Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-12-02
BLAME FOR WRECK
PLACED ON OPERATOR
Country Being Secured For
Mattoax.
CONVENTIONS UPHELD BY BOOK
Claim that Negligence of Dispatcher
In Allowing TWO Trains in One
Block at the Same Time Was the
Whole Cause of Collision.


Lynchburg, Va, Dec. 1.-The
cause of the awful wreck near Law
yers depot, 10 miles south of this
city, in which President Samuel
Spencer and his party of prominent
New York and Baltimore men lost
their lives, is &aid absolutely at the
door of c, D. Mattoax, the opera
tor, who was in charge OF the block
telegraph station at Rangoon
Mattoax, who disappeared after be-
ing relieved less than an hour after
the wreck, has not been found, de-
spite the fact that railway detectives
have secured the country around The
wreck and his home at Sandy Level,
in PittsylVania county, some 40 miles
from the scene Of the accident on
small branch line of the Southern.
An official Of the Southern rail-
way stated that the company was
desirons of experimenting Mat,oax in
order to secure a statement from him
that might throw some light on the
causes ira, led rim to allow two
trains in the same block at the same
time. This official was not perpar-
ed to state today whether OF not the
company would take steps to prose-
cute the missing operator and he did
nOl then know if he could be prose-
cuted under the laws OF the state of
Virginia
An examination Of the telegraph
sheets kept at the Rangoon and Law
tive of the Associated Press disclOses
the fact that Mattoax allowed train
No. 3$, the Jacksonville express, up
on the block, the train passing his
station, getting clear track from
him q G:06 o'clock The operator
at Lawyers, the next station, ahead,
claimed that MattOax did not ask him
for a .'.clear track" for No 80, and
he, therefore, did not know this train
had passed RangOOn- The block
sheet at Lawyers bears out this claim
The sheets at bO,h offices show that
the operator at Rangoon asked Law
yers for clear track for No 81,
the Washington and southwes. .ern
vestibuled limited, and the Lawyers
operator not knowing No. 33 was in
the lock, COVE No 37 the right OF
way at 6:14 o'clock, and No. 81
passed Rangoon at that time.
Simmered down, if Mattoax, at
Rangoon, had reported train No. 33
on the block at Lawyers, then there
would have been no accident, because
the operator at Lawyers would have
held No. 81 at RangoOn until the
Jacksonville train had cleared the
block at Lawyers, no matter how long
the delay might have been between
the two offices.
Superintendent w. S Andrews, of
the DanVilIe division, explained that
the report that the engine of the for
ward train had gone some distance
ahead of it's train when it became de-
tached was erroneous and the fact
is chat the engine did not leave the
train more than twenty feet, the air
brakes applying Immediately upon the
engine as we'll as the train. The
trouble was the breaking of a knuckle
of the draWhead on the front end of
the forward car. The trainmen were
repairing this when the collision oc-
Cured.
Assistant General superintendent
E. H. COapman states there is not
the slightest doubt but the flagman
made every possible effort oprotect
the rear of the train, but he could
not get around sharp curve in time
to prevent the collision AS soon as
Engineer Kinney saw the signal he
applied the emergency brakes and
stayed at his post to the last.
Superintendent Andrews of the
Danville disvision, left late Friday af-
ternoon, having been called to Wash
tngton, d. c.. 1t was Mr. Andrews
understanding that the entire Off
cial family Of the Southern railway
company had been summoned to the
city of Washington to be present at
the funeral of President Spencer. Mr..
Andrews, however, was not informed