Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-07-25
FIXING THE RESPONSIBILITY.
Has Only Been Determined That
The Outgoing Train Crew Was
In no Wise 10 Blame.
Injured Not ~ Seriously Hurt as at
First upposrd-LOuisiana
Doctor Improving.

The exact cause Of the hesd-on col
uslon on the saltair railroad al Ewings
siding yesterday afternoon Is stll IN
determined. The officials Of the CON-
psny were too busy yesterday AMER
noon ana evening clearing the tracks
and restoring traffic. as well as in
handling the immense crowd with d
crippled schedule, TO Investigate fully
into the responsibility for the wreck
This afternoon. however. Manager J.
J.. Langford has summoned 70 the
company's oiice Engineer William
Built. Conductor Jos. Cahoon. and all
other members Of the crew on the in
coming train. which failed TO take the
switch. and approached IL az apparent
g. a high rate Of speed as the air
brakes refused 10 work. The outgoing
train. II has been Well esta blished. was
not responsible m any way Tor the
collision. as Il had arrived az the siding
and was standing still waiting for the
incoming train 10 take the switch. IL
had the right Of way on the main line.
as ordinarily the incoming train ar
r.yes AZ the switch first and IS on the
siding when the outgoing train reaches
the siding Tor which 10 usually does
not stop
A LUCKY" ACCIDENT.
That more people were no tinjued
was a subject for general discussion to-
day. and congratulations were ex-
pressed on all sides that the accident
resulted 50 luckily for the pleasure
seeking throngs many more of whom
might easily have been injured In a col
lisi0n OF the kind that occurred. OF the
four who we're hurt, all are resting
well today, and none Of the injuries
will prove fatal DR.. J. Y. Bonnette or
Pollock La. a visitor IN salt Lake,
was the most seriously hurt. and II was
found on a close medical examination
az the i. d. 5. hospital that no bones
were broken. He is badly bruised. and
IS remaining IN bed today, but he will
coon be able 20 leave the hospital. He
spent a good night Mrs. H. A. Reeves
IS ia bed al her home, while 81
Reeves Is az his work with patch y
! skin missing from his forehead, whtre
he was cut Miss Edith Reeves, whose
hand was caught between two seats
carries her hand IN a handage. but 9TH
erWise is not suffering from her ex-
le-iences
AS TO THE SWITCH
Il has been the custom to depend on
the crews q each train % operate this
switch. rather than having o man sta
TONED there. This accounts Tor the fact
that the switch was not set FOR the in
coming train 20 take the siding. The
train regularly should have stopped 10
Jet brakeman on 20 turn the switch
before IL took the siding. and then
should have stopped again after return
Ing 20 the main track 10 pick up this
switchmau, whose duty would have
been "a return the switch 70 connect
The main line
The conductor declares that he found
The air working when the train start
cd and the possibility ~ the tube be
coming disconnected en- route has been
discussed Another explanation Of
fCred IL that youngsters riding on the
platforms may have reached down ana
turned au air stop. and that the con.
nectiun between the engine and the
first car was Jared loose during the
collision
WHY FEW WERE INJURED.
one reason for the small list OF in.
Jurcd IL that the incoming train was
almost empty and carried a small mum
Der OF cars Passengers In these cars
declare that they felt severe Jolt be
fore the principal shock. This must
have come when Engineer Built reversed
his engine, after passing the siding
switch. and just before whis;ling for
Engineer Noolfgang 10 reverse his en-
sine which was standing stlu on the
main track These passengers say
there was no apparent evidence that
the train slowed down 70 get under
safe control AZ any distance back OF
The switch II vas late and seemed
TO 80 ahead under full steam right up
90 the switch.
TRAIN CREW TO BLAME.
From the stories told by passengers
and railroad men who saw the wreck. A.
j. apparent that he responsibility. 40.
parently, VIII DO fixed on the crew OF
the Incoming train The engineer of
This train states thar his afr brakes re.
fused % work but railroad men point
on, that a rule o. rl!lroading IS thar
an engineer must bring hts train under
control when approaching a switch. a
mite ip'm the switch. and that had the
engineer testtd his air az this point he
would have stin been @ Die 20 stop his
train o. 70 carried only six light cars.
throe oprn ant three closed and all OF
them making very light load. 50 Far
ns pushing power ls concerned. The
brakes o. the engine alone or a revers-
ed lever With sand would have brought
the engine 20 a stop within a few hun.
dred Yards. Il 10 declared
Some spectators state that an inspec-
ton ~ the train Immediately after the
accident. revealed the fact that the sl~
Was not coupled between the engine and