The daily sentinel., 1909-01-25
No Attempt to
Prosecute Olsen
Coroner's jury Holds Engineer Re
sponsible-Trainmen Testify as
to Orders-Regartling Dot
sero Switch.

The witnesses included the
trainmen on the illfated pas
senger train. the crew of the
freight train and others who
were on the train at the time of
the collision. After listening to
the statements of the witnesses
the jury brought in verdict
holding Olson negligent for fail
ure to obey his orders and stop
ut the Dotscro siding. The find
ing of the Jury was announced
in telegram received by The
Sentinel from Editor Fillmore.
of the Red Cliff Blade, late Sat
urday night.
Conductor McCurdy, of the pas
senger train. while not Officially ex-
onerated, was not mentioned in the
verdict.
The Denver Republican. having a
special correspondent at the inquest
gives to all appearances the most
impartial and accurate account of the
inquest in its Sunday issue, given by
any of the Denver papers. The Re
publican account says in part:
All other trainmen and the tele-
graph operators were exoncrated by
the jury of six ranchmen impaneled
by Coroner j c. Gilpin of Eagle
county.
Olsen was not present to give his
statement, nor was deposition from
him introduced. but all the evidence
presented showed that Olsen dis
obeyed his orders in running past
Dotsero siding.
The jury declared that he was the
cause of the wreck by "disobeying
orders through negligence or some
unknown cause.
The principal testimony was that
of Conductor Al McCurdy III the
passenger train McCurdy stated
thai he received IA r3l" order from
the operator at Wclcott, instructing
him to wait at Dotsero until 9:55
Tor the third section of freight train
No Sc.
The conductor swore that in his
opinion Olsen blew the usual blast
In approaching the Dotscro siding
later than ordinarily. The train at
that time was travelling at rate of
40 miles an hour in order to make
up time. AS they rushed by the west
end of the Dotsero switch. +. j Rob
erts. his front brakeman, remarked
to him that the freight train was not
there. McCurdy Immediately signal
ed the engineer to apply the emer-
gency brake. This was followed by
heavy application of air. which re
duced the speed of his train to about
20 miles an hour. in his opinion, Be-
fore the stop could be made, however,
the crash came.
Brakeman Roberts corroborated
the testimony of the conductor and
was positive that the orders read to
wait at Dotsero until 800. Both
men stated. as did Hugh Wilson, as
sistant superintendent of that divis-
ion of the Rio Grande. that the trains
collided at 9:47.
c. A. Whiteeman, dispatcher at
Glenwood Springs, who issued the
order for train No. .. and Clark
Argabright who received II and de-
livered it to Conductor McCurdy. also
stated that the crew of The passenger
train was instructed to wait at Dot
sero for the third section of the
freight
None of the railroad men could
explain why Olsen ran his train past
the siding contrary TO his orders, eN-
cepting that Brakeman Roberts ad-
vanced the opinion that Olsen may
have read his watch wrong, or that
he may have misread the time on
the order.
While Coroner Gilpin presided at
the proceedings, District Attorney
Hogan questioned the witnesses The
inquest was attended by a large mum
Der of railroad men from this part
of the state.
Tho evidence introduced tended to
place the entire responsibility for the
disaster on Olsen. and while the jury
was out 10 minutes. the verdict as
returned was expected.