Arizona republican., 1907-06-30
.Tht SOUTHERN PACIFlC'S NEW POLICY OF PUBLICITY
The Issuance of Official Reports m Relation to Railroad Accidents.

The Southern Pacific railroad com pany has adopted the policy of mak- ing public official reports in relation to the lines of that company. It will be impossible of course to issue reports immediately upon the heels of acci- dents but the company will take the public into its confidence as promptly as possible after the board of investi- gation gives its findings
 In pursuance of this policy the fol- lowing official reports are given out
 Following is result of investigation made by board of inquiry consisting of generai superintendent. general su- perintendent motive power and assist ent chief engineer, into cause of de- railment of number ten occurring at 2:l5 a. m., May 29. about 1-2 miles east of Bradley. or three thousand feet east of mile post l9s.
 Trains left the track on tangent seven hundred and twenty feet east of a three degree curve. Train came to a stop with front of engine four hun dred and thirty feet ahead of point of derailment. The short distance run and the small damage to equipment
 
 a high rate of speed.
 Train twenty-one passed this point at about 7:f0 p. m. of the 2Sth and reporteda bad spot one-half mile east of mile post -9S. The dispatcher i'm mediately put out order to agents on both sides of this point, reading. Bad place one-half mile east of mile post 19s; run carefully" This order was delivered to number ten at San Ardo. also to numbers eighteen and a tri- weekly. which passed the point be- tween trains twenty-one and ten. En- gineer of number ten evidently did not gauge the location accurately. as he slowed down for a short distance but began to get up speed when the acci- dent occurred. A
 Track at this point is laid with sev enty-five pound rail and tie plated. The track had gravel ballast and fol- lowing the heavy rains of this spring the tendency was for the ballast at the end of the ties to loosen from the churning occasioned by trains passing over same. These defects developed so rapidly from time to time over the system as to render it very difficult to maintain the line at all places up to standard; this being due in a great measure to difficulty in keeping sec tion gangs full handed on account of the large demand for labor. The gang on this particular section of track had been short handed for several weeks notwithstanding continued efforts made to secure the full quota of help.
 Members of the board of inquiry in spected the track for long distance each side of the point of derailment, but were unable to, find any spikes whatever that could be removed with out the aid of tools. While a spike may occasionally be found loose in a considerable stretch of track it cannot be properly claimed that this indicates a dangerous condition.
 Following Is result of investigation made by the board of inquiry. consist ing of general manager. general su- perintendents. superintendents motive power. assistant chief engineer. divi- sion superintendents. master mechan- ics and resident engineers into cause of derailment of Mystic Shriners' spe- cial train, east switch passing track at Honda on May II. at 2:3s D. m.
 The line at point of derailment was straight. laid with seventy-five pound rail and stone ballast and with road bed of sand, Speed of the train was high, but not higher than the cOndi-