The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-12-30
CHAIN Or MISHAPS
SLOWLY UNFOLDS
Contradictory Testimony in In
veStigation of Wreck
DISPATCHER KERR TALKS
Says He Told Carson at Watford to
"Wait a Minute, May Bust" and
This Was Order Which Is Re-
sponsble for the Disaster.

wyoming, Ont December 29.-When
the principal witnesses today in the in
quest to place the responsibility of the
wreck on the Grand Trunk at Wanstead,
had given their testimony a chain of mis-
haps was unfolded, the absence OF any
one of which would have tended to pre-
vent the disaster that caused the death
Of twenty-eight persons. The principal
witness was J. G. Kerr, the London dis
patcher, who up to this time had been
silent. He said:
mo. 5 arrived at London one hour late.
I ordered it to Watford for further or
ders. 1 knew the freight was coming. TO
Telegrapher Carson at Watford, 1 wired
to have No wait at Nanstead, but
added, wait minute, may bust This
was in the Geographic code. l then
started to send a regular order to Car
son at Watford to have No. watch for
the freight at Wansteao siding and have
him to sign and get McAuliffee's sigma
ture. He told me No. had gone l then
wired Linn to stop the freight, but he
also replied that it had gone. then tried
Kings Court and Carson tried it, but
could not get 1t at first. When 1 did,
the operator said No. 8 had just gone by
/ then told the chief dispatcher that l
was afraid No. would meet with trou-
BILE. Then came the news of the wreck
at Wanstead and request from Assist
ant Superintendent costello to send an
auxiliary ! said May bust but did not,
and continued to send regular order to
have No. watch for the freight at Wan
stead
carson's Testimony.
William Carson, operator at Watford.
said:
II received a message to have No. D
watch for freight at Wanstead, but Kerr
said, wait a minute and then bust 1t,
which meant destroy the order. In the
meantime No. came in and Conductor
McAuliffe asked for orders as 1 had dis
played my stop signal He said; What
orders have your replied, I had orders
but they have been busted. He then
asked for clearance which 1 gave him.
He added. 1.-THE boss is on meaning
Assistant Superintendent Costello. gave
him clearance orders. Then Kerr called
for signature to his order, bat said 1t
had been busted He said no. told him
No. had gone. 1 heard him calling
Kings Court to stop No. 8. l opened
commercial wire and tried to get Kings
Court but could not. l heard Kings Court
say later that No. had passed
W. G. Watson, 10 years Old who is the
operator at wyoming, testified as follows:
1.-The special freight pulled in and
handed Conductor Graham an order to
take the siding at Wanstead. His engine
took on water. London called me to
hurry up the freight train When 1 got
an order to stop the freight, l wired that
| it was too late. l rushed out of doors
with a lantern and the caboose of the
freight was just passing me. l 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 semaphore
about half a mile from the station. Yes,
1t was in working order, but is not now.
1t was all right before and after the ac-
| cident