The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-11-15

10 three different trains, she was required
10 make seven copies. For this purpose
she seized pad which she supposed was
so constructed as to yield seven copies,
whereas in fact the pad she used was OF
the sort that yielded only five copies; aud
so, after she had given copy OF that or
der TO the conductor and engineer OF each
of the trains first and second number 2 ,
and later noticing that only one. copy
was left in the pad she concluded that
she had delivered the required copies 10
the conductor and engineer OF mo. AZ.
In fact, she had not delivered copy of
order 81 to either the conductor or en-
gineer OF train "No. ~, nor in any way
given them any knowledge OF the exist
ence of such an order, In consequence
whereof, the conductor and engineer OF
mo. ~" Justly supposing that they had
the right of way from Brattleboro "a
Vernon, left Brattleboro with their train
at about i,l5
The rules of the company require the
telegraph operator Immediately upon the
receipt of a train order from the tram
dispatcher to repeat the same TO tram
dispatcher who thepupon 20, KS 1t
to the operator and gives the time BE
fore the train order is delivered, the con-
ductor must sign IT, and the telegraph OPP
orator is required to call up the tram
dispatcher and inform him that the
train order has been so signed by the
conductor, whereupon the dispatcher
wires the operator the word "co,nplete,
adding the hour, and thereupon the opera
tor delivers the order, Before this acct
dent, whenever more than one order was
addressed to the same train, the operator
reported to the train dispatcher the sig-
nature of all the orders at tile same time.
I'm this case about 4.i3 p. m. she called
the said train dispatcher and reported to
him the signature of all orders addressed
TO train mo. AZ as follows: Numbers
SO and IS, signature Davis, 49, where,
upon said train dispatcher gave the word
complete adding the hour, and
thereupon the operator delivered those
orders. The above was the only com
munieation by the operator TO the tram
dispatcher of the signatures OF the orders
addressed to train mo. ~" IL will be
noticed in the foregoing communication
of the operator no reference is made to
the above order No. 81 addressed to sand
train mo. u, and requiring i to meet
mo. %" at Brattleboro. The train
dispatcher should have noticed this omls-
sion and Immediately called il to the at
tention OF the operator, Had he done SO,
the collision would have been avoided.
For some time previous TO this acct
dent, it had been the custom OF the rail
way employees, and even strangers, TO ire
quent the telegraph operators office at
Brattleboro. This, of necessity, has re-
suited in confusion, and has tended to
embarrass the operator IN her work
From the foregoing facts 1t appears,
and we find that the cause of this coils
ion, which endangered the lives OF so
L. q L.. IS ln
operator at Brattleboro in not delivering
gineer of train mo. ~" combined with
the negligence of the train dispatcher at
New London, Conn, in not detecting this
omission when the operator at Brattleboro
communicated TO him that orders % and
50 addressed to train mo. ~" had been
signed by the conductor as above ndicat.
ed. Notwithstanding the negligence OF
the operator at BrattleborO, the train
dispatcher is especially responsible for
this accident. Ii was his duty to have
detected said omission of the operator.
His was the especial responsibility.
We are also satisfied that among the
contributing causes of this accident were
the following:
First The lax custom, prevailing be-
fore this accident, of communicating TO
tne tram uespatcher tHe Cohuu''Vt
nature when more than one order ad-
dressed to him is so reported, namely,
the manner above indicated OF reporting
same together All such orders should be.
severally and separately reported to the
train dispatcher for his approval. We un7
derstand this last method has been adopts
ed since this accident.
Second. The very lax custom, prevailing
before this accident, of allowing railroad
employees and Others to frequent the office
of the telegraph operator at BrattleboroI
with the resulting embarrassment to the
operator in her work, We are pleased to
learn that this custom has been strictly
prohibited since the accident and that
hereafter all businesses with the operator
is to be transacted through the window
provided for that purpose and all intrud-
ers are excluded from her office.