Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1913-10-07
HEARING Held
To FIX Blame
Commission Sends Inspector
Here to Look Into
Wreck
EMPLOYEES TESTIFY
at Stephens to Be Reported
in Detail to Commission mt
Washington.

hearing that will probably be
completed today, is being conducted
in the office of Superintendent Elmer
Richardson, at the Cotton Belt shops
by Thomas c. Hays, federal inspector
OF safety appliances for the Inter-
state Commerce Commission, with a
view to ascertaining the causes that
led to the freight wreck on the Cotton
Belt road one half mile south Of
Stephens last Friday night. He will
remain here several days and will
then return to Washington where he
will submit his report to tine Inter-
state Commerce Commission.
AS soon as the Commission learned
OF the Cotton Belt wreck Saturday
morning and that several lives had
been lost they sent Mr.. Hays to Pine
Bluff to make a Thorough investiga-
ton. This is the first hearing of this
kind that has ever been conducted
under the direction of the Interstate
Commerce Commission in Arkansas.
Ten witnesses, all members of the
train crews that were in charge Of
the through freight train and the
work train, which came together In
a head-on collision, gave testimony.
before the federal inspector yester-
day. They told of orders that had
been received, OF the speed of the
trains at the time Of the accident the
nature. Of the, equipment on both
trains and other Details @tifst are US
sired by the Commission. Superinten-
dent Richards, OF the Cotton Belt
service, was present throughout the
assistance in his investigation into
the smash-up.
Mr. Hays is not permitted by his
superiors to give out any details OF
the inquiry for publication. He II
merely conducting the investigation
to- give the Commission an idea Of
what legislation is needed to remedy
conditions in the future and to
lessen the loss of life in railroad
travel. Among the witnesses who
were questioned yesterday was Engt-
neer J. H. McCabe, who was badly
Injured while riding in the engine OF
the through freight and who was re-
moved from the Davis Hospital to his
home Sunday. Mr.. Hays visited him
at his home during Monday and he
gave q complete statement of the
wreck and the details of his work
previous to it.
1t is known that there were some
steel cars in the trains that came to-
gether at Stephens. There were also
some wooden cars. The fact that the
steel cars were used prevented q
heavier property loss to the railroad
company.
+ Under the present law governing
the Interstate Commerce Commission
that body has no authority to fix
punishment for railroad officials or
employees where negligence is shown
in wrecks. When the horrible wreck
occurred on the New York and New
Haven Railroad recently, in which
twenty-one lives were lost. the Com
( mission asked Congress to give it
further authority whereby 1t might
fix punishment for officials or en-
ployes found to blame and there is
! t.,
complying with it's request.
Mr. Hays is an experienced man
in the Commissions service. He has
Investigated serious wrecks on the
New York and New Haven road and
declared last night that steel cars
were the main solution to the prob
lem Of preventing loss of life on rail-
roads.