The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-03-16
FIGURING OUT
RESPONSIBILITY.
Targetman Insists the Valley
Had the Right of Way.
FIT. WAYNE ENGINEER TO BLAME
Either Missed Seeing the Target or the
Air wouldn't work--That is
the Claim of the Target
Tender,

Mention was made in the News-Demo-
crat, Tuesday Of the accident which be-
fel Ft. Wayne passenger train No. 6, at
the crossing of the Ft. Wayne and the
Cleveland Terminal & Valley railroads.
Train No. 6, which left Chicago at II
o'clock Monday night, with heavy
train, consisting of two mail cars,
one baggage car, one express
car, three coaches, one dining and two
sleeping cars, with full train of pas
sengers, was drawn from Crestline by
one of the large class Ga type of en-
gines, with Engineer Isaac Richey and
Fireman p. ]. Duffy in the cab Run
ming at a mile-a- minute clip down
Buck hill the engine, No. 6S, together
with an empty mail car which followed
was badly broken and mail car was
derailed at the western end of the inter-
locker and about 200 feet west of KIN
tower. AS soon as the engine struck
the switch. which was thrown for the
passing of a C. T. &c V. r. r. passenger
train, it left the rails, spread the track,
crossed two sidings, and ran nearly one
hundred feet over the cross ties to with
in ten feet of the Valley track where it
stopped of it's own accord.
This train is scheduled to arrive at the
Canton depot at 1:16 p. m. The south
bound c. T. & V. passenger, No. 9, due
at the Tuscarawas street depot at 1:OS,
was on time and left the station at 1:15.
AS it reached a point near the yard
masters office, Tower Operator w. c..
Correll gave the block to the Valley
train, as they were considerable nearer
than the Ft. Wayne train which had
just commenced to show itself on the
hill. Operator Correll observed as the
train approached nearer that the en-
gineer of the FIT. Wayne train was, as
far as he could discern, not making any
effort to stop his train and as both of
the trains approached nearer and nearer
to the crossing, Correll ran to the door
of the tower and jumped a distance Of
II to Is feet, alighting in the soft mud
and doing no damage to himself further
than a slightly sprained wrist and soil
ing his clothes. 1t appeared to him, he
says, that the engine would run into
and crush the tower house.
At the tower 16 levers are used by the
operator which are connected by the
interlocking system with the different
switches, so that when the switches are
thrown for the Valley track the sema-
phore which stands in front of the tower
in a prominent position, where it can
be plainly seen by engineers of ap-
preaching trains. 1t is pointed parallel
with the train which is to be permitted
to pass the crossing first. Another
semaphore about 200 feet west of the
tower is worked upon the same principal
and the engineer knows by the position
of these semaphores whether he is, or
is not, entitled to the right of way. The
interlocking system is very simple one
and is used on nearly every railroad in
the country.
Engineer Frank Wilcox, of the Valley
train, noticed that he had the target
and pushed his train ahead after stop
ping at the depot, but as he neared the
crossing also observed that the Ft.
Wayne train was advancing at a rapid
gait, apparently paying no attention to
the danger signal ahead. Engineer Will
cox, Of the Valley road, when he saw
death staring him in the face, never
wavered or flinched from his duty-it
was a time to think and think quick,
and Wilcox not only thought but acted.
Quick as a flash, with his hand on the
throttle, he shut off the steam, used the
emergency application and his engine
stopped Just as the pilot touched the
north rail of the FIT. Wayne track and
less than twenty feet from the ponder
GUS Fort Wayne engine. BY his quick
perception and action, at time when
it was most needed, Engineer Wilcox
has shown that he is a reliable engineer
in any emergency.
The passenger cars which remained on
the Fort Wayne track were attached
n anpina an6 20 fn Ia
siding, when the cars were switched on
the north track and taken east with
a delay of only about two hours.
The tender Of the engine was knocked
off the trucks by the accident and was
pierced through both top and bottom
plates by a rail, which was also driven
into the mail car, which was an empty
car being taken to Pittsburg. The
other end of the rail was bent around
the axle of the truck wheels, while other
rails were bent in various shapes, some
in circles and one piece was shaped like
a letter S. The ties showed plainly
where the sharp flanges Of the wheels
had cut deep into them, and the inter-
locking plant, that portion of which that
ran parallel to the track, was bent and
twisted into many curious shapes.
tiuhuISuS VI pSOple BdLnereU at Ine
scene o the accident, and walked about
the tracks looking at the broken engine,
cars and rails, and wondered how it
could hapen with nobody hurt.
The Alliance and Wooster wrecking
crews were hastily summoned and in
less than an hour the former wrecking
crew was at work under the directions
of Matthew Notes, an experienced
wreckmaster, who, If he had not been
Handicapped by having to change po-
sitions from one track to the other,
would have made short work in cleaning
the track of the debris AS 1t was, he
fastened large hawser around the mail
car, looped 1t around the rails of the
Valley track, attached the other end to
the engine, and pulled the car up over
the bank, where 1t was afterwards load
ed on the cars by the crews and taken to
the shops for repairs.
Then came the Wooster wrecking crew
in charge of Daniel McClain, who, in