The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-08-13

pended 10 Aug. 19th-Looks
Like southern is Guilty.
That the terrible wreck caused by
e head-or collision of east bound pas
genger train No. 1876 and west bound
through freight train No. 173 a mile
east of Auburn on the Southern Rail
way on last Tuesday evening, August
5th, was due to the Gisuse by the
southern Railway Of What is known as
the middle order system of dis
patching trains. a system in use by the
~eabOa Air Line and other roads,
vas the burden Of the evidence from
dozen witnesses whose testimo-
ny was taken yesterday before
he Jury of the inquest as to the death
IF Engineer w. c. Parker. Fireman
Robert Young, and Jack Bethel. color
e. fireman
The hearing, conducted by Coroner
&. A. Separk, was begun at II O'CLOCK
in the county court room before the
Jury summoned by the coroner on last
Wednesday ard consisting OF MesSfS-
G. b. Park, F. H. Phillips, j. F.. Red
ford. John Robertson, and f. Dewitt
Smith. Evidence was taken until
1890, when adjournment was taken
till 2:3O p. m. The hearing was then
resumed and three or four witnesses
were examined. Owing to the alb
sence Of Engineer Rippey, of Burling-
ton. who was on the engine OF me
passenger train, and who, with the
conductor forgot his orders, causing
the collision. the hearing was suspend
cd ubject to the call of the coroner,
when a verdict will be rendered.
Among the witnesses examined were
disnatchers, operators, engineers, con-
d]uctors, agmen baggage masters,
etc. of the Southern; train men from
other roads and State Treasurer d X
Lacy, q former engineer. 1t was
shown that the orders for the two
trains TO meet at Auburn on the even
ing of the disaster were duly lsSueu'
received and delivered, but not obeyed.
II was also shown that the operator at
Auburn. where the passenger train
stopped Just before the fatal accident
knew nothing of the order. 1t was the
opinion of practically every Wltnes n
except one that if the middle order
system had been in vogue, Whlcn
would have placed a duplicate copy Oh
the order in the hands of the AUBURN
operator, the wreck would not nave
occurred. and, moreover, that the use
of that system in the operation OF
+rains is necessary to safeguard lie
and traffic. Only one witness, ChleI
dispatcher b. P. eKtchem, expressed
an opinion to the contrary.
The Testimony.
The first witness on the stand was
Chief Dispatcher B. =. hetcheni' "
Durham. whose name is signed to
c,-erv train order issued on he dlVl-
sion. He stated that orders were GUY
issued eastbound passenger tram NO.
1856 and west bound freight NO. lIo
fo meet at Auburn on the evening OF
Ano1st 9Th. He said that Auburn Is
A regular stop with a telegraph ONCE
and operator on duty from L:5o {:
m, to 1870 p. m: ne e 51e onder " svs.
tenn It merely means that in addl-
ton to ssuing meet orders to the en-
CINE + and OF the Two
trains that are to meet. that a dupn-
cate order is sent the operator at the
meeting station and also an order tnal
he display red board, which stops the
first of the two trains to arrive and
holds it until the other one is IN.
Conductor oakley Testifies.
Conductor C. NJ Oakley, Who was IN
charge of passenger tram NO. l3o,
when was wrecked. testified that he
had five cars and 35 or 40 passengers
on tho ~e.eninG Of the accident. lie
read the order which he received at
-.,ci2n on the evening of the wreck
and which he confesses to have for
gotten. lie said that he and Engineer
.'DN"v compared orders that night
He said he had been running as
in which time he had also served as
extra passenger conductor. The
signal displayed at Auburn on the
evening of the wreck meant
ders at Auburn In his opinion, if a
middle order had been sent the op-
orator at Auburn the accident would
not have occurred. He said he saw
the operator at Auburn that night but
did not know if he spoke to him. He
said he did not see the freight train
until the collision. The brakes were
applied and worked promptly.
Ara,- o01 OnprafOr Holm w Mas
soy. of Clayton, was next on the stand
and testified that he had been in his
present position two years. ON the
nioht OF August 9Th the order for the
meeting at Auburn was received by his
? .sistant and duly delivered to the en-
-lneer and conductor IN freight train
No. 173. He said that No. 173 left
CLAYTON that evening six hours late.
Conductor Neal.
Mr.. T. S. Neal. OF 'Clover, Va, was
conductor on the wrecked freight. He
read the orders received at Clayton.
He said that if a red signal had been
displayed at Auburn to hold No l36
the accident would not have occurred.
His train was running at about 20
miles an hour. The passenger train
Was moving at about p miles an hour
when they met. The emergency
brakes Of Witness train were applied
before the collision.
Cont. ~. 8. WithersDoon. conductor
or the Southern, said he had been
TrFT[Ilg as 1Or ABOUT 70
'-'-~1 - 70 the use of the
middle order syste mon the Green's
.-J-GoLusDoro line, he said it is
used to some extent. In reply to a
question he stated that in his opinion
if an order had been sent to the opera
tor at Auburn TO hold No. 1876 to meet
No. 1877 the accident would not have
occurred. Moreover, he stated that in
his opinion the use of the middle order
system would reduce the number of
accidents and casualties to a mini
mum.
Capt. w. H. Neal was recalled. IN
reply to questions he said that his
train on the evening of the wreck was
equipped with "all air brakes Asked
f the brakes were applied
before the crash, he replied that he
was tOl1 they were.
Mr.. A. w. Allison, the Southern
hallway operator at Raleigh, testified
mat on the occasion of the accident,
D.. rnnniL.nd nrdncS for tho cara..a+a.I