Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-11-01

was that day." A. st did not know
that minute where they We're. because
the wires ha6 been troubling and l
had been very busy. Had not mad
time to keep up the train report
Q. you knew that No. rs had not
been reported?" A. Yes SIR
@. Yet you gave Dunbar and his
engineer Instructions 10 run to Clinton
as soon as he could set ,nere, not
knowing that No IS mad arrived" A.
THAT does not make any difference"
1t seems that within Z very few min
utes after Dunbar had started 10 run
to Clinton. train No. % was reported
to the dispa tcher as just starting west
from Benton Station, and then the
train dispatcher discovered that 4
collision was almost inevitable He
called up the yard to find out where
Dunbar was, and asked the switchman
at the upper end of the yard. if Dunbar
was waiting for No. IS, but Dunbar
had gone, and the terrible result fol-
lowed.
1t seems that there was general as
sumption on the part of the train dis
patcher and Dunbar and the engineer,
that train No. 2S had arrived at Water
VILE yard, and was out of the way;
ard the train dispatcher first discOv-
cred the error when he received notice
of its clearance from Benton Station,
after Dunbar had gone.
Mr.. Porter was asked, "YOu expect
ed, did you not, to have report from
Benton when No. 2S left there" A
"Yes, SIR
Q. And you had not received it ?"
A NO. sir" And yet he says he
supposed No. IS was in. Again he
says. II assumed it was in" And
being asked why he assumed it to be
in, answered, because they had had
time
We find that f. +. Dunbar, conduc-
tor. and Herbert F. Thayer. engineer,
were directly responsible for this &C.
cident, because it was their duty to
have known where No Is WAS before
they started east with their train; and
because il was their duty. regaruie IS
, Of what the train dispatcher might
have said 10 them, to see that their
written order issued. was ohcyed fully
and to the letter. But if conductors
and engineers are to be held strictly
responsible for the carrying cut of
train orders, they must be left absO-
lutely unfettered by verbal orders or
advice from anybody.
Rule No. ct, among other things,
provides as follows: After the reccp-
ton of an order it must be obeyed
fully and to the letter. Conductors
and enginemen must never take verbal
orders for the movement of trains CT
engines. They must make sure that
they are meeting the trains and engines
specified in their train orders, at meet
ing and passing points
If this is to apply to engiremen and
conductors. it should with equal force
apply to train dispatchers. and it is;
no part of the train dsipatcher's duty
in delivering orders. to conductors and
engine men. to have any conversation
with them whatever that will i'll any
way distract their attention from the
performance of their duty.
The care required in running u train
extra" under the peculiar rule in
force on all railroads, need not be stat
cd. II is enough to say that four of
the worse railroads accidents in Maine,
have occurred within the past year on
account of errors or misunderstanding
in the running of extra trains. This
should not be 50. If it be that the
F, rules require any revision, or the man
ner Of transmitting orders to train
men needs any change. or some addi-
! tiOnal rule be necessary to compel more
| prompt execution of ORDERS by train
men, it is quite important that it
! should he attended to at once.
| Dated at Augusta this 2@th DAY of
| October A. D., 1907.