The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-06-21
Superintendent of the Road
Places Blame, but Mem
bers of Railway Commits
sion Say Underlying Rea-
son for Disaster Is Lack
of Reliable Signal System
ATTENTION DRAWN
ON TRAGEDY'S EVE
Corporation May Face Dam
age Suits Calculated to
Wipe Out Many Times
Over It's Surplus = Pa
thetic Story Surrounds the
Death of Helen Bandy

Between Train Dispatcher Edward
O'Leary and Conductor Horace Rich
man of the northbound flyer lies the
immediate responsibility for Thursdays
disastrous wreck on the San Fran
cisco. Napa and Calistoga railroad line.
mile and a half north of Napa. Su-
perintendent Malcolm Mcintyre of the
road asserts that there was direct DISC
bedience of orders on the part of the
conductor; but. in statements made by
members of the state railroad commits
sion. lack of reliable signal system
is given as the underlying reason
Such an accident could not have
occurred on a steam road" said one
Of the commissioners yesterday. The
whole situation on electriclines in the
state Is too much carelessness in opera
tion Of the cars, which are run as il
they we're streetcars Instead Of units
Of a regular railroaap
HAD BEGUN INVESTIGATION
Ten days before the accident the
commission had begun an investiga ton
of this and other electric lines, and
report had been sent out early in the
morning OF the wreck to superintend-
ent Mcintyre, pointing out that the
company must be certain that it's train
men made the meeting points abso-
lutely certain.
Just too late was this for the Napa
Valley road. which may face damage
suits calculated to wipe out many
times over it's surplus. Figuring that
$4,000 damages might be awarded for
each person killed, $13O,00o would be
paid out there. Awards for perma-
nent injuries of $4,000 to $4,000. for
to 100000, without considering costs
of the suits.
The San Francisco, Napa and Calls
toga road is capitalized for only
$1,000 900 and its surplus for 1911
amounted to ss5,s35. It's net earnings
for that year were ST. ,635
According to Maurice Tftzmaurice.
joint action for damage suits is ex-
pected to be the outcome OF the acci-
dent He says he has signed up II
plaintiffs. all but three OF whom sus-
tanned personal injuries. while the
other three are parents of persons
killed or injured.
Fitzmaurice says that he himself has
two broken ribs and a damaged scalp.
The crew OF the flyer was abso-
lutely to blame" said Mcintyre. "as it
left without orders Dispatcher
O'Leary made a statement yesterday to
District Attorney Raines of Solano
county. saying that when he learned
the northboun train was delayed by
loading baggage at Vallejo wharf he
ordered the southbound to proceed
to Hatch instead of making the passing
point Collins as usual.
Then I wrote out my orders for
Conductor Richman and waited for him
to call up from the wharf but he never
did and ran past Hatch without orders
PROBABLY WILL DIE
What Richman had in mind may
never be known, q s he was too weak
10 talk yesterday and probably will die
Richman, however. told the district
attorney the day Of the accident that
he had called up he dispatcher and got
the answer NO orders which he be-
lieved to mean TO proceed to Collins
siding a. usual
The little girl whose body was un-
identified Thursday was found yester-
day to be Helen Bancy, s years old.
who was travelling with F. II. Dayton,
travelling salesman for the Norvell