The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-15
MANY WITNESSES HEARD
SEARCH NG INVESTIGATION MADE
BY THE CORONER.
Verdict Rendered After Going Over
All The Evidence-Train Crew
Not al Fault.

After spending two weeks In an investiga-
ton to fix the responsibility OF the wreck
of the Purdue special train Saturday MORN
ing Oct. 81, examining perhaps one hundred
witnesses on different phases of the matter
and in general probing to the very bottom
of the affair, Coroner Harry ID. Tutewiler
has decided that Chief Train Dispatcher b.
G. Byers, of Kankakee H., is TO blame.
In point of time spent IL probably took
longer to sift the mass Of facts than in any
previous investigation. Coroner Tutewiler
and his chief deputy. DR.. John F. Gels. gave
the investigation their whole attention.
working night and day in collecting evil
dence.
CORONER'S REASONS.
Coroner Harry d. Tutewiler and Deputy
Coroner DR.. John F. Gels give the follow
ing reasons for the verdict fixing the re-
sponsibility of the wreck of the Purdue
special Oct 81:
THE responsibility must be placed on the
shoulders of the chief train dispatcher. b.
c. Byers, at Kankakee. Ill, because IL was
his duty to protect the two special trains
sent out from Lafayette that day, in either
or both OF two ways. He should have noti-
fed General Yardmaster John Q. Hicks or
he should have placed signals on the regu-
lar No. "a, which left Lafayette seven hours
and five minutes in advance Of the first
special.
"If he had done either the wreck would
never have occurred Testimony showed
that it has been invariably the case that
the chief train dispatcher had notified the
yardmaster of the running Of special trains.
not merely to facilitate operations, but for
the protection OF these trains. Witnesses
could not recall single instance where the
chief train dispatcher had not given such
notification. JOHN @. Hicks testified that il
was not rule of the railroad company that
such notifications should be given the gen.
eral yardmaster, but that IL had been the
custom, and he could not recall a variation
from that custom.
COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED
After his failure to notify Yardmaster
Hicks Chief Dispatcher Byers could have
prevented the catastrophe by placing sig
nails on No. "a, the regular train from La
fayette. warning employees in this city that
two special trains running as sections OF
No. a. seven hours late, must be expected,
and the track cleared for them. This has
been done In some instances, 1t was testi-
fed"
No blame was attached by the coroner to
Engineer Shumaker and Conductor John
son. OF the wrecked train, for the following
reasons, as given by Mr.. Tutewiler:
"Trainmaster Maloney. OF Kankakee. tes-
titled that he was a passenger on the Sec
ond special train. He said that IL left
Lafayette fifteen minutes after the first
special and followed il one block distant.
a difference in time OF fifteen minutes, all
the way from Lafayette TO North Indian
apolis. The significance OF this testimony
is that the second special would have. un-
doubtedly, run through the city at the
same rate as the first: In other words. both
trains had certain time requirements 10
conform to. and the crews OF both trains
had every right to expect fun protection
and clear tracks. The opinion OF General
Superintendent Van Wrinkle and Division
Superintendent Paquette cannot be con-
CURED in for the foregoing reasons"
Chief Dispatcher Byers did one thing
which he was expected to do. He notified
the Union station that the special trains
were coming and the station master cleared
the tracks for them. II was because OF this
notification that the Cincinnati. Hamilton
& Dayton switch engine crew knew OF the
approach of the specials. while the Big
Four employees had no such knowledge.