The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-16
HENDERSON is LET OUT
Rock Island Engineer Held Responsi.
BILE for Wreck.

Engineer E. H. Henderson, who was
in charge of the Rock Island freight
| engine which crashed into a Union Pa
| cif1c freight train standing across the
| Rock Island tracks at Manhattan
Wednesday morning, has been held re-
sponsible for the accident by the Rock
Island officials, and he has been dis
| charged.
An investigation of the accident was
held last evening in the office of c. w.
| Jones, division superintendent. Mr..
Jones announces that he is satisfied
| that the engineer was asleep. He is
of the opinion that the engineer had
| dozed off to sleep but moment or so
| before the accident occurred.
| At the investigation last night it de-
veloped that Engineer Henderson ran
| by the signal board at the Manhattan
| station which was set for the train to
come to a stop. The evidence also
showed that Conductor Hurlbut was
making an effort to stop the train by
| setting the emergency air brakes from
| the stopcock of the air hose at the
rear of the train. AS soon as Conduc-
| tor Hurlbut discovered that the train
was running past Manhattan station
without stopping, he started to set the
! brakes and had just reached the air
| hose when the crash came, according
| to the testimony taken in the case.
It is announced that the train would
| have come to a standstill inside an
other train length if the accident had
| not occurred.
1t appears that the Union Pacific is
not wholly without blame inasmuch
as the Union Pacific freight train was
standing on the crossing, and it is
| against railroad rules and the state
| laws for trains to block another rail-
road at railway crossing. Informa-
| ton seems not to be at hand, however,
| in regard to the length of time the
| Union Pacific train had been in the
crossing. 1t is possible it had not been
at a standstill long enough to become
| involved.
A report was put into circulation
that if the accident had not occurred
at the railway crossing, the Rock ISL
and freight would have collided head
| on with a passenger train. Division
| Superintendent Jones corrects this
| statement. He announces that the
nearest passenger train was at McFar-
| land, 81 miles away. The conductor
of the freight train was trying to stop
his train as soon as he saw they were
running past Manhattan station and he
| would have accomplished that act with
/ the emergency air brakes within a
| accident occurred is four or five blocks
| away from the station. The engineer,
| it is said, did not whistle for either the
station or the crossing.
The following is taken from Super
| intendent Jones official report:
I'm regard to possibility of collision
with a passenger train had accident not
occurred, will say, that at time of the
dcCIOenC the nearest passenger Train
was q miles away from Manhattan
and had freight train not struck the
Union Pacific cars on the crossing, the
conductor could have had the train
stopped within another trainlength as
he was trying to get at and set the air
at the rear end of the train at the time
of the accident. 1 have just finished
investigation and while the engineer de-
nies it, claiming the air would not work,
I am satisfied that he was asleep. The
engineer has been discharged.
Guy Robinson was the tramp who
was on the engine passing coal for the
fireman. He was slightly burned about
the face but nothing serious and was
given medical attention by our company
surgeon at Manhattan. Our agent at
Manhattan asked him three or four
times if there was anything he wanted
and was told not. The conductor of the
freight train offered to buy him his
breakfast but Robinson told him he had
money. The company surgeon at Man
haitian brought him to Topeka at the
same time he brought the injured fire
man. Robinson would not get off at
Topeka but went on to Kansas City. He
was given every attention at Manhattan
by the company surgeon, our agent and
conductor and was brought to Topeka
by our company surgeon at Manhattan
who states that Robinson'S injuries did
not amount to anything.
asC w TONE,So