The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-02
THREEOTHERS FATALLY HURT
Conditions Prevailing Among the Injured a the
Hospitals-Of6cial Investigation Will Begin To-
day--Touching Allusions Wreck Vic
TINS in Prayers and Sermons--President
Stones Corrected List of the In
jured--Latest Details

disaster ever had more influence upon pub
lie sentiment than this one.
! Coroner Harry ID. Tutewiler will begin
the official investigation this morning a.
9 o'clock in the coroners Office I'm the
| courthouse. He has summoned already
about twenty witnesses. including Cen
eral Superintendent J. .. Van Wrinkle. of
the Big -Four; Assistant Superintendent II.
F. Houghton. Superintendent Paquette. Of
the Chicago division; General Yardmaster
John q. Hicks, engineer w. IL. Shumaker,
fireman L. Z. Irwin, conductor Frank NJ.
Johnson and brakeman II. Van lyle, OF
the Purdue special train: engineer e j.
Smith. conductor Lon Acres. fireman John
Clemens. of the switching train, and many
citizens who saw the two trains come to-
| gether. In these latter witnesses are in
| cluded the workmen on the plant of the
Marion County Hot Water Heating Com
pany, residents in the neighborhood, and
| others.
p, Coroner Tutewiler will endeavor to fix
the cause of the accident definitely and to
place the guilt where ii belongs. He has
been told by number of people who saw
the collision that the special train was
running at a rate Of speed estimated all
| the way from twenty-five to forty miles
an hour. Others have informed him that
| the switching train was backing from the
| opposite direction five or six miles an hour.
| He has been informed also that the
| switching train had no business TO be on
the main track at that time and that ev-
| erything was TO be held open for the ar
| rival of the special train, which was ex-
pected in the city about the time OF the
| accident. These bits of information have
| convinced the coroner that there will be no
| difficulty in fixing the blame where IL
should belong He has received from a
number of prominent citizens letters ask
| ing that pains be spared to clear the
matter up.
RESULT OF LAUNDERING.
'I am convinced" said Coroner Tutewiler
last night. that the terrible accident was
the result of egregious blundering. without
the evidence / am unprepared to make a
statement at length. OF this everyone may
rest assured, that the investigation will be
rigid and that the guilt will be placed where
| it belongs"
The investigation on the part of the rail-
road company will also begin to-day. Gen.
eral Superintendent ]. Q. Van Wrinkle, with
Superintendent Paquette, of the Chicago di-
vision. have had little time so far to go into
been too busy providing transportation Cor
| the dead and injured TO attend to other mat
ters. Yesterday both officials spent nine
hours at the general offices receiving rela-
tives and friends Of the victims of the
wreck. The officials furnished everything
| that was asked.
Superintendent Van Wrinkle made the fol-
| lowing statement last night: There is no
question that the wreck was caused by
somebody's mistake. 1 have not had time
| to make an investigation yet. The first
thing that occupied our attention to
! care for the injured and that i'm itself has
been a gigantic task We have seen 10 IL
that transportation has been provided in all
cases. Mr.. Paquette will take up the in
vestigation at once and part IL will
be conducted as such things always are in
railroad offices-with the utmost care. AS
to the speed of the special train 1 will say
that 1t was nothing more than is Gus
tomary. When people start from New York
or Lafayette or anywhere else they want
TO get to their destination as quickly as
possible. / am not prepared TO say how
fast the train was running / have not
heard yet as to the orders given the special
and the wrecking train. These things viii
all be brought out in the course of the in
vestigation."
Claim Agent Charles r. Meyers. OF the
Big -Four. said last night: This is the
most terrible thing ever had. / have
been too busy with he dead and dying to
give much thought to the settlement OF
claims: in a thing OF this kind human
beings are placed before money. or course.
it will be an expensive thing for the rail-
road. but that is the least of the mis-
fortune"
DISCUSSION is GENERAL
Discussion OF the cause OF the wreck n
general. Conductor Johnson's statement
that his orders gave him the right of way
over all trains. even carriers of the United
States mail. is known to be correct lie
is severely criticised. however. for permit
ting his engineer TO run with the speed
that numbers Of eyewitnesscs declare the
train was going. The crew OF the switch
engine maintain that they were ordered to
take the cut OF coal cars to North In
dianapolis. and that they were given no
intimation OF any sort OF the approach OF
the special. The reason why the switch
ing crew happened 10 be on the main track
at the time when the special was due will
be OF the things which Coroner Tute-
wiler will first ascertain in the investlga-
tion which begins to-day. The rapid rate
at which the special was going will also
be a point of close examination. there be-
ing no doubt that the train was flying
along at far more than the speed which
the city ordinance provides within the city
limits
Public opinion censures the officials OF
the railroad company for maintaining a
system which permits such. mistakes to
occur. Mistakes I'm orders, confusion OF
orders and similar blunders have been en-.
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