Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1908-10-29
COMMITTEE REPORTS
ON BOISE COLLISION
Say That Passenger Extra No. 657 was
Running Too Fast.---Ru|e No. 93
Not Compiled With.

We, the undersigned, constituting
Board of Inquiry, held to investigate
the facts leading up to, and the causes
of the collision near 10th street cross
ing in the yards of the Oregon Short
Line Railroad Company, in Boise
City, Idaho, between passenger extra
657, Engineer Joseph Hennessey,
Fireman e. r. Laing, Conductor r.
M. Ryper, Flagman C. A. Head,
Brakeman t. E. Whalen, returning
from the Fair Grounds, and Engine 405
handling equipment of passenger train
No. LAG engine being in charge of
Fireman Harvey Wilt and Brakeman
F. A. Horling a l :58 p. m. on Tues
day October goth 1908 beg to advise
our findings are as follows:
Passenger extra 657 was moving
under orders to work extra between
Boise and Fair Grounds and was
handling passengers between the
Boise Passenger Depot and the Fair
Grounds, two miles eastward. This
train left the Fair Grounds at l 45
p. M, its engine backing and showing
one baggage car and five cpaches.
Meanwhile engine 405 was being
used to switch the equipment of reg
ular passenger train No. 164, consist
ing of eight cars down to the depot,
as this train was due to leave Boise
for Nampa at go p. M, and the
engine was pulling the train out of
the east end of No. 2 track on to the
main line to back up to the station.
When this engine had reached the
I main line switch, Brakeman Horling,
hearing the sound of the Air whistle on
the rear Of Passenger Extra $751; inn
mediately gave Fireman Wilt vio-
lent signal TO stop, this the fireman
instantly acted upon and stopped the
train within 20 feet. He then at
tempted to get his train started back
in order to put it in the clear of the
main line, but on account of having
insufficient time, he was unable to ac-
complish this, and the collision oc-
Cured at a point 20 feet east of the
point OF what is known as the lead
switch.
From the point of collision the
track extends eastward lao feet to
the point of an s degree and 20 minute
curve to the left, thence along the
curve All feet and thence on tangent
eastward 1862 feet, all of which track
is practically level The direction as
shown above are in accordance with
time table 81 ecifications-
Passenger extra 657 was moving at
a speed of approximately u miles PEI
hour when they approached within q
distance of III feet or the point from
which engine 405 could be plainly
seen from the leading car Of the train
and was unable TO stop, although the
air brakes, which were working
through the entire train, We're appliec
in emergency by Conductor Rypei
and Brakeman Whalen, who, after tho
accident. had to bleed the air out Of
the train in order to move il, showing
conclusively that the air was work.
ing under strong pressure.
AS a result of this collision We
find that Il e following persons sus-
tanned in uries from which they after
wards died:
MARTIN BLACK, an itinerant
known in the vicinity Of Nampa anc
Boise by the name Of Blackie,
formerly a steam filter, was beating
his way from the Fair Grounds t
Boise and was between the tender Of
engine 657 and baggage car 40l, at u {
time of the collision, sustaining in.
juries from which he died at Saint
Luke's Hospital at 3.52 p. M, the
date of the accident.
DANIEL LAWLER. ls years o.