The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-03-18
cor NO RESPONSE.

Conductor Purple says that when he
saw they We're approaching the switch
and that the speed was not being
sackened, he reached for the bell rope
ana gave the prescribed signal to
slacken speed The engineer made no
response. and he repeated the signal.
Again there was no response, and be-
fore he could make another move the
engine was going into the switch.
The tlagman says he siSnallcd the
engineer to slacken up. but got no re-
sponse The engineer sat i'm the cab
i'm his usual place. but his face could
not be seen by tn" flagman. ON ac-
count OF the terrific speed at which the
| Train was going he could only get "a
! glimpse Of the cab before ii was out of
| his sight.
The man who was holding the ball"
| at the switch says he knew the train
| would never keep the track at the
| speed at which she was coming. The
| engine had no sooner crossed the frog
| Than the wheels left the rails and over
! ON its side Went the big mass of
! mechanism.
| 1t plouGhed along i'm the dirt until
| the " hole train. with the exception of
| the last car, had passed over the frog.
| and all the trucks excepting the last
| had left the track. None of the cars
| overturned but the forward ones were
badly damaged by being thrown up
against the bank.
! The brakeman who was at the switch
did not release his hold of the ball
| until the train had come To stand
! still. Had he dropped the ball and let
| the switch fly back to its natural posi-
! ton the train would have gone down
the main line and nlouGhed into the
wreckng ears. ffty yards below. The
consequences of this are terrible to
contemplate.
MUST DANE BEEN DEAD.
Railroad men who knew Engineer
/ Chase and who have heard the story
/ of the accident. agree to man that
| the engineer was dead before his train
! entered the switch. He was a man
| weighing go pounds, and therefore
| susceptible to apopeXy. That he was
stricken dead somewhere between Della
ware Water Gap and the point of the
accident is very probable. The fact
that he was using steam as the train
! approached the switch. the nagmar
| and the condition of the throttle teS.
| tify, proves almost COnClusively that
he was stricken dead after having left
the Water Gap and some distance be-
fore reaching the switch. 1t could not
be that he was asleep, for it was only
seven minutes before the accident oc.
CURED that he was talking with Train.
master Mccain, at the Water Gap, re.
garding the instructions about getting
around the wreck. The company haC
no more careful or competent man ir
its service. This all the officials anc
employees freely testify.
Among the passengers from this city
on the train We're Mr. and Mrs. James
:. McAnulty, Mr.. and Mrs James con,
nell, Attorney George $. Horn. T.. A
Carey, Leo Sutto and Mrs. George
Hand and daughter. Messrs Horn anC
McAnulty received painful bruises by
being thrown from their seats.
The remains of Engineer Chase wer,
taken to his residence in Factoryville
from where the funeral will he hclC
tomorrow afternoon at > o'clock. Mr.
Chase was hfty-three years old. an,
was one of the oldest railroadcrs II
the employ of the company haVins