Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-10-28
coRoNER's JURY INVESTIGATING
ROCK ISLAND WRECK AT
FAIRFIELD
DISPATCHER ON STAND
e. c. Barrett Of EIdon Claims He Sent
Order That Would Have Averted
Wreck, But 1t Was Never Delivered
by L. E. Gray Operator at Fair
field.

Fairfield, Oct. 27. -(speciaD- The
responsibility for the head-end COLI
sion Thursday morning on Rock Is
land passenger trains Nos. IL and IL
may rest with l.. 3. Gray, who was
acting as night operator at the Fair
field station at the time OF the wreck.
according to the evidence that has
been introduced thus far before Cor
cner A. s. Hague and his jury. in
yestigating the wreck. Something
may occur hereafter to relieve the
man from the load that now Is on his
shoulders and possibly he may be ex-
onerated Train Dispatcher e. G. Bar
1ett Of Eldon testified before the coro-
ner this morning and Gray will be
called. later. According to the dis
patcher's testimony he sent the order
that would have averted sthe wreck to
the operator at Fairfield, but the ord
er was never received by the train
men on No. IL and Operator Gray it is
understood. claims that he never re-
ceived such an order.
Dispatcher Barrett's Story.
Dispatcher Barrett, who was on the
oIchu IulS AAA6D WC1o WIG AAOok ILL
portant witness thus far examined by
the coroner. He testified that Thurs
day morning he sent messages to the
operator at Washington, Pleasant
Plain and Fairfield, ordering No. II
to meet No. IL, the eastbound passen-
ger, at Fairfield. His testimony did
not follow the course Of the messages
sent to Washington and Pleasant
Plain, but he declares the operator at
Fairfield "x'd" the order. In railroad
work train order!i is given by the dis
patchers and, to avoid errors, Is re-
pcated back by the receiving operator,
the dispatcher. answering complete
whensth the repeated message is received
at the dispatching office. Sometimes
an operator is otherwise engaged and
has not time to repeat the order i'm
mediately after receiving 1t. In such
cases he sends single letter, "x"
meaning that he will hold the message
and repeat it afterwards. According
to Dispatcher Barrett this is what Op-
orator Gray did when he received the
order at Fairfield. Barrett says he
sent the message at 2:25 a. m half an
hour before train No IL reached Fair
field.
:, Order Is Lost.
What became Of Gray's copy of the
train order. if hee received IL. as Bal
rett declares, cannot be told. until
Gray has been examined by the coro
ner. Barrett says he expected No II
and No. IL to meet at Fairfield and
Conductor Harrington of No. IL and
| F. 0. Webber, operator at Eldon tes
titled today and last night that the
order was delivered by Webber tc
Harrington when No. 12 stopped at Ell
don. Barrett's testimony is to the eff
feet that he heard nothing more from
Fairfield after sending the order 70.
No. II until Gray called up the dis
patcher's office and said No. IL ha;
left Fairfield, bound west. Then Bar
rett thought Of No. IL speeding east
ward somewhere between Eldon AM
Fairfield. Immediately he asked fran
tically over the wire:
For Gods sake, what about tha
order gave you for No. 11?"
What order?" was Gray's question
ing reply, according to Barrett.
Haven't you an order for No. IL tt
meet IL at Fairfield-the order tha
you 'x'd'? asked the dispatcher.
mo, / haven't received any order fol
No. H."
While this dialogue was singing ovel
the wires the two trains had crashed
together and four lives had gone out.
! ! Inquest Still In Progress.
4 Whether Gray can produce evidence
to clear himself is a question that can
not be answered until his testimony ii
| given before Coroner Hague. The in
quest is still in progress and will prob
ably continue through Saturday.
Fourth Victim Identified.
The young man who was beating hi!
way on train No. II and whose body
/ could not be identified yesterday ha.
been conoitionally identified as Leslie
Forbes Of Berkeley, Cal The identifi
cation is not yet complete, but viii
4 probably confirmed soon.
EIdon Mourns MIlks' Death.
Eldon Oct 27. (speciaD- Edo,