Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-09-04

/ PHILADELPHIA. Pa, September 8.
Responsibility for the accident at Hat
field, on the Bethlehem branch of the
Philadelphia and Reading Railway, yes
| terday, in which thirteen persons were
! killed and more than fifty were injured,
has not yet been definitely fastened up
on any one. The Reading officials are
| investigating the whole affair, as are
also District Attorney Hendricks and
Coroner GcMtalhcmfwy mfwyp cmfwyp
| Coroner McGlathery, of Montgomery
county, in which county tae collision oc-
Cured. The only official statement made
| ager Sweigard, of the Reading company
all other officials and employees of the
railroad having been forbidden to say
| anything AT the present time. Mr..
| Sweigards statement is as follows:
| Il wish to state in detail the causes
| leading up TO yesterdays wreck, SO far
as / have been able to learn them this
morning in the absence of interviews
with some of the more important wit
nesses concerned.
| Tine primary cause was the fog. Had
| there been no fog there would have
| been no accident.
| The next cause was the telegraph
| wires, which were working badly. The
| moisture in atmosphere made them slow
| and heavy, rendering it difficult TO get
messages through.
| THE third cause may be found in the
| possibility that the dispatcher at the
| Philadelphia terminal, who had charge
| of the running of the trains, waited too
| long in sending necessary orders when
! he knew the condition of the wires
| This man is at the terminal and has
| direct charge of the running OF trains.
| He has an operator at his side con-
| stanliy, and as the trains are reported
| at the various points, THE operator turns
| the time over to him. The sheet upon
which the operator marks the time is
marked for all trains from Bethlehem.
| William S. Groves, the dispatcher, has
| been handling the trains for five years.
| He was with me when | was superin-
| tendent. He has held every position,
| brakeman, conductor, operator-every-
/ thing that can go to make an all round,
| practical railroad man. have all along
| considered VIM S. Groves one of the
| best men this road has. l have the ut
| most confidence in him, and when l
| placed him in charge / knew that he
| comla be relied upon. ] think this man
| made a mistake-that Is he waited too
| long.
| Now. OF the trains concerned in the
| accident, one was a milk train, which
| left Bethlehem at $40 a. m. The spe-
| cial left at Cos, showing space OF 40
| minutes between them. All the en-
| gIineers had duplicate orders; each one
of them had not only his own orders,
| but also the orders of the other man, so
that both knew just how the two trains
| were moving When they passed Per-
kasie they were q minutes apart. At
| Sellersville, as near as can remember,
where they should have been II min
| utes apart, the interval was eleven
| minutes. Tne special was still closing
| up the space. Then was the time to
| try to get an order through to hold up
| the special. But the trains had passed
| that point. There were still two tele-
| graph stations remaining. Telford
| showed an interval of six minutes. Then
| came Souderton.
| ln8Tp WAS WUeIt talSf SApNOICU ~
block the special. At Souderton the
two trains were only three minutes
+! apart.
Now. the rules of every station, the
rules printed on the back of all time
| tables, tell a man he must hold all
| trains that are not five minutes apart.
| | can't tell whether the station agent at
Souderton displayed the signal stopping
| the special Both the agent and oper-
ator were on duty. They were selling
| tickets, second section, which was a
| pick up. and was following after. Every
one knew about the special. 1 have an
idea that they put out the stop signal.
and that the engineer went ON. But he
is in the hospital. / have sent man to
| him. Anything supplementary VIII be
made public tomorrow"
| Reports from Bethlehem and Allen
town are to the effect that none OF
! those injured in the collision have died.
| Several are not expected to live. The
railroad company had force of men at
the scene of the wreck to-day clearing
away the debris. The wrecked car was
| burned. and all evidence of the ac-
cident was destroyed as far as pos
silble.