Cañon City record., 1906-03-22
C0RONER'S JURY WANTS MORE
EVIDENCE BEFORE GIVING VERDICT
Inquiry Began Mondayury Attempts
Find Verdict misunderstanding
Adjourned Till Monday

Adjourned I'LL Monday Next.
The coroner's inquest into the causes
of. the disastrous wreck near Adobe,
fourteen miles east of this city, at an
early hour last Friday morning, in
which passenger trains No. from
Denver and No. 16 from the West, col
lided, with loss of nearly two score
human lives, was begun here at 2
O'Clock last Monday afternoon, with
DR.. w. c. Stephenson of Florence pre-
siding as coroner. Deputy District At
torney James T. Locke conducted the
examination for the people and Clyde
C. Dawson of the law firm of Waldo
& Dawson, for the railroad company.
A great deal of interest was manifested
in the result of the investigation and
the district court room, where the in
quest was held, was thronged with
spectators, many of them from Flor
ence, Pueblo and other points along
the line of the D. & R. G. road.
The jury, which was impanneled by
Coroner Stephenson at the scene of
the wreck last Friday morning, con-
sisted of Walter Richards, Charles w.
Van Patton. Michael Blythe. W. E.
Emmert, W. W. Hugert and A l..
Hatch.
The first witness called was NJ. r.
Woodward of Pueblo, train dispatcher
for the Pueblo division OF the D. &
r. G., who stated that orders were
first issued for the trains to pass at
Florence, but that they were subse-
quently changed to Adobe, and then
to Beaver, although No. 8, the west
bound train, never received the last
order owing to the failure of Frank
Lively, the telegraph operator at
Swallows, to deliver the orders to the
conductor. Mr.. Woodward testified
that the operator at Swallows was
called up and asked il No. had passed
that station, and that Lively had re-
turned negative reply, and this evil
dence was afterward corroborated by
the operator at Florence, who stated
that he had heard the dispatcher ask
Lively if No. 8 had passed that place,
and his answer that it had not. Mr..
Woodward said Lively was an efficient
operator and had shown himself to
be thoroughly trustworthy and reli-
able since coming into the employ of
the company. He had given good ser
vice according to Mr.. Woodward. and
he said he always felt doubly safe
when he received Lively's O. X. to
an order
When asked why Lively had failed
to be present at the inquest Mr.. Wood
ward said he did not know nor was he
aware of the present whereabouts of
Lively, whom he had expected at the
inquest. Mr.. Woodwards testimony
showed clearly that the mistake which
resulted in the wreck did not originate
in the dispatcher's office.
Gus Krombka, night operator at
Florence, was the second witness. Mr..
Krombka testified that the order for
train No. 16 to meet at Beaver, instead
of Adobe. was received by him at 2
minutes past o'clock, a. M, and that
he delivered it to Conductor Mike Gar
rett as soon as No. 16 drew up at the
platform.
Conductor Frank Smith, of Denver,
who had charge of train No. 8, stated
that his first orders We're to meet No.
16 at Florence, but he was delayed a
little longer than usual in Pueblo, and
before leaving that city received a
second order. which was to the effect
that the two trains would pass at
Adobe. No message from the dispatch
er's office was received at Swallows
and the signal board was white at that
station, Indicating that no instructions
were waiting. No. passed Swallows,
according to Conductor Smith. at sew
en- or eight minutes of o'clock, a. m.
Conductor Mike Garrett of train No.
16, said that he received two orders in
I NJ, o. ,f ;Dl,
was given to him at Canon City. and
the other at Florence. The first was
to meet it at Adobe, and the subse-
Quent one instructed him to make the
passage at Beaver. Conductor Garrett
gave it as his opinion that the fire,
which consumed the smoker and the
express and mail ears attached to his
train, was due to the ignition of the
Pintsch gas which was liberated from
the reservoirs under the cars by the
collision. Mr. Garrett said that he
had been in the employ of the d. & r.
G. train service of the road for 21
years and had never before had a
wreck.
Grant Kelker, engineer in charge of
engine 720, which was the second To-
comotive on No. 8, stated that his
first order was to meet No. 16 at Flor
ence, but before leaving Pueblo he re-
ceived another order which changed
the place of passing to Beaver. The
Santa Te track runs very close to the
ID. & r. G. road at the place where
the collision occurred and my first
thought, said Mr.. Kelker. was that the
coming train was on the Santa Fe
track. but a few seconds later I be-
came convinced that 1t was on the Rio
Grande and that disastrous wreck
was Inevitable. shut on the steam