Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-08-25
PLACE BLAME
ON EMPLOYEES
Investigating Committee File Find
ings of Recent Wreck

sistant Trainmaster Cook, Motorman
Campbell and Conductor whittlesey,
were today ofEieially blamed for the
collision on the Occur d'Alene a spo-
kane Electric railway near Lacrosse.
Idaho, on July 81. In which sixteen
were killed. The committee APP
pointed by the chambers OF commerce
of the cities of Occur d'Alene and
Spokane and the electric company to
investigate the cause filed their fnd-
ings last night
The committee charge Cook with
violating the road rules by signing
the register for Whittlesey; Camp
bell is alleged to have disregarded
the orders by running past the stop
ping point, and Whlttlesey's alleged
failure to give the brakeman a copy
Of the orders at Occur d'Alene, which
would have prevented the wreck.
The report OF the investigating
committee gives in part that on thu
afternoon Of July 81. at 2;30 D. m.
special No. 5. composed Of a motor
and two trailers, left Spokane with
orders to run to Occur d'Alene as a
special. leaving ten minutes before
No. 20's time and arriving in Occur
d'Alene at 4:20 and 4:25, about IL
minutes behind No. 20's time. That
Conductor WhIttlesey Immediately
registered In and out for himself and
for Motorman Campbell. leaving a
blank for time OF departure. Tha.
Assistant Tralnmaster Cook received
and receipted for No. b's orders for
return trip to Spokane. That this
should have been done by Conductor
Whlttlesey and Motorman Campbell
In person, and that Assistant Train
master Cook in so acting for them
violated an important rule of the
company. That Motorman Campbell
did not stop or slow down at the
~" but continued on, in violation
Of the rules and his orders, toward
the station of Gibbs. about one mile
distant from the ~ at a speed OF
about 25 miles an hour. That Motor
man Campbell continued on to the
station of Gibbs and his train eollided
with regular passenger train No 20
about 900 feet west of the depot AT
Gibbs. That by reason of the char
acter of the track at the point In
question MotoFman Campbell could
have seen regular No. 90 approach
ing for a distance OF 500 feet. That
Motorman Campbell did not observe
No. 30 approaching until he was
within $50 feet OF them. and he was
so startled that he did not get action
quick enough on his air and coh-
troiler to stop the train before the
collision. That Conductor white
sey delivered q copy of his orders TO
Motorman Campbell and Instructed
him to pull down to the "Y" and
wait for No. 20. That Conductor
Whittlesey did rot require Motormah
Campbell to read back his orders as
prescribed by the rules OF the com
psny. That Conductor Whittlesey
failed to exhibit his orders to either
OF his brakemen. as required by the
rules Of the company. and that
neither OF the brakemen had any
knowledge of special No. SIS orders
on her trip to Spokane. That after
delivering the the orders and h.
ptrueting Motorman Campbell 10
await No. 20 at the ~" Conductor
Whittlesey gave the signal TO go
ahead. got on his train and immedi-
ately began taking tickets and col
lecting fares: and that he paid NO
further attention to the movements
Of the train and did not realize tina:
Motorman Campbell had failed 10
stop at the ~" for No. 20. That
was In violation OF the rules OF the
company. which require the eonduo-
tor a. well as the motorman of al
extra train 10 look out for and be
certain that 4 regular train against
which they have no orders has ar
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