The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-03-02
NEGLIGENCE CAUSED WRECK.
RAILROAD OFFICIALS HOLD
FLAGMAN RESPONSIBLE.
Locklier Should Have Disregarded
"CaIl I'm" Signal With Time Limit
So Narrow.

Columbia, Feb. N.-Responsibility
for the Southern Railway wreck at
Frost Monday afternoon, when IL peo-
pie were killed, was placed yesterday
by the coroner's jury on the crew Of
train No. IS, who, it alleged, failed to
properly observe the rules Of caution.
The verdict read:
That the IL persons came to their
deaths by train No. AZ from Spartan
burg to Columbia running into train
No. Is from Greenville to Columbia at
or near Frost, occasioned through the
rules of caution being not thoroughly
carried out by crew of train No. 1S."
A thorough investigation was also
conducted by railroad officials and inn
mediately thereafter the following
statement was issued by F. S. Collins,
superintendent of the Columbia 6i-
vision:
lnNeSllSAtlOH ueNSlOpSu SOhiS WIZ
Trajectory statements between some
members Of the crews, but it is clear
that if the tagging rules had been OBJ
served by train No. is, the accident
would rot have occurred"
The following is the rule in ques-
sion:
when train is stopped at an un-
usual point or is delayed at a regular
stop over three minutes or when 1T
fails to make it's schedule time, the
hagman must Immediately go back
with danger signals TO stop any train
moving in the same direction. st
point one-half of a mile Cor Is tele-
he must place ope torpedo on the rail,
on enginemans side; he must then
continue to go back at least three
fourths of mile Cor % telegraph
poles) from the rear of his train and
place two torpedoes on the raf, ten
yards apart Zone rail lengthy, when
mile Cor Is telegraph poles) from
the rear of his train, and he must re-
main there until recalled; but IL a
passenger train is due within ten min
utes, he must remain until it arrives.
When he comes in, he will remove the
torpedo nearest to the train, but the
two torpedoes must be left on the
rail as a caution signal to any follow
ing train.
IF the delay occurs upon single
track, and it becomes necessary to
protect the front of the train, or if
any other track is obstructed, the
front brakeman must go forward and
use the sane precautions. If the
front brakeman is unable to leave the
train, the fireman must be sent in his
place.
"On descending grades, or during
D binding storm or fog, the fagman
i must go as much farther than the dis
tancc named above as will insure alb
: relatively greater distances from the
obstruction
Train No. ~ was three or four min
yates late at Frost, one half mile from
the wreck, Engineer Long testified,
and his train was running, he said.
about as miles an hour when the COL
lision occurred
Another phase of the inquest about
which much inquiry was directed was
Rule SO under which flagmen operate,
requiring tiagman to remain at his
post and disregard call in" signals,
when a trailing passenger train is
only ten minutes behind another train
on an irregular stop. Strict compli-
ance with the rule would have requir-
ed Locklier TO have stuck by his pro-
tecting station until train No. AZ ar
rived and then to have mounted the
engine and proceeded on the trailing
train, as train No. IS was on No. 42s
schedule
Harve Locklier, flagman on train
No. IS, testified at the coroner's in
quest that when his train was halted
Monday afternoon he Immediately
rushed back up the track between a
half and three-quarters of a mile and
placed two torpedoes on the track and
then withdrew the customary space
back toward the stationary train and
placed a third torpedo, as the rules
require, and remained at that post un-
I'll signaled in by his engineer.
Five members of the crew of train