Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-03-31
Crew Green Hands Ignorant of
Rules Governing Yards in
Which They Worked With
Switch to Main Line Open.
KNOWN DEAD NOW
NUMBERS TWENTY-FOUR
Other Victims in the Hospital
Whom It Is Said Cannot Live,
WreCkage MayConceaI More
Bodies,
Try Morning journal Special Leased wlr.l

OONlOOI
tBy Morning journal Special Leased wire.I
Cotton, Cal, March 29.-As a re-
suit of the wreck of the Sunset Ex-
press ON the southern PaclfiC's line at
Cotton yesterday afternoon. the death
list tonight had reached "A. This
number is absolutely known to have
perished and the bodies of nearly all
have been Identified As to the num-
Der of bodies that still remain Ne
meath the pile of debris and half de-
molished cars accounts tonight differ.
The wreck has not been cleared away
with the rapidity that had been ex-
pected, and while positive statements
have been made to the effect that
there are from four to eight bodies
under one OF the cars that have not
been removed, the railroad officials
rs positively declare that there Is no
evidence to that effect. Since tho
death of II. l. Walter. at an early
hour this morning none OF the injured
have expired. although several of
those at the local hospital cannot live
more than day or two.
The Dead
H. l, WALTERS, Sacramento Cal.
ALBERT w. SHE. mail clerk.
GEORGE /. SHARPE, Muncie. Ind.
PATRICK EGAN, laborlng man.
died In hospital
TWENTY UNIDENTIFIED ITAI.-
IANS,
responsibility for the accident will
not be officially determined until to-
morrow evening. when the coroner's
inquest which was begun today, Is
concluded
The adjournment was taken in or
der that the dispositions Of the in
Jured engineer and fireman of the
overland might be secured The Wit
nesses examined number half a dozen,
including the switching crew. which
has been blamed for the accident. The
testimony deemed of most impor-
tance was that relating to the expe-
rience of the men who composed the
crew.
It WAS admitted that one man had
been at work but two DAYS; that the
service OF a second had been but of
two weeks duration, and that the
third had been employed in the yards
three weeks one the fireman of
the switch engine, had never read the
rules of he yard.
T. T. Alvord. foreman of the crew.
testified that he had been notified at
o'clock that the Overland was eight
hours late, and that he had received
no subsequent notification Of It's
whereabouts. The other members of
the crew had received the informa-
ton concerning the Overland through
Alvord. Further than this, a switch
man testified that up to the moment
OF its appearance. they believed that
that overland had gone through.
During the taking OF the testimony
the rules of the yard We're extensively
quoted. 1t was declared that Engin-
eer Wormington had violated one Of
the regulations by entering the yards
at a rate of speed variously described
as from thirty to fifty miles an hour,
when his train should have been un-
der complete control. Immediate re-
sponsibility for the open switch was
assumed by j. G. Gruessmeyer, one Of
the switchmen, who admitted that he
had left the switch open after the en-
gine had left the main line. He had
afterward vainly attempted to flag
the fast coming Overland. Gruess-
meyer had been working In the yard
since February H. last but displayed
more acquaintance with the rules than
the other men. He affirmed that ho
should have received second order
from w. j. Mcintyre the yardmaster,
notifying him when the overland was
expected Mcintyre, in turn, blames
both the switch crew, who, he said
had violated a rule by working on the
main line with an open switch and
break switch ana the engineer OF the
Overland, who entered the yard with
To-
one Of the most pitiful incidents of
the disaster was the death of Fire
man Walters. from Sacramento. who
was returning home as a passenger.
He was unconscious when taken from
the mass of debris to the Cotton hos
ptal, In dozen places he was
crushed. cut and torn. Walters had
been married about one month.
About thirty nersons IN all were
treated at the Cotton hospital All
were able to leave except eight In
the hurry no names or records were
kept Many were carried away on
stretchers As day dawned the marks
of the tragedy were plainly seen at
the hospital. Large blotches of blood
stained the steps, Bloody shutters.
doors ana boards, which had been
used as stretchers, were strewn over
the little lawn
Engineer Wormlngton, who was IN
charge of the wrecked train today
made the following statement as he
lay on cot at the Sisters hospital
II do not remember much that hap
pened along the road as we approach
ed the switch he whispered II did
not see the flagman. and don't know
whether there was anything to stop
me. All | remember about the wreck
Is that we jumped into the open
switch. Then must have become
| unconscious
II don't remember throwing on the
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