New-York tribune., 1905-06-23
PINNEDIN BURNING WRECK
Heroic Work of Uninjured to SAGE
I'm prisoned Victims.

rqavalsnd June pas the result of the days
,nves;ieatons of the causes of the wrecking OF
,he Twentieth Century Limited, which wenf
,brough an open switch while going through
,be town Of Mentor. twenty-five miles from
,ors late last night causing the death of twen-
,v.ore persons and the serious injury of sew
s-s1 others. the officials of the Lake Shore road
are more firmly convinced than ever that the
wreck was deliberately planned by some mali
,saus person Who this person may be IS stu
rntnovn ana the police and the railroads s ue-
tsciives are working the case. The state
r,e,ts OF The fireman of the wrecked tram the
station master at Mentor and the officials VINO
avamiDcd The switch Immediately after the
wreck show that the switch light was out ana
the switch thrown open against the tram "IAi'
the last train TO pass over the switch three
quarters Of hour before, had 1oul1u II e1o'
as il should have been.
II IS possible that investigation to-nlorro"
will show that a boy meddled with the switch
a. Mentor last night and caused the wreck
William Usher. ticket agent OF the nickel
Plate road and James Barnes, OF NllousnOS'
reached the wreck twenty minutes after II oc-
Cured On the way to the wreck they met q
hoy carving a lantern. The boy said that he
had been down to shut switch The men went
on 10 the wreck. and found the switch open anu
locked The men are of the opinion that the poy
twentieth Century and opened the switch to let
Il through TO take siding.
n n 6. Storrs, general superintendent OF the
! AXE Shore, said that the clew would be invesu-
lated tomorrow, although he is inclined TO
&doubt the story that a boy had possession OF
KEY and could turn the switch
" ". Marshall, general manager of the Lake
shore says the speed of the train was not
oontributory cause 10 the wreck He said that
-lzr. OH
st q sneed equal to that attained by the Twen-
,,stt Century last night which was not, Mr.
Marshall said, above sixty miles an hour The
schedule for the train called for speed OF
afty-seven miles hour at Mentor.
The wreck had no effect on the sale OF CleVe-
land tickets for the train tonight, the fuiI
quota allotted to Cleveland being sold long be-
fore the time of the trains departure
Coroner York, of Lake County. announced this
evening that an inquest would begin next Mon
day IN Painesville.
The following extract from the official re-
port Of the wreck. telegraphed to-day by Vice
President w c. Browne of the Central lines to
President Newman at New-York gives the ofl-
ciaI account OF the accident:
Train No 10 eastLound passed Mentor at
S35 D. m. at which time the switches were all
set for the main line. No 70 followed NO ~
fifty minutes behind her. and 10 trains passed
10 passed there and the arrival of No. 70
The operator was on the platform Win Two
men, named James Collins and W. M. LeuueEs;
both Of whom live in Mentor, When NO ~
passed after which the operator went into the
Office and remained until about the time NO 70
was due, when he again went out on the pat
form and saw No 26 coming two or three
miles away. .h
The operator says that he looked at the
switch lights and they were white ana the
switches were properly set for the main track
He then returned to the once. ,,z +ho
II this is correct, between that tline ana @ tIie
time No. 26 headed in on the side track some
one threw the switch for the side track anu
locked il in that position
No 26 headed in the full length OF the train
on the house track the engine leaving the rails
about four coach lengths from the the SWITCH
crashing into the freight house. setting IL on
fire, and turning the engine end for end. and
telescoping the composite car. which took fire
from the burning freight house ,
The conductor of No 70 Immediately examined
the switch and called the attention or General
Passenger Agent w. j. Lynch of the Big -FOUR,
who was on the train, tor the fact that II was
set and locked for the side track and the light
extinguished
The switch is not damaged and worked per-
fectly after the accident The composile car
which was telescoped by the engine was ourheo'
No other cars in No. 26's train turned over
DETAILS OF THE WRECK.
The wreck of the famous Twentieth Century
Limited the fastest long distance train in the
world. was one of the most horrible wrecks III
the history of the Lake Shore road The en-
glne was hurled into the ditch, a part OF the
train was crushed on top of IL and the wreck
was partlv burned The train was cro"oeo'
practically ali its accommodate being taken
when it left the city.
The heavy train was hurled TO its DOOM WIN
great momentum The scene of the acci"ehl
was al the Mentor station. The switch that
caused the trouble is about 13O yards west Oh
the station AS the heavy engine struck the
switch # left the main track and swung Vlo-
lently 10 the left For twenty yards the en-
gfne ran upright then turned on It's sioe just
70 the east of the station. The momentum was
such that the heavy tender was hurled entifey
over the engine and was buried IN the depot
The CON ination car was hurried with terrinc
violence on top of the engine and tender ana
soon was enveloped in flames from the engine
The Chicago sleeper. which was Immediately
behind the combination car. swung from the
track and. crashing into the station, was buried
in the wreck OF the building. The next sleeper
following was left upright off the track and the
other remained upright on the rails.
An instant after the crash the boiler of the
engine burst scattering fire through the wreck.
The wrecked combination car. which had landed
crushed and spIintered on top OF the engine.
was at once enyeloped in flames and steam.
Answering your inquiry Yes. the best way 70 go
10 Buffalo and Niagara Falls lS bE the New YORK
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