Charlevoix county herald., 1907-08-03
NEWS
Of MICHIGAN
THINGS BROUGHT OUT IN THE
INQUEST ON THE SALEM
WRECK.
ORDER WAS ILLEGIBLE.
A Double Precaution Against Wreck
That Might Have Been Taken
Operators Have Other Duties.
Probing for Facts.


The inquest on the Salem railroad
disaster under way before Justice JOS
lyn, In Worthwhile, has developed these
points up to date:
That Train Dispatcher Marcus A.
Bonsell, of the Pere Marquette, had
such absolute faith In his belief that
the freight crew had their orders"
had read them Alright and would be
guided by them. that the thought of
holding the excursion train at either
Salem or South Lyon, which he had
ample opportunity to do, never en-
tered his mind
That the taking of a double precau-
tion by notifying the passenger train
of the freight trains presence on the
line was not taken, such double precau-
tion being apparently unheard of. Alb
solute and full reliance was placed on
the ability of the freight to keep out
of the passengers way and no one
seemed for minute to take into ac-
count the possibility of an error or
mistake in judgment on the freight's
part.
The intention of the Pere Marquette
railroad to shield it's operating depart
ment at all hazards This was partic-
ularly noticeable in the cross-examina-
ton of Bonsell by Attorney Gilmer
Kuyper for the compahy. Kuyper laid
great stress on the culpability of the
freight crew.
That operators at stations along the
line are required to perform duties that
take them away from their posts of
d,ttxr oIr fa1 f1nt he,
tor at Plymouth was not within call
when he should have been. The expla-
nation was given that he was away de-
livering mail.
The illegibility of the freight conduc-
tors train order, which led Conductor
Hamilton to misread it, was fully es
+ tablished, although the fact was
brought out that a careful trainman
would not have accepted an important
mo. 81 order without assuring him.
self of it's full meaning.
Attorney Clarence d. Clark, one of
the jurors, has chancery case in De-
troit Saturday, which may compel an
adjournment of the inquest from Fri
day night until Wednesday morning
If this is done Engineer Rogers, now
recuperating from his injuries in Ply
mouth, is expected to testify in person,
instead OF by deposition as now
planned. Great Importance attaches
to Rogers testimony, as it is expect
! ed to conflict with that of Conductor
Hamilton.
1t developed that the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers is taking a
hand in the case, being represented
| by Attorney James Mcnamara. This is
supposed to be in the interest of Rog-
! ers.
There is no intention on the part of
the prosecution to allow Conductor
! Hamilton to slip through its fingers.
! He sleeps, walks and eats with a dep
uty. He is breaking down under the
strain, and Thursday morning required
the services of a physician to brace
! him. Hamilton's greatest worry is con-
corning the possibility of Engineer
Rogers giving an entirely different
version of the accident.
Additional evidence of the Pere Mar
quette's purpose to saddle the entire
responsibility for the Salem wreck on
the freight crew and to shield it's train
dispatching department from blame,
was shown in Fridays testimony.
the man charged with carrying out or
ders," was the concise and persistent
declaration of Gen. Supt Trump.
Evidence was introduced TO show
that three of the IL cars making up
the excursion train had been in SER
vice 35 years, three "a years, and the
rest not less than IA years.
1t was shown that the average
length of service in the operating de-
partment of the road, with few excep-
tions, is less than two years-that is
to say, that this department is prac-
tically in the hands of new men all
the time.
A significant feature of the inquest
was the statement of Trainmaster
Everett E. Kane, of Detroit, after stat.
ing that under similar circumstances
since the wreck, the operating depart
ment would have acted just the same
The Pere Marquette hasn't learned
anything by this wreck, then? 1t has
nothing to revise?" he was asked.
mot thing" was his answer.