The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-06-29
BENNINGTON W., MONDAY, JUNE 20, 1905
NO BLAME FOR RAILROADS
State Board Of Commissioners Make
Reports on Five Accident Cases.

State Board Of Commissioners Make
Reports on Five Accident Cases.
The state board of railroad commits
sioners has made public It's findings
In five accident cases which have been
investigated by the board and In no
case Is any blame attached to the rail-
road company involved.
Relative to the accident to Daniel
McFee at West Hartford on the Cen.
trial Vermont railroad February II,
1908, the commissioners severely crit
icize the states attorney OF Windsor.
They say:
"A public investigation into the
cause OF this accident was held at
West Hartford, May 13, 1908 but the
Investigation was very unsatisfactory
because the states attorney had neg
lected his statutory duty prescribed
by p. S. 1909. This is the third inves-
LEGATION of this kind that we have held
in Windsor county this week and al
though the states attorney In each
case had full notice OF the hearing, in
GLIDING list OF the witnesses who
could give information I'm regard to
the accident he neither attended nor
produced any witnesses nor gave any
reason for his absence"
1t appears that Mr.. McFee slipped
while descending from a car, the in.
ljuries resulting In hemorrhages of the
kidneys and lungs, caused by the rup-
ture Of blood vessels. AS none of the
train crew saw the accident and Mr..
McFee was not present at the hearing
held by the commissioners they make
no finding In the case.
In regard to the fatal accident to
John Molstrom and injury of Oscar
Johnson at White River Junction on
the Boston and Maine railroad, April
10. 1908, the commissioners report In
part is as follows:
"On April ., 1908, an extra freight
train on the Boston and Maine rail
road while the train was running
down grade ON its own momentum at
a speed OF about 20 miles an hour,
the train separated, the air-brakes au-
| dramatically set and stopped the train.
When the train crew went back, they
found nine OF the loaded freight cars
in the ditch and badly damaged. AS
they looked, a man crawled out from
the wreckage wit h a slight flesh
wound over his eye, and told the train
crew he was Swede by the name Of
Oscar Johnson, that he and a COM
lpanion by the name of John Molstrom
had mounted the train about mile
back; that they were without money
and were bound for Boston.
I'VE find that Molstrom was instant
lily killed as he rode on the "deadwood"
between two cars, by the cars coming
together and crushing him. The road
bed was In no way defective, but,
on the contrary, was In good condi.
ltion. The derailment was probably
due to broken wheel. but whether
this was the true cause no one can
say with certainty. When the wreck,
lage was removed, broken wheel was
found among the ruins.
I'VE cannot find any negligence In
Prospect Of the speed of the train or Its
management and operation, nor in
Prospect to the condition and sufiicien
Icy OF the roadbed."
In regard to the fatal accident To
Richard Barber at White River juno
ton May 2, 1908, the report of the
ouONS Dtt, WIN
was "a years OF age, was acting as O
spare brakeman and was on duty with
the shuntlng crew In the yard. For
the purpose of detaching a passenger
coach from train in the yard Bar
Der had gone beneath the car to at
tach small chain to the lever which
operates the couplers. The conduc
tor noticed an engine approaching ant
says that he warned Barber not TO &c
beneath the car but the man eithel
did not hear. or failed to heed the
caution, and when the engine strucl
the car his head was crushed and ht
died shortly afterward. The repor
reads
Though we were somewhat inclin
ed to think that the conductor, whC
saw the approaching engine, should
have noticed the position of Mr.. Bar
Der, and either given him furthel
warning or signaled the engine to stop
still, on the whole, We cannot sa,
that he ought to have done S,
as he disclaims any expectation
that Mr. Barber would take the haz
ardous position, after his warning. o
had any knowledge that he had don,
so.
1T results then that this acciden
was due wholly to the fault Of MI
Barber himself"
In regard to the fatal accident L
Alice Sparks at Burlington March &c
1908, on the Central Vermont railroad
the commissioners report that tn
girl who was IA years of age, wa
killed while passing between tw
loaded coal cars in the yard the car
being shocked together just as sh
was passing between them. The con
missioners make the following recon
mendation:--
"All the territory covered by tn
Central Vermont railroad yard mort
of the passenger station is constant
traversed by men, women and chile
rem, and the railroad employees hav
great difficulty in keeping childre
off moving trains and out of othe
dangerous situations. We think tn