Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-11-01
Important Decisions BY
R. R. Commissioners,
Train Grew Of Extra Blamed
For Benton Wreck.
Conductor Russell Assumed Re.
sponsibiIity For Monmouth Wreck.

Announcement was made at the
! Office of the Board of Railroad Com
missioners Thursday of the decisions
of the board in the matters of the
train wreck near Benton, Oct 5, 1907.
and that near Monmouth, Dec. 8, 1906,
. the texts Of which are as follows:
A serious accident occurred upon the
Maine Central Railroad on the 9Th day
| OF October, a. d. 1907. near Benton
| Station. so called, in which Frank E.
Belanger. brakeman on freight train
No. % was instantly killed, and sew
J eral other train men seriously injured.
| The trains involved We're regular
| freight train No. 2S. running west, and
extra No. 30l, running east.
| Freight train No. %, Archer z. But
Ter. conductor. and Albert Hersom, en-
gineer, should have left Bangor at 500
| NJ, one hour and ten minutes late.
| Conductor Butler testified that the
reason the train was late from Bangor
was that he had orders to meet engine
| No. 116 1T Bangor, and engine No. lie
| was delayed.
Train No. 2s proceeded west. and ac-
cording to the train sheet produced by
at LOG P. NJ. and departed at ZIP p NJ;
| and departed at 2.4S p. NJ, two hours
and eight minutes late.
At 2.4O p. NJ, while No. 90 was at
| West Benton unreported, less than
three miles from Waterville, train dis
patcher William H. Porter gave the
! following order:
|
will run extra Waterville to Newport
Junction. Will meet engine 372. Hus-
! ton, conductor, and engine 1863, Frost.
conductor, at Clinton"
This order was completed at 2.40 P.
NJ. and was receipted for by Dunbar
| conductor and Thayer, engineer.
What were the rights and duties of
the conductor and engineer of No 301.
under that order?
Rule IS, of the Maine Central Time
Table No. c.. then in force, provides;
among other things, that extra trains
with order to run extra or work extra.
keep clear of all regular and signalled
trains"
By Rule 25 it is provided "a train or
engine receiving order to run extra
will have until twelve Q2) O'Clock mid
night of that day to reach its destina-
ton, unless otherwise specified in their
orders"
Nothing having been specified in this
order except to cross two specia! en-
gines at Clinton, the conductor and en-
! sineer of No. 301 mad until twelve
| O'Clock that night to execute this order
. and it was their 'iuty to execute it,
keeping clear of all regular and sig
mailed trains.
To thoroughly understand the ccndi-
tions under which this order was given
it should be borne in mind that No. %
. was at that time at Benton Station.
unrerortcd to the train dispatcher. Ii
: had been reported to the train dis
patcher as having left Clinton at Pc
p. NJ. 1t had not been reported as
having left Benton. The train dis
patcher knew, or should have known.
that No. IS was somewhere between
Clinton and Watervile
What regular trains were the con-
ductor and engineer Of No. 3O1 to keep
, clear of between Waterville and New
port:
Train No. 81 from Bangor had ar
rived at Waterville at nine o'clock in
!. the forenoon. Train No. IS had left
Bangor at 1910 and had arrived at
: Waterville at PIC r. NJ. Train No.
102 had left Bangor at 1.55 p. NJ. and
was at Newport Junction at 2.51 P. NJ
Train No. 156 had not left Bangor, b"t
did leave there at $40 p. NJ. and was
due at Newport Junction at 4.24 P NJ.
Train No II was due to leave Water
, VILE at 3.03, and Clinton at Els. going
east.
So that the passenger trains which
) extra No 301 had to keep clear of We're
) train No. 1872. train No. l56, and train
; No II. No. sol could easily run to
/ Clinton, cross train No 1O2 there al
: 3.lS p. NJ, and have fifty-six minutes tc
: run to Newport behind Nc. II, and
| cross No. 156 there.
, The only regular freight train in the
way of No 3O1 was No. IS. which
should have arrived in Watervlle al
$3.50 p NJ. two hours before this order
. was given.
Conductor Dunbar says that when hi
went up stairs to the dispatchers Off1ct
to receive his orders he looked at the
train register and saw that No. IS haC
, not arrived at Waterville, and that he
, intended to ask the train dispatcher
where No. % was, which was the only
Z train of which he was in doubt. 1t wa:
his duty and that of the engineer, tC
, know where No. % was before they
, started on their run to Newport. Cor
/, ductor Dunbar says he forgot it. tht
T engineer says he paid no attention tc
it. but they Immediately took then
{ train and started for Clinton. They
had run less than mile when they me;
f No. Is head on. The conductor and TIL
, engineer both admit that they were a
fault; that they should have known
where No. % was before they startel
and kept out of its way. and we so find
!, Conductor Dunbar gives as an expia-
nation as to why he forgot to inquir:
where No. % was, that when he re-
: ceived his order from the train dis
: hatcher, Mr.. Porter. he was criticisc,
, nv Mr.. Porter because he did not obey
, orders more promptly. That Mr.. FOR
ter said to him in substance that thu
d,,. hafore he had an order to run anC