Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-12-18
PLACES BLAME ON mATTox.

The official Investigation oil the Soutn-
ern Railway Into the resr-end collision
which occurred at Lawyers. Va, Oh
Thanksgiving Day, and IN which rresi-
dent Spencer, of the Southern. and SIX
others, including q pumber of prominent
people, lost theis lives, has been con-
cluded and the responsibility for the
wreck placed on G.. ID. Maltcx, block
operator at Rsugoon Ststi1n, Va,
General Counsel A. 7. Thorn, OF the
railroad. Yesterday issued statement
in Washington announcing the official
conclusions.
The wreck was caused. General Counsel
Thorn says, by G. ID. Mattox, the block
operator at RangOon Station. allowing
train No. SS, bonud south, with Presi-
d Mt Spenoei's car, No. 100, on the
rear end, into the next block station to
:he south, known as Lawyers, aud before
the block was cleared of that train,
Mattox also let into the same block the
first section OF train Nc. 81. After
passing Ranqoou. train No. 80, the
general counsel says, separated into two
parts because Of the parting OF coupling
between two cars. The statement con-
tinues:
.'The emergency brakes ai once ap-
Piled automatically on both sections OF
the parted train, as inlended in case OF
ius, such contingencies, and both sections
we're stopped"
MIR. Thorn declares that under these
circumstances, If the rules of the com-
pany had been Obeyed, no other train
could have passed Rangoon, or entered
! the block in which this disabled train
was. The undisputed testimony, he says,
shows that no less than three different
rules of The company were violated by
| Mattox, the observance of any OF which
would have prevented the accident. he
cites The three rules in his statement,
and declares that MsitOx, while on tbe
witues. stand, gave as hi, only excuse
that the tpeialOr at Lasyers did report
train Ne 80 rs "by" LIwyefs, but fail
I'd 10 give him the tiuie il passed. as re-
auired BY the rule. The operator al
La~ yeIs. the general counsel says. em-
phalioallY denies that he sent any snch
message ~ claimed by Msliox, and de-
clares Mallox had never informed him
that train No. SO wanted the block or
bad entered II.
While there exists this conflict OF iesti-
mony. Mr.. Thorn says Operator alatiox,
ia his own statement, said that he did
not receive from tbs operator at Law
yers The time train SO passed out Of the
block al Lawyers, and excuses his fail
ure TO secure this information by the
statement that after The operator at Law
yers had informed him that 3S wa'
'by" the operator at Lawyer. had
abruptly opened the key and he Matt y
could not communicate with hlW.
General counsel thea ssid'
"Mattox no. having received the re-
ouired information 10 regard to tho
movements of train No. SO, violated the
rule in regarding the block as clear otthat
train before letting in the following
train. known as frat 81. Ma'tox's
plain duty WAS 10 stop first No. 81 at
Rangoon and not LET it enter the block.
He admits that this was his du'y, and
that he did not perform it. If he had, the
accident could not have happened.
"Operstor Mattox had no right even
to ask for the block Tor train first 81 un-
til he had looked at his own block sheet
and seen from it that train No. 33 had
passed ont of the block at Lawyers.
"His block sheet did not show this
essential fact.
"He admits that it did not, and that,
before be asked Tor the block for first 81
be had not gotten, as required by rule
llS, the information necessary to make
bis block sheet show the facts and to
complete it. 1t was under these circum-
stances his clear duty, under rule JIG,
to stop train first 81 and not admit it to
the block He admits this, and that If
he bad obeyed the rule the accident
could not nave happened.
at will thus be seen that from evi-
dence that is not disputed the human
factor failed at the decisive moment and
caused this great catastrophe.
"Mattox Is % years old, had been In
the employment of the company as an
operator for about two years, was edu-
Gated as an operator, and before being
permitted to undertake the duties OF an
operator was duly examined on block
rules, train orders and other matters per-
tanning to the telegraph service by w.
j. Coapmsn, chief dispatcher. He bad
| at the time of the accident been operator
at Rangoon about 90 months.
"There is some conflict in the testi-
mony as to the conduct of jacobs, the
operator at Lawyers The above con-
clusions, however, have been reached
without considering any controverted
testimony"
The charges OF murder preferred
against Telegraph Operators Skinnell
and Clsmmer and Flsgman Null, all
employees Of the Southern Railway, on
account of the wreck at Danville on
December S, which resulted in the kill
ing OF two men, were dismissed yester-
dsy in the mayors court. The action
of the mayor was in accordance with the
suggestion Of Commonwealth's Attorney