The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-12-26
CORONER'S INQUEST Isl
ORDERED

was the name 'E. Murphy, or Enid.
The Injured
The injured brought to Chickasha
are: Lee Seaton, Elmore City, Okla.
Injured only slightly His uncle lives
near Chickasha.
Clarence Wise, Holiday, Okla. Cut
over right eye, not serious.
A. A. Hunter Fletcher and Okla
homa City Right hand smashed and
right leg broken
L. r. Chester and Win Chester,
1922 IL w Maple street, Oklahoma
CITY, in Stockyards addition.
Jess Chester, Oklahoma City.
b. W. Fern, Cyril, Okla. Leg brok
en-.
" L. Timmons, Cement, Okla. Cut
and bruised about the head.
j. L. Fenton, a soldier from Camp
Nmston, Kansas. Head hurt and leg
mashed.
T. ]. Hensley, Oklahoma, mot the
legislator by that name) head hurt.
Miss Esteher Clark, school teacher
Beaver Crossings, Nebraska.
Toll Is Heavy.
Five dead and many injured is the
toll taken in the wreck which oc-
Cured almost directly in front of
the station at Norge on Christmas
morning at 12:40, when west
bound Frisco freight train collided
with the rear end of a west bound
passenger ,telescoping the second
car from the rear of the passenger
train.
A strange fact connected with the
tragedy is that the dead and prac-
tically all, if not all, the injured pas
sengers were not in the rear pas
senger coach, but in the second
from the rear. When the freight col
lided with the passenger. the rear
passenger coach was jammed
through the coach directly ahead,
telescoping it from rear to front
CaVaness investigates.
Findings of d. M. Cavaness, cOun-
ty attorney, after an investigation,
point to the practical certainty that
the passenger train stood at the
passenger station at Norge from 80
to 40 minutes at the least. The
cause of the delay was not fully es-
tablished at the first investigation.
First reports were that that the
steam in the passenger engine had
diminished to such an extent that
it was necessary to stop and build
up sufficient pressure. Other re-
ports were that the fire box or flues
of the engine had become clogged
to the extent that it was imperative
that they be cleaned and that the
engine crew was engaged in that
work when the wreck occurred.
At all events, Mr.. Cavaness stated
his information was that the pas
senger left the Chickasha station at
11:30 and should have arrived at
rorge at 1855. The freight, Mr.
CaYaness learned left Chickasha at
--..J and that it was exactly 12:40
when it's engine plowed into the
rear of the passenger.
Cause Undetermined
The cause of the wreck remains
at this time undetermined. 1t was
claimed by some of the passengers
aboard the ill-fated train that when
the passenger was halted at Norge,
the flagman, who. the information
states is Frank Higgins OF this city,
was sent back to flag any train that
might approach and that he had
come back to the station to warm.
the night being bitterly cold, and
that he had started to return to his
post in the rear of the passenger,
when the freight swung around the
curve and thundered down upon the
passenger.
Another theory that is advanced
is that the air brakes on the
freight were frozen or that in some
way the extreme cold had rendered
the brakes of no avail, and that the
engine crew of the freight was pow
erless to stop the train before it
crashed into the heavily loaded pas
senger carrier
The passenger train was in charge
of Conductor A. E. Lewis with En-
gineer John Quinn in the cab. Con-
ductor Sawyer had charge of the
freight with Engineer Atkins at the