The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1911-12-28
CONDUCTOR BLAM[S
fLAGMAK FOR WRECK
CORONER Is MAKING INQUIRY
INTO THE CAUSE OF THE MIL
WiUkEIE ROADS WRECK At
ODESSA, MINI.

ODESSA, MINI.
O4tonviile, Minn.-Tnc ccrcacr's
inquiry int the cause OF tao dis
as'rors wreck ut .Odcss; OF tho
Hastings & Dakota division ri ihc
Milwaukee road on Monday las
brought a ccterie g Iaiiway men
and experts 10 tlis city. The pro-
ccedings were resumed soon after 9
4. M, al the courthouse, with Core
ner Bolsta and County Attorney
kacrcher in charge.
It vas madc pretty clear at the
o@tset that the officials believe and
win Try 10 show that the railway
company. as woll as its employees,
was %culpablo. in That n night opera
tor vas not maintained al Odessa
and that moro safeguards were not
provided in the dispatching OF trains.
Conductor accused l1acman.
Only iour Witnesses were cyamin-
"a. They were Martin Shocn. IN IN
Gertakcr OF Ortonvillc, who testified
10 reccivinE the bodies OF tho dead
and gave their names; X. VI. don
: tlel, ;hc operator ct junction switch;
Lawrence Chick. conductor OF he
Columbian snich was partially tolc-
acopcd b. the second section. and
Ray Law, the naGman. Chief inter-
$ CT conferred in The testimony OF the
last named.
Conductor Gillick placed rcspon-
n sibili'y for the wreck upon his Gag
mar, RIA y Law. An his testimony
went to show that had tho llagmah
goae back ANA displayed signals, rs
he was directed to do, the 2ccitont
/, would never have occurred. He said
the nagman appeared before MIN five
or six minutes after nc collision,
INT would make no explanation for
: his failure to carry OIL his orders.
Gave Him Orders to Flag.
" TIE conductor said ire first sec
e ton cached Odessa at 3:32 a. IN,
\, He found the block signal was
against him and so stopped his train,
a There was no one in the station. Nc
u saw n MAJ standing near by and ask
cd him where the operator lived.
a The man tleu started with u OF
| tho brakeman 10 arousc the operator
p and GillicF went to the end OF the
train and found Law standing at
the end of the G sleeper.
II told him TO go back and flag
the secondh section" said Gillicck
n and he started off, then went to
is the station office and the operator
arrived in about twenty Minutes.
asked him what the board vas uT
tor. and he said he was sure ne SCI
it TO clear when he won't homo. lIc
then save nc a clear which mean
he had no orders for my train.
II asked him il he did not wan
TO give ne an order for my train
= Then he asked if | had n tlasmal
out ana notified mo that the seconC
section had left Junction switch.
Did you undertake 10 leave Odes
X sa"" asked the county attorney.
Yes, at 1925 a. m.
so o stopped in Odessa thir
ty-fvc minutes?"
NO: thirty-two minutes.
Fagman on Stand.
The examination OF Law. the Nag
- man had NOT been completed Whcl
. the noon recess was taken
=, Some OF his evidence was at ladica
variance with that OF the conductor
" The switch, he said, vas 500 ice
from the train. and not but zoo, a
:" the conductor stated. The silk traiI
=" came up nj sixty miles AN hour, h.
said, when the engineer and fireman
have said it was making only abou
~, twenty-five or thirty miles an hon
when the collision occurred.
After the train stopped sai'
!. Law, II passed down the end ant
: took a position on the track abou
twenty-five feet distant. had beer
there five minutes when the conduc
tor came up and said that when
heard the whistle of the second sec
ton of No. is 10 go back and fla!
and throw the switch. ] Wen TO TIL
switch and then out as far as tn
%cattleguard, which was about 1850
feet away. I could see the soma
~ phore board show clear and | re
turned to about my original position
behind the train.
- In . few minutes the head brake
MAJ told me the second section hat
left junction Switch and 500
heard its whistle and started bacl
III as fast as | could. But before
could get 10 the switch, which wa
ly 500 feet away, the train was upol
I'd me. 1t was running at least sixt,