The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-18
CAUSES OF WRECK
MAT-rOx HELD Ri1SPONsIBLB FOR
 sPENCER's DEATH.
oUerator mt RngOon Block According to CeneraI Counsel ThOm Violated Every Rule of the
 Railroad.

Washington, Dec. 1.-The wreck st Lawyers Station, Va, In which Fresl- dent Spencer of the Southern Hall"ay met his death, was caused, IeheFai Counsel Thom says, by c. ID. MattoN' | the block operator at Rangoon station aIIoUina train No, 33, bound south. with President Spencer's car No. 100 on the rear end into the next block south , known as Lawyers, and before the hIoch was clear to that train, MattoN also let into the same block the hrst section of train No. SI ..
 After passing Rangoon. train No. 5S, the general counsel says. separated m to two parts, because of the railing or two coupiers between two cars. Ihs statement continues: plied automatically on both sections oi fine parted train, as intended in such contingencies and both sections were
 Mr Thom declares that under these circumstances that if the rules or the company had been obeyed nc other !lIs.ii .IalS could have passed Rangoon or enttrea tha block in which this disabled tram was. The undisputed testimony shows that no less than three different rules oS inc compasy were violated by Mat tox. the observance of any or wnlch would have prevented the accident.
 He cites the three rules In hls stare ment. ana declares that Mattox. while on inc witness stand. gave as his only @xeuse that the operator at Lawyers dld report rain No. 33 By Lawyers, but failed to give him the tune h PasseO aa required by the rule.
 The operator at Lawyers, the general counsel says, emphatically denied thaI he sent such messages as claimed oy aftox. and declares that Mattox had never informed him that train No; S' want the block or had entered It.
 while there exists this conflict ef testimony Mir. Thom says, operator Mattox in his own statement saia tnat he aid not receive from the operator at Lawyers the time train No. SS pass. sd Sut of the block at Lawyers, and excuses himself to give such informa- tion by stating that when the operator at Lawyers had informed him that "ss uvas by." the operator at Lawyers hao abruptiy opened the key. and he, Mat tox. could not communicate further With him. z.
 'lAfattox not having received the re- auired information in regard 10 the movements of train No. 3S. violated the ruIe in regard to the block as clear of that train before letting in the fol- lowing train, known as first SI. Mat tox's plain duty was to stop first ST at Rangoon and not let 1t enter the Dlock; Ha admits that this was his duty and that he did not perform it. If he had the accident could not have happened.
 Generator Mattox had no right even to ask for the block for train first S7 until he had looked at his own block sheet and seen from it shan train No
 33 had passed out of the block at Law yers.
 "His block sheet did not show this essential fact He admits that 1t did not, and that before he asked for the blocx for first 97 he had not got as required by rule 1lS, the infogma ton nscessary to make his block sheet show the facts and 10 complete it. It was under these circumstances his clear du- ty under rule lie to stop train first s7 and not admit it to the block. He ad- mits this and that if he had obeyed the rule the accident should not have hap pened.
 l "1t will thus be seen that from svi-