had left Wy
oming. told him could not stop No.
as it had left. He Immediately began
calling Kings Court Junction, the sta
| tion between Watford and Wanstead
on the railroad wire and I tried to raise
them on a commercial wire We both
| failed to do this, however, until after
the express had passed the junction.
Carson admitted that he knew 1t was
against the rule of the company to can
eel a train order without sending a
substitute for It, but said that the dis
hatcher was his superior officer and he
disliked to question his order or dis
pute his authority to take this action
Dispatcher Kerr's order book in the To-
cal Grand Trunk office does not show
that the order was "busted" or can
I celled as Carson claims. According te
the book it was still in force and
should have been delivered to the con-
ductor Of the express. Kerr has not
made any statement even to the rail-
road officials and will not until he takes
the stand at the inquest.
Division Superintendent George c
Jones of Toronto, says that the rule
against cancelling or busting train
orders is the strictest in the conpany's
code. IT do not believe" he said to-
night, "that it has been violated since
the standard dispatehing rules went in
to effect Dispatcher Kerr is one Of
the best and most efficient dispatcher:
in our service. He is the operator whit
accompanied the train bearing tht
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