The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-27
Cause of Accident Is Still Con.
Sidered Mystery.
OFFICIALS GAVE INFORMATION
CO-Operated With State i'm
Probe Of Probable Cause.
First Action of Kind in History
of Kansas.

Following a three hour Investigation
today the state utilities commission
was unable to come to any definite
conclusion concerning the cause of the
Rock Island wreck at Manhattan last
Saturday when one person was killed
and 80 injured. Witnesses, including
the crew of the train and engine and
head operating officials of the road gave
all information at hand to the COM
mission but the mystery was not
cleared.
1t was the first investigation of a
wreck in the history of the utilities COM
mission in Kansas and is the begin
ming of series of inspections and in
formation on the safety of railway traf-
fic in this state. The immense amount
of details gladly furnished by the Rock
Island officials today opened the new
utilities policy under favorable condi-
tions and warranted cooperation on
the part of the rail lines in the fu-
ture.
Four possible causes of the Rock Is
land wreck at Manhattan were elimi-
mated at today's hearing-the theory of
a broken fange, misuse of air, rolling
tender and a broken part of the en-
gine falling beneath the wheels. The
loss of these causes combined with the
assertion of the officials that the track
was in good condition and the speed
of the train was not excessive for the
degree of curvature in the rails, leaves
the wreck mystery that probably never
will be solved.
Explanation of the Officials.
The officials in attendance at the
investigation this morning were: A. E.
Sweet, general manager; ]. b. Small
ley, assistant general manager; A. b.
RamSdel1, superintendent of the
Kansas division; J. NJ. Brown, engin-
oar a n ten of "a
Thomas O'Brien, the conductor, J. O..
Thompson; the fireman, w. j. Buler;
the brakeman, H. M. Burkhalter and
the section foreman, w. A. Currance,
also were before the utilities commits
sion.
Engineer O'Brien told his story of
the wreck as follows:
I'VE were just rounding the curve
west of Manhattan at about o'clock
in the morning and the fireman was
down in the pit shoveling coal when
1 heard him yell to me:
Tom, the tank is on the ground
Il threw on the air at once and just
as this was done the tender tore away
see the train in cloud of dust, part
of it rolling down the enbankment.
1--WE were not going around the curve
more than forty miles an hour and we
have made it many times at 40 and 80
miles an hour
The engineer and conductor believed
that there was something on the rail or
that the engine had thrown up some
thing from between the rails and de-
rallied the tender. They assert, how
ever, with the approval of the officials,
that upon a thorough investigation
nothing was broken from the engine.
The officials stated that they had
been able to account for every piece of
machinery or parts of the engine and
that nothing had dropped down on the
track to derail the tender. They said
that the aid had worked in good order
about three hundred feet west of the
scene of the wreck and that the wheels
showed no marks of the misuse of the
air.
1t is probable that another investi-
alton will be held later when passen-
gers will be called to testify.