The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-08-03
ACCEPTS FULL
RESPONSIBILITY
Spokane & Inland Railway
Company Will Not Dodge
Damage Suits.
STATEMENT BY MANAGER
PUBLIC ASKED TO TAKE SEVERAL
THINGS INTO CONSIDERATION.

Spokane, Wash, Aug. 1.-The SpO-
kane & Inland Railroad company. oper-
citing the Occur d'Alene line. on which
Saturdays wreck occurred, accepts full
legal responsibility in a statement is
sued today by General Manager Graves,
ana viii ask that moral responsibility
be fixed by a commission composed Of
prominent Washington and Idaho at
torLeys and newspaper men and rail-
road men. The purpose of the company
to ask for a public investigation is
unique in the history of railroad wrecks.
MT. Graves statement follows:
I'VE have made a sufficiently full in
vestigation TO determine that the COM
pany is legally liable for any legitimate
damages sustained by reason Of the
wreck, and this legal liability it does not
intend to question. The company con-
siders, however, that the public has
right to full information as to the cause
OF this accident in order that it may
be determined whether the company is
in future entitled to the continued con-
fidence and patronage of the public.
Moral Responsibility.
IF our company has furnished stand
ard equipment has kept its right of
way in good condition, adopted the best
known system for operating and en-
plOyed only competent railroad men,
and notwithstanding All this, one OF its
men Numbered and the wreck was
caused thereby. moral responsibility
would not attach TO the company.
In the conduct of every business. and
particularly I'm the railroad business,
the human element can not be elimi-
mated, and much must be entrusted TO
employees whose actions will make or
Unmake it.
IF. on the other hand. the accident
was due to the failure of the company
iu respect OF any of the duties which
as a company, IL owed TO the public in
respect of equipment, rOadbed, a mod
crn system of operation and care in
employing competent men, then the
company would be morally as well as
legally liable. IL is for the purpose Of
determining this question of moral re
sponsibility that the company has de-
cided 10 ask public investigation
Ready for Claims.
TN this connection I want to ask all
those who feel that they have any claim
against the company on account of
damages done them by this wreck, to
present their claims at the earliest pos
sible moment to the claim department
of this company.
An departments of the company, in
Guiding the claims department. are now
so overwhelmed with work that claims
may not receive immediate considera-
ton except i'm neCessitoUs cases. but it
is the committees desire to ascertain
the exact amount of claims against it,
and TO endeaVOr If possible to reach
settlement thereof at the earliest posi-
BILE moment, and we ask the cO-Opera-
ton and consideration of those having
claims against US in accomplishing that
result"
The death of Miss Frances Golden to-
day brings the list of fatalities to thir-
teen. MOtorman Campbell is still alive,
Dut mis- death may occur at any mo-
ment. A COroneT's inquest was held to-
day at Occur d'Rlene and viii be con-
tinued until all available witnesses are
examined.