The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-12-01
LAID ABSOLUTELY At
DOOR OF The OPERATOR
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DIS
AsTRoUS WRECK ON THE
SOUTHERN RAILWAY.

G. D. Mattoax, in Charge "f she Block
Telegraph station at RangoOn, Ac-
y cused--Missing Since Being Relieved
Less Than an Hour After the Wreck
Detectives Looking for Him--Al-
Same Time.
Lynchburg, Va, Nov. 90.-The cause
! gof the awful wreck near Lawyers De-
pot, ten miles south of the city, on
the Southern Railway, yesterday morn
Wing, in which President Samuel Spen-
Ger and his party of prominent New
York and Baltimore men lost their
Wives, is laid absolutely at the door Of
nc. D. Mattoax, the operator, who was
lin charge of the block telegraph sta
q tion at Rangoon. Mattoax, who disap-
N peared after being relieved less than
ar hour after the accident, has not
been found despite the fact that rail-
way detectives have secured the coun-
y try around the wreck and about his
home at Sandy Level, in Pittsylvania
county, forty miles from the scene of
1.-THE accident on a small branch line Of
the Southern.
IN AN official of the Southern Railway
Y late this afternoon stated that the
4 company was desirous of apprehending
& Mattoax in order to secure a statement
Il from him that might throw some light
!. on the causes that led him to allow
two trains in the same block at the
same time This official was not pre-
#pared to state to-day whether or not
q Bthe company would take steps to pros
#ecute the missing operator and he did
mot then know if he could be prose-
Ecuted under the laws of the state of
Virginia.
"A An examination by an Associated
kAPress representative of the telegraph
sheets kept at the Rangoon and Law
yers block office shows that Mattoax
allowed train No. SO, the Jacksonville
express, upon the block, the train pass
Ing his station getting clear track
Prom his at 6:06 o'clock. The operator
at Lawyers, the next station ahead,
claimed that Nattoax did not ask him
Tor a "clear track" for No. SO, and he
f,H6TBIDT0 uiu llOL NnpW SiAlo IAcbAAA iA0'N
passed Ran4ood.
The block sheet at LAWYERS beans
N but this lain. The sheets at both Of
bees show that the operator at Ran
room asked Lawyers for clear track
sor No. 81, the Washington and South
Western vestibuled limited, and the
.awyers operator, not knowing No. 80
VAS in the block, gave No. 81 the right
f way at 6:14 o'clock and No. 81
PASSED lRangoon at that time If Mat
Vaox had reported train No. 33 on the
4lock to Lawyers there would have
Feen no accident because the operator
Il t Lawyers would have held the South
western limited at Rangoon until the
+,Sacksonville train had cleared the
1vslock at Lawyers.
Nh Superintendent w. S. Andrews, of
Islhe Danville division, late this after
+Yoon explained that the report that the
.Sngine of the forward train had gone
Aome distance ahead of it's train when
became detached was erroneous and
2%he fact is that the engine did not
eaye the train more than twenty feet,
|&2he airbrakes applying Immediately on
he engine as well as the train. The
rouble was the breaking of a knuckle
{ the drawhead on the front end OF
4 he forward car. The trainmen were
Repairing this when the collision oc-
u~-od.
Assistant General Superintendent f.
h. Coapman stated tonight there is
4 lot the slightest doubt that the flag
han made every possible effort to pro-
Il ect the rear of the train, but he could
hot get around sharp curve in time
10 prevent the collision.
las soon as Engineer Kenny saw the
bignal he applied the emergency
brakes and staid at his post to the
( asst.