The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-10-28
ENGINEERS ON The STAND.
Discrepancy in Time That Developed
at First Session Figures
Once More.
From Saturdays Daily Gazette.

convened In It's fourth session at the
court house at 2:3O yesterday after
noon.
Engineer Vaupel, CT train No. 5,
Engineer DeGroat of train No. 4,
F. G. Loucks, fireman for Vaupel and
j. w. Kenney, brakeman on No. 5,
trainmen who were on the Inflated
trains, were examined and Conductor
Kelley of No. 5 was recalled to the
stand. Engineer Manner, who was in
the room and who has been on the
Nos. 5 and 6 run since last August,
was called also.
Engineer DeGroat was the first wit
ness and by request of the coroner
was examined By County Attorney
Hathhorn. He stated that he had
been running out of Livingston for
the last eight years. On the morn
ing of the accident he arrived at Co.
lumbus on time and left there three
minutes late. A mile or less out of
town he stopped the train and put
cut a fire OF the engine pilot which
q S0u6AC 1lOLI SOACoSC Will q pAlC
of hot cinders. He met no. 3, the first
w%estbound passenger train, and a
freight train, at Columbus, but he got
a clearance there show 81 -A~. .--..
were no orders for him.
When he arrived at the mile board
west of Rapids ne stated that he look
ed at his watch and it was then ex-
actly 4:55, the time he should have
been at the west switch of the station.
Consequently he was a little mere
than a minute late when he reached
the switch and having the superior
train he proceeded east at usual
speed.
Two miles east of Rapids he saw a
headlight approaching. He attempted
to pull the air brake lever into the
emergency notch, but did not know
whether he was successful or not.
He then jumped from the window and
knew no more until he was back in
the sleeper being cared for. He was
unable to state at what time the
wreck occurred.
1t is customary, he said, for the
dispatcher to give passenger trains a
definite meet order, in addition to the
time card meet, as a matter of addi-
tional precaution, and to help either
train out should it become delayed
from n unexpected cause.
No orders were sent by the dis
patcher that morning. Witness said
he had since heard that the reason
was that the wires were working bad
ly mat morning, although he could
not substantiate this report.
In his judgment, the witness said,
an engineer would have no right to
leave a station against another train
at tho noyf station 11n1pcc ha had tho
full time given on the time-card in
which to make such meeting point.
He said he was running about 80
or IS miles an hour when the wreck
occurred.
Engineer Vaupel was the next wit
ness. He said that he had been run
ming out Of Livingston for the last
Is years; that his engine was in good
condition on the morning of the &C.
cident, and that there was nothing
to prevent him making time He left
Billings three to four minutes late,
Laurel four minutes late, and arrived
at Park City at 4:40 and left at 4:41.
He compared watches with his con
ductor, Kelley, both at Billings and
at Park City, and both agreed at Park
City that they had IA minutes in
which to reach Rapids, the meeting
point with No. 4.
There was no agent at Park City
when the train went through, neither
was the signal lamp burning in front
of the depot. He got off the engine
and pounded on the door of the de-
pot.
Two hundred yards east of where
he first saw No. As headlight he look
ed at his watch and it was 4:52, Civ
ing him still three minutes to make
the two miles to Rapids. He Further
stated that he had frequently made
the run from Park City to Rapids in
II and II minutes.
When he saw the approaching train
he threw on the emergency brake and
jumped. Almost the first mar he
saw after recovering his feet was
Conductor Marcus, of No. 4. Marcus
asked what time he had and held his
lantern while witness looked at his
watch. 1t was then exactly 4:55, the
time the trains should have been at
Rapids. He showed Marcus his time
and asked him what time he had,
but Marcus turned and walked away
from him.
Brakeman kenney was on his en-
CINE from Park City west for the pur-
pose CT throwing the switch for No.
4 if No. 5 reached the meeting point
first and thus expedite the passage
of the trains, and also as a reminder,
recommended by the trainmaster,
that a train was to be met at the next
station.
Contrary to the opinion of DeGroat
he said the company expected a man
to make as good time as possible and
that it was necessary to have full
schedule time to make a run to a
station for a meeting point. 1t was
left to the Judgment of the conductor
and engineer, in absence of orders
from the dispatcher, to determine
whether they had sufficient time to
make a run of that kind, and in this
case both he and the conductor
g. III. ..aor.lol~o- a& tho