The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1904-09-17
DISREGARD TRAIN ORDERS.
Wreck ON Southern Pacific Near
Reno-Trainmen Dismissed.

(
Wilful disregard of orders on the part
of a westbound overland train crew re-
suited in a disastrous head-on collision
with a special bearing a party of re-
turning Knights Templar to their East
ern homes shortly before noon Monday.
The catastrophe occurred at Laughton's
Springs, a station west Of Reno. The
dead are A. L. Hicks, a fireman, and
Harry Q. Davies. a coal passer, who
was working his way. Engineer ].
Isoard n Fireman +. w. Parker were
badly injured and fully % persons sus-
tanned lesser hurts. Four engines were
demolished, two baggage cars and a
chair car were completely wrecked, and
a tender and one of the engines rolled
down an embankment. Tue property
loss is estimated at $780, 00.
The returning Tempiars were, for the
most part, members oil the Hugh De
Payne C~ommandery of Melrose, Mass.
Considering the force of the collision
il is fortunate hat none of the passen-
ger coaches were precipltated down the
embankment. A. X. Hicks, the dead
fireman has "a mother and brother resld-
ing at 1l3 Grove Street, san Francisco.
Davies is believed TO have resided in
Sharon, Pa. The injured passengers
from the west-bound train were taken to
Reno. None are thought to be seriously
injured.
At Reno Monday night Engineer
Isoard admitted that he caused the
wreck. eyes, il is my fault" he said.
81 ran past my orders. / had instruc-
tions to meet No. 9 at the siding at
Laughtons. We were running at full
speed when we reached the place. /
saw a train side-tracked there. IL was
a passenger and l surmised it was the
third section of No. 6 instead it was
the second section. The operator in the
car came out when l whistled for flags.
He gave me a green flag, signifying
that the track was clear. With that |
pulled the throttle open, preparatory to
taking the grade. We were going 1t
full speed when we struck the curve.
The first | realized of the accident
was when the crash came. | thought /
was in the clear but erred, and stand
willing to bear the consequences"
Trainmen Lose Their Places.
Three men. old employees of the. South
ern Pacific Company, ON Tuesday lost
their positions as a result of the terrible
wreck at Laughtons Monday. They are
Engineers Isoard and Boyd and Con-
ductor Laforge. The men were in
charge of the westbound passenger train.
and the company holds that they are
responsible for the dreadful accident.
It is a rule of the company that on
receipt of train orders an engineer must
Immediately read the same to his fire.
man, and the conductor to his head
brakeman. This rule is enforced to
anticipate any possibility of the en-
gineer or conductor forgetting their
orders, in the event Of which the fire.
man and brakeman are in duty bound
TO remind them of the fact. APP
parently the fireman and brakeman
were neglectful in this duty Monday
and allowed Engineer Isoard to send his
train into a collision. Engineer Boyd
and the fireman of the second engine
have also been adjudged guilty of
neglect, for they received the same
orders as Isoard. Notwithstanding the
latter guided the train ON It's run.