The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-09
CAUSE OF WRECK.
Rock Island Disaster at Door of
Engineer and Conductor.
An Official Statement Is Issued
Today.
HAD ORDERS TO STOP.
Had Instructions to Meet Stock
Train at Willard.
Dispatcher Knew Wreck Was
C0ming-Made Preparations.

Following is the official statement of
the Rock Island wreck as given out at
the offices here:
Train order No. 2, issued by Train
Dispatcher w. G. Eby at Topeka, ad-
dressed to conductor and engineer ex-
ira engine No. 1417, east, at Mcfarland,
received by them at 1928 a. M, and ad-
dressed to conductor and engineer train
No. at Topeka, and delivered to Con-
ductor Nagle personally by dispatcher
at 1888 a. M, and to conductor and en-
gineer train No. 1s at 1855 a. M, read:
:" Extra 1417 east will meet No thir-
teen 15) and No. three 90, engines un-
known, at Willard
THE reason engine numbers on trains
No. and No. 13 were not shown in
train order was that the trains had not
been received from the Union Pacific
when train order was issued and dis
patcher did not know what engines
would be on the trains
Extra 1417 east was reported by the
operator at Maple Hill to the dispatcher
as passing that station at 1:O2 a. m.
There is no regular night operator at
Willard but the relief agent at that sta
tion, George Seigel. was at the Office
looking after the loading of stock. and
at 12:40 a. m. had asked dispatcher for
any further orders for extra 4S9 east
which was on siding a Willard waiting
for No. 3. Upon being informed that
there were no orders he said, C. NJ
good nighO to dispatcher and received
e. N in reply, and dispatcher sup
posed the agent had locked up and gone
home.
Instead of doing so, however, he re-
manned at the office and at 1907 a. IN.
called dispatcher and reported No. 8
as having passed. The dispatcher was
incredulous and told him he must be
mistaken but upon the agent insisting
that train No. had gone the dis
patcher immediately turned to the
night chief dispatcher, Mr.. r. r. Nc
Cloud, and reported the facts The
night chief Immediately telephoned
Company Surgeon DR.. Mum to come
! to the office at once and bring some
assistants, called up the yard master,
telling him to get an engine ready at
once with baggage car and coach for
relief train, ordered an engine and ca
boose at Mcfarland to take road mas
ter from that point to Maple Hill, or
dered wrecking outfits and road mas
ters from Herington and Horton, call
ed to the key the superintendent who
was at Herington, and did all he pos
s1bly could to prepare to take care of
injured passengers and clear the track
in case of a collision, which he thought
inevitable.
THE accident occurred at ITO a. M
but 1t was 1:5O a. m. before a report
was received at Willard and made to
the dispatcher. The steam wrecker
was ready to leave Herington at a.
M, only ten minutes after the report
Of the accident was received. Accord
ing to the train orders held by both
trains the stock extra clearly had the
right of way to Willard and the con-
ductor and engineer of passenger train
No. 8, disobeyed their orders in not
stopping at Willard, and not awaiting
the arrival of the stock train.
why the conductor and engineer
failed to execute their orders the rail-
way officials have not as yet been able
to definitely determine as the conductor
is at Stormont hospital with a broken
leg and the railway officials have been
refused permission to see and question
him. The engineer is confined to his
bed at his home in Kansas City with
badly bruised leg and hand and a
sprained back, and has not as yet given
satisfactory explanation of his fall
ure to obey his orders. Other mem
bers of the train crew, including tfVe
fireman and flagman of train No. 3,
were at the railway office in Topeka
yesterday but could not give much
valuable information. The fireman,
Stollard, says he knew the engineer had
orders but did not know what they
were, and the f1agman, Roberts, did not
know that the conductor had any or
ders to meet a train at Willard as he
did not see the conductor between To-
peka and Willard