Ranger’s trap being a commodious one, he expressed himself willing to
take the young woman with the broken limbs to be nursed at his
homestead, if the Bartons would ride with him and take all possible care
to keep her from being jolted; providing Dr. Fisherton did not consider
the journey too long and dangerous. Having given his consent to this
arrangement, they all four started for his home. They necessarily had to
proceed slowly, so that consequently the Ranch was not reached until
late in the evening.
As soon as Mrs. Ranger learned what had happened, and the fresh demand
that was to be made upon her domestic resources, she readily
accommodated herself to the situation, and had the patient put in a
comfortable bed. The Bartons were provided with a shake-down on the
floor, after first being supplied with a good supper.
Fellows, who when we last left him was in a state of delirium from the
effects of the fire, had not yet returned to consciousness, although the
virulence of the fever had somewhat abated.
There seemed, therefore, little prospect of much sleep for Mrs. Ranger
that night, as the two alternately required much of her attention.
In the course of the next day Dr. Fisherton rode over to see the two
patients, and to attend to their dressings; and from him they learned
that four more of the injured had died, bringing up the number dead to
eighteen; and that the coroner had arranged to hold his Court at M’Lean
Station on the following day, a jury having been summoned for that
purpose.
The inquiry, which was held in the goods-shed,—a sufficiently capacious
building at M’Lean Station,—was chiefly devoted to a formal
identification of the bodies, so as to render burial possible.
This, in all cases, was not an easy matter, but with the assistance
afforded from papers found upon the deceased, and in one or two cases by
the aid of relations travelling with them who had been saved, it was at
length accomplished, and the coroner’s order issued, permitting the
funerals to take place.
As to the cause of the mischief, the testimony was not quite so clear;
but the general opinion seemed to be that it was due to an error of
judgment on the part of the signalman, in allowing the luggage train to
be shunting at a time when the passenger train was so near due.
Eventually the Court stood adjourned for a week to admit of further
evidence being adduced.
At the end of that period, when the jury reassembled, very little fresh
light was thrown upon the case by the additional evidence produced; and
the jury, whilst strongly condemning the carelessness of the signalman,
which had undoubtedly been the cause of all the mischief, returned a
verdict of accidental death.
Subsequently, an official inquiry was held by the C.P.R. Company, which
ended in the signalman, who was deemed to blame, being dismissed the
service.
A heavy bill of indemnity ultimately had to be faced, which the Company
on the whole met and liquidated in a fairly generous spirit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account