The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1910-03-31
THE BLAME FOR
BACKING TRAIN
PiIot-engiueer White Who Lost His
Was Responsible.
HE WAS IN ABSOLUTE CONTROL
Thought "Yr was Too Short TO Turn
Engines Inquiry by Railroad
Commissioners Has Not Fixed
Blame For Wreck.

| Marshalltown, March 30.-Special
The probable cause of the Green
Mountain wreck of March Il was
brought out at the hearing before the
railroad commissioners today. Rail.
road men testified that the break
beam on the front tender referred to
yesterday by 7. H. York, had drop
ped down, which may have derailed
| the train. The train was running
not to exceed twenty-five miles an
hour. The truck was not in particu-
larly bad condition. The marks on
the ties were made by the trucks of
a smoker and not the engine, indi-
eating that the smoker left the track
first. Il. S. Prichard, the engineer,
said he had orders to run not to ex-
coed ten miles an hour three miles
east of Gladbrook and not over five
miles an hour east of Rinebeck, but
The wreck did not occur on these sec
| lions. The evidence will be submit
ted and the case closed today. The
witnesses examined so far today
were Supt. Given, of Des Moines,
|
attorney for the Rock Island, e. s.
Pritchard, engineer, of Cedar Rapids
Fred Wilbur, of Marshalltown, under.
taker, w. f. Estes, undertaken, Mar
shaltown, and DR.. N. E. Mighell, who
| dad charge of the doctors.
Marshalltown, March Scatter an
| all-day hearing yesterday in which a
| score or more of witnesses were eX-
| imined, the state railway commission
| IS still without information as to the
cause for the disastrous Rock Island
wreck between Green Mountain and
Gladbrook, March 81, in which fifty
one people lost their lives, and many
more were seriously injured,
One important fact however. was
Iestabifshed The Testimony showed
that John White, of Des Moines, the
Great Western engineer who piloted
the i'll fated train, was directly re-
sponsible for the train making the
run to Waterloo, with the engines
backing and pulling the train.
At Marshalltown, where the train
left the Northwestern tracks and
transferred to the Great Western,
there is Y. On this Y the two en-
gines should have been turned, but
White did not direct that this be
done, stating he did not believe the
engines could make the Y turn by
reason of their weight.
Great Western dispatchers asserted
tIa
turned on this Y engines every bit
as heavy and ponderous as the two
Rock Island engines.
On further Investigation, the com
missioners found that when a train
| is detouring over foreign company's
+ line, the pilot of the line over which
the detour is being made is in abso-
| Lutte charge and his decision is equiya-
lent to an order.
| F. c. Baikie. of Des Moines, Great
Western dispatcher who was in com
munication with Pilot White and the
conductor of the train relative to turn
ing the engines informed them that
the engines could be turned. He did
not order White to do this, however.
He testified that he had left the
whole matter with White. the pilot,
After receiving the order leaving the
choice to him, White considered the
matter for time He finally decided
to risk the journey with the engines
backing instead of trying to turn
them, in order to save time.
Under this testimony White had
absolute jurisdiction over the train,
and his ruling that the engines should
back up and pull the train was final.
the Rock Island trainmen having no
appeal unless they saw danger in the
move. They evidently had no fear of
disaster for Dispatcher Beale says
the conductor did not protest, but in
stead was anxious that permission be
given to back the engines.
While 1t has not been established
that the derailnent was caused by the
engines backing. yet all the testimony
of the day was TO that effect. Ac.
cording to testimony. the track was
in perfect condition. The exact speed
of the i'll faxed train has not been de.
ter-nined. The records OF the train.
men show that the passenger went
through Green Mountain at sos
o'clock. and that 1t was wrecked at
point four miles out OF that station
about Sill O'Clock, showing speed
of about twenty miles per hour.
Railway men on the stand differed
as to whether this was too fast
w. Gilbert piloted the Rock Island
train from Waterloo to Marshalltown
4 the morning Of the wreck, just a few
hours before His train Was running
with the engines backing and making
twenty niles an hour. He said he
encountered no trouble over the road.
This Is pointed as evidence thRt the