The Washington times., 1903-01-29
Graceland Disaster Attrib-
uted by Railroad Official
to Human FalIibiIity,"
Ante-MOrtem Statement
Kept Secret.
Story That Wreck Was
Fired by Car Stoves De-
nied-One Body Still Un-
identified-Rjgjd Inquiry
to Be made.

the Philadelphia and Reading company's !
Philadelphia express running into the
Easton local. shows that twenty-one /
persons we're killed OF have since died
OF their injuries.
Davis Ante-Mortem Statement,
Engineer James s. Davis, of the ex-
press. made an ante-mortem statement
to Chief Of Police KIeIy and Justice OF
the Peace Huff. The engineer was sink
ing so rapidly that his version OF the
disaster was obtained with ggsat diff
Guilty, Justice of the Peace HUFF took !
the statement in long hand as Davis die
tated. Many times the injured man fall
tered, and Chief KieIy and the justice
of the peace had to wait until he had
recovered sufficiently to go on.
When the statement was finally com
pIeted it covered several pages Of legal
cap, and was duly Rttested by oath.
Davis Immediately relapsed into uncon- |
sciousness and noticed nothing more
until the end,
Chief Kelly admitted that the state
rnent was Of supreme Interest, but he re
fused TO make 1t public. It will probably
be presented to the public prosecutor
and then TO the grand jury.
Said to Have Assumed All Blame.
Davis is reported to have admitted to
his brother, John, who was at his bed
side. that he saw the danger signals in
passing Westheid, but expected every
minute to see the white light drop and
did not stop. He Is also reported TO have
made a similar statement to his wife,
shouldering all responsibility for the
frightfuI loss Of life, but neither OF these
e reports can be verified hore this morn
ing. No information can be obtained at
the Muhlenburg Hospital as TO whether
Mrs. Davis was with her husband when
he died. and the greatest secrecy IS be
Ing observed as 10 her whereabouts.
One Body Unidentified.
Efforts we're renewed this morning to
identity the one body which remains in
Coles morgue. The body is believed to /
be that OF David Miller, a travelling +
salesman, Of West Sixty fourth Street, |
New York, but this Is not certain. Rel /
atives VIII make further attempts to
complete the Identification today.
Several clergymeu and prominent |
citizens are considering the question Of |
holding q public memorial service and /
this may be held on Sunday. Mayor |
Jenkins has requested that all citizens
supply their private carriages for fu- |
nerais There VIII be several funerals /
on tomorrow, Saturday. and Sunday. and
there are not enough public conveyances
in PIainheld TO accommodate those who
viii desire TO attend.
Orders Received Too Late.
It was said today that the station agent
at CanfoTd, John Eilze. got orders from
Elizabeth to hold up the Philadelphia
express Tuesday night and inform the
engineer that the Eastou train had not
taken the way track. These orders, EiIke
is reported to have said. reached him al
most as the Philadelphia train was due.
and the express went flying by almost as
he got his red lantern properly placed
He sent dispatch TO WestfeId TO hold
the train there, but Davis passed every
signal against him at Westfeld
No Separate Car Heaters Used.
Replying 70 the charge that the wreck
was fred by stoves in the cars OF the
Easton local, instead OF by Goals from
the frebox Of the engine OF the express.
X. G.-Besler. vice president and gen
eraI manager Of the Central Railroad Of
New Jersey, today said
mo stoves were used in any Of the
cars. The cars teIescoped were first
class day coaches in good condition. FOR
We could not afford TO take the risk Of
using any other kind. They were heated
by steam and there were no separate
car heaters The terrible results were
due TO the effect OF sending a seventy
fve-ton locomotive at sixty miles an
hour crashing into the cars"
Mr. Besler was at the scene OF the
disaster forty minutes after it occurred
and made q thorough. personal invesu-
cation. He declares the accident was
due to the element OF human faIli-
biIity in railroad operation"
Night Clear, Signals Working.
The company" he said. has Dur-
chased and installed what IS known IS
the electro pneumatic ic-automatic system
OF block signaling, the signals working
before, during and after the accidents.
At Gracelaud the track is straight for
eight miles. Last night was so clear
that the engineer could see signal lights
two miles, OF through three signal
blocks.
In approaching q block the engineer
first faces. under our system. q warning
BF green signal II the block IS occupied. /
This warning signal is three-quaTters Of
a mile from the main signal, which
shows red when the block is occupied.
"As is well known. It is State prison
onense for any engineer to disregard a
red signal, which IS a pe-emp1ory Or
der to stop at once, The train which
was run into known as the Eaaton To-
cal. was half a mile or more from the
nain signal and about mile and a half
ron the first, or warning. signal. and it