The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-24

five miles east Of the city, the ex-
west ID it, He. did not at first at
tempt to alter his course, feeling GER
tain that the limited was about to
land, and supposing she was travel
ing at low rate of speed with that
end in view. He had expected to
sight her somewhere in the vicinity
of Pittsburg, but had received no noti-
fication that she was to proceed with
out landing.
To this. fact the pilot ascrihes all the
responsibility for the wreck. Had he
sighted the limited at any other place
he would have known what to do TO
avoid her. Under the circumstances
which actually confronted MN, ee1ng
compelled to act on the spur OF the
moment he considered it safest to fly
high and straight.
He signaled the engineer to slow
down, but as the ships We're approach
ing each other at the rate of almost
ten miles a minute and were only
eight miles apart, the distance be-
tween them was annihilated almost in
a trice. It took him only a few sec
onds to note that the limited was not
flying slowly and only a few more to
throw, the wheel to starboard.s
But seconds in such case were
precious. He is sure the helmsnlan
of the limited also threw his wheel
over, for he noticed that she veered a
trifle just before the crash came. His
own ship also turned a bit, but the
speed of the vessels was SO great that,
they were upon each other before any,
thing could be done for salvation.
The impact was terrific in the ex-
IRENE. How a, single person on board
either ship escaped instant annihila-
ton is a mystery. The survivors be-
lieve it was the terrible force with
1, ;,.I,4s@ I, hi, Of
them. 1t hurled hundreds of persons
| from the ships far into the air, whence
they f1oated to safety, and carried 9th
ers, who happened to be in protected
! positions on the limited, thru the
| wreck without injury.
Some idea of the terrible force OF
the collision is gained from the fact
| that pieces of iron which fell to the
streets were too hot to bear the hand
upon, and appeared to have been re-
Gently in a, semi-molten state.
Only indirect causes for the collision
are assigned by the officials of the
company. These are a change of or
ders to the limited and a deviation
from her original course by the excur-
sion ship.
The direct cause is a mystery. The
air was perfectly clear, and the look
i outs should, so the officials think,
have been able, with the aid of their
! glasses, to see any ship within a radius
4 Of a hundred miles. The wind, while
Z brisk, was not strong enough to in
terfere with navigation.
The only explanation which is
; youchsafed is that the wireless tele-
) graph operator on the limited must
have misunderstood the orders which
were sent out to look for the eAcur-
sion ship near Pittsburg, and that the
: officers were therefore unprepared
and the two ships were upon each
: other before either knew danger was
imminent. AS the operator is among
: the dead, this theory cannot be Verl-
fed.
When the excursion ship left CHS
5 cago at Z a. M she was under orders
= to proceed direct to New York; but
: hardly was she out Of sight before
: Instructions were sent her. to pick UP
some passengers at Columbus, who had
E been unable to obtain accommoda
I lions on the st. Louis ship. It was this
: which caused her to lay her course
! over .Pittsburg, instead Of as the crow
! flies, and placed her in the path OF
l the limited.
The excursion ship was flying at g
I speed of not more than zoo miles ar
n hour. Her maximum, even with q
|, light load, is but little more than that
: The limited leaves New York daily
7, at a. M, eastern time, and is due a.
: San Francisco at 4 p. m, Pacific time
+ making the trip in ten hours. Stops
t are made only at .Pittsburg, Cincfn.
9 natl, Chicago and Denver. This morn
: ing the ship was half an hour late
K leaving New York, and was flying a
u an unusually high rate Of speed, il
order to make up lost time.
e AS she cleared the mountains, Pitts
e burg telegraphed that, owing to thu
u delay, prospective Cincinnati and chi
e cago passengers had been sent for
IS ward in a special, and the limited wa
q ordered to proceed direct to Cincinnati
! without a stop.
e This accounts for her great spec
{. as she was passing Pittsburg, am
q for the fact that she was flying high
n whereas the officers of the excursion
= ship were expecting to see her beloy
u them, preparing to land, if they sight
ed her at all.
$ s: Every officer Of the limited wa
- killed. and none of the SURVIVING
nlen1ber Of the crew know of an
re order to look out for the excursion
II ship in the vicinity of Pittsburg. /
ut is from this that the officials infe
OF that the message was mlslnterprete
III by the operator.
IS. Both ships were apparently intend
r-Fing to pass directly ever the airshl
re station at .Pittsburg, probably in or
Cd der better to receive any messaS
e. which might be sent out. This is
common and dangerous practice Q
I'd airship captains, involving, as it doe:
IS, the possibility of a collision in cas-
IS, two ships. neither intending to lane
gs happen to be in the vicinity at tn
c. same time. In this case the posi-
in bility became terrible actuality.
7n Pennsylvania congressman residin
in Pittsburg, who were witnesses
I'll the awful results of somebody's care
u lessness, will make an effort, Whe
by congress meets, to obtain the passae
ng of q law forbidding this practice, an
up also compelling all airships to at ono
at reduce their speed upon sighting al
lg, other ship, and to limit their spec
to when approaching stations one IL
d. miles an hour.
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