The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-07
RAILROAD NEWS.
Who Is to Blame for the Es-
mOnd Wreck
One Jury Says Operator Clough
Is Responsible
NOT BE ARRESTED
Conductor Parker Nay Have
Been at Fault.
San Rgrnardino Telegraph Oper-
ator Makes Statement.
NOT BEARRESTED

Tucson Ariz.- Feb. T.-Oue Of the cor
crer,s juries. the Culver jury. rendered
a verdict ii the matter Of the Southern
Pacific wreck at Esmond. The jury
forr5 that IA bodies were taken from
the wreck. three Of which they We're
able to Identify and II of which are un-
known to them- 1t completely exonera
tad Conductor Parker and train crew OF
No. T. the west bound passenger, ana
riaced the responsibility upon Operator
Cloush. OF walls whom they say reeeLv-
ed two orders to be delivered to Con
ductor Parker Of No. 2. but only gave
him one. His failure to receive the sec
oud order resulted in the collision be-
Lwe trains Ne. and s.
Ii is freely predicted that the otnef
Jury win place the respou5l cIllLy On po~il
Cl0ugh and Parker
District Attorney Dale SAID l1al ne
warrant would be issued for CiouGn s
arrest as TAR as he was concerned III
the first place he added. his Wnere-
q bouts are unknown and it Is extremely
doubtful IL a conviction coulQ pe gram
Ell it he were arrested and lnclclel-
The san Bernardino Transcript con-
tains the following
Press dispatches with singular una
rluuity are saddlng Night Operator
t-fot5rh an Walls With the sole lueNcus-
a bic responsibility for the Esnonu nor
ror..' said a telegraph operator yesler-
dav This is wrong railway men al
cuafnted with the situation thdl IS.
practically every operative on the lue-
son division knows otherwise Lhr0u6a
public ignorance lt telegra pnlc tram
order mana cement the fact rnat Ipef
a1or CI0ueh can show no signature %
the undalIvared train order seems 1nal-
uder date of June 1902. appears super
intendeut's Bulletin NO 99. providing as
follows. Conductors and englnen1en
upon receiving at any telegraph Office
one or more telegrapllc train orders
viii receive also a clearance bearing the
numbers of such train orders and they
must see that all such orders called toe
UPON the clearances are received oy
them
Operator Clough had mail and sta
ticu reports rs be Forwarded on NO
Wednesday night. and that no delay
might result % the beIared train upon
its approach. be transmitted % the traln
dispatcher at Tucson the CONDUCTOR =
signatures to both the Wllmot order and
the EsUCud meet order with NO s
ThereuUOn he wrote out the required
clearance stating that he held for No 8.
Conductor Parker Two orders. placed
this clearance with the orders upon the
counter before the conductor and
fastened forward TO deliver his mail
Conductor Parker signed one order.
took re and the clearance ignoring the
imperative mandate Of the latter that
he should not leave the station uarl
both orders named thereon were re-
ceived as did also his engineer. and
pulled OUT TO disaster. When it is re-
mambered that the clearance was as It
stood equivalent TO what in railroad
parlance IS known as a Do NOT. that
IS. an order to- not pass a certain sta
tion until further orders were received.
IN this case until the orders named upon
the clearance were received the respCu-
.H rff 4sf for 1is 1a
appears beyond peradventure. Parker.
ir Is understood. claims that the clear
ance called for but one order In the
face OF the fact that Clough transmit