American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1912-09-12
A THOROUGH
INVESTIGATION
Mr.. Charlesworth Only Was
to Blame For Accident
Evidence showed He Mistook the
Warnings and Did Not Know
Fast Mail Was Coming.

The officials of the Oregon Shor
Line carry on a most thorough in
vestigation when an accident hap
pens and do all within their poweI
to place the blame for the same.
Last week JohnM. CharIeswortt
Was injured at the road crossine
mere by coming in contact with thu
engine pulling No. 8 the fast mail
Saturday an investigation was mad
: In Pocatello by some of the Officials
of the Idaho division together will
c. E. Wilson, of the Press office.
1t Is rule with the company tc
call into such investigations a resi-.
dent of the town in which an &C
cldent occurs when a citizen oftha
town Is injured in the accident.
The inquiry board met SATURDAY.
morning and were in session most @
the day Every man who MAO nsaS
the place at the time of the acci-
dent was called and examined. =
most thorough examination was
made and everything pertaining tc
the positions and movements of tn q
trains carefully looked into. Three
train crews were on the spot al
the time and these were all ques
TONED very closely Mr.. Charles
worth being in the hospital al
LIB
able to give evidence regarding his
movements at the time Of the acci-
dent.
The evidence showed that Extra
1O42 West was standing on thu
passing track with the crossing Gu
and had orders to couple up and
follow west behind No. 8, the fast
mail. AS soon as the mail train
whistled for town the signal was
given for engine 1912 to back uI
for the coupling. Mr. CharleswortL
at this time was going towards the
road crossing and as the bell OF
engine 1O42 gave the signal that
she was going to back up, he haster-
ed his pace to cross before it could
get to the train. A brakeman was
standing at the end of the trair
ready to make the coupling wher
Mr. Charlesworth came onto the
crossing and he warned him to take
care. The brakemen at this poin
realized that Mr.. Charlesworth was
going to continue across the mair
line track and knew that the mai
train would surely hit him if he die
so and they continued to givewarn-.
Ing. Instead of turning and LOOKING
at the mail train the unfortunate
man turned towards engine 1912
and by such action showed that he
was not aware that train was
coming in on the main line and mis-
took the warnings of the two brake
men to have reference to the move
ments of engine 1042 and as he
watched this engine he continued
slowly towards the main line track
colliding with the engine pulling the
mail train.
Inc force threw him against the
tender of 1042 and a wheel passed
over his foot before that engineer
could stop his engine. The speed
of the mail train was slower than
s the regular speed through here
IN account of two trains being IN
ne yards and it was proven that a,
he time of the accident they were
ravellng not to exceed twelve miles
In hour. Outside Of the evidence
IS to the speed Of the train, circum-
'tances, themselves, would indicate
nat 1t was not travelling very fast
I they had been travelling at the
egular speed Mr.. Charlesworth
would hardly escaped death; and
Vhen the engineers attention was
allied to the accident he stopped
Is train with the engine at the
'ater tank, which is 500 feet dis
ance from the point when the ac-
ident happened and his train then
Kelly travelled 500 feet after he
pplied the air.
From all the evidence is was very
learly shown that Mr.. Charles
-o-th knew nothing Of the approach
he mail train and he was only
uding his movements against an
ccident with engine 1042.