The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-11-30

Spokane, WASH, Nov. 3O.-"What
ais the Great Nofthern?" was really
the object sought by Chairman II. A.
Fairchild and Jesse S. Jones of the
state railroad commission, who held
a hearing yesterday on the freight
wreck between Milan and Chattaroy
November 9th, killing eight men and
reducing two trains to matchwood.
1.-THE conclusion is unsatisfactory, -
declared Mr.. Fairchild at the con-
clusion of the hearing. There is
not the shadow of doubt in regard
to who was at fault The report of
A. w. Perley, inspector for the COM
mission, makes that perfectly clear.
We were not trying to arrive at the
cause, but were attempting to find
out whether disloyalty, incompetence
or a faulty system entered into the
wrecks which have occurred on the
Great Northern of late.
Too Many Wrecks.
There are too many wrecks on
that road" he added; ''far too many,
and We are going to consider this
evidence carefully before arriving a.
a conclusion. In my opinion, the
| operator at Camden, who failed to
deliver the order to train 451 at
Camden, was just as much confused
as the conductor and engineer who
| disobeyed." r..
The men to blame were Joseph
Keefe, conductor, and H. l.. Hepburn,
engineer of train 451, who disobeyed
their orders. Experts declare that
the orders were correctly transmit
ted and in proper form, although
sent by telephone.
Evidence was introduced which
went to show that the men on the
Great Northern were of transient
character and that the road was not
we'll thought of by the men in the
freight train service. This was in
troduced 10 show that there was not
sufficient loyalty among the men to-
ward the company and that this re-
suited in irresponsible help.
Three ex-employees gave this tes-
timony, but a. w. Perley corrobor-
ated it in part as to the transitory
character of the help employed on
its freight trains. The records of
the Great Northern do not bear it
out
There was no evidence showing
that the road was to blame for the
wreck at Milan, except, perhaps, in
directly, by employing questionable
help on it's trains and in the ste
lions.
The wreck was caused by a west
bound train, No. Ash. which left
Troy with orders to wait at Camden
for extra las, fast fruit train,
eastbound, and failed to do so. The
two trains came together, headon,
about three miles west of Milan.
Given Two Orders.
Arriving at Camden Joseph Keefe,
conductor of No. Ash, who was short
enc brakeman and was riding on the
engine, went into the office. where
a telegraph operator was on duty.
A 10 order, which does not require
signature, was ready for him. This
permitted his train to proceed to Mi
Ian and meet the fruit train. Be-
fore the "19" order was delivered,
a "31" order was telephoned by the
dispatcher, which Keefe signed, re-
curing him to meet another east
bound freight train extra 1214," at
Dean, which is still further west than
Milan.
Keefe then declined the "19" or
der and disregarded the fruit train
entirely, failing to wait for it at
Camden, as his original rights pro-
vided, and where the undelivered
order would have permitted him to
go. The theory of the railroad,
which is accepted by the commission,
is that keefe confused the numbers
1914 and has In his haste AMI
supposed the order to meet 1914 at
Dean superseded his order to wait
at Camden. This delusion was shared
by the engineer, who was Jointly re-
| sponsible with him. Both of these
men were killed in the wreck
The operator at Camden, F. w.
Larkin. who failed to deliver the or