The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-06-22

CLEVELAND, June 22.-There is con-
Trajectory evidence regarding the cause
of the wreck.
The station agent at Mertor declares
that the signal Hight showed white for
the f1ier- Yet General Manager Mar
shall, of the Lake Shore. said this morn
ing that he has found indisputable evil
dence that the switch bad bstn thrown
against the train ard was locked open.
1t is impossible for 6 switch to be
open and at the Same time to show
white signal light unless the switch
mechanism has been tempered with,
admitted Marshall, but he said there.
was nothing to show that the switch
mechanism had been tarnpered with in
that way. Fireman Go-ham told Mar
shall that the signal light had shown
white
Tyler, the engineer, when we reach
ed Mentor" says Gorham, the fireman,
f'told me It's o. K. The signal is
right The light showed white and we
both saw it white. 1t was just after
that the engine struck the switch and
left the tracks.
The agent at Mentor" says Marshall,
..corroborated Gorhsm in regard to the
signal being set white. Yet The switch
was open; can't account &c for II, the
another. There doesn't. seem to be any
way, TO account for IT.
THE switch showed in perfect con-
dition- after the accident. There GER
tainly was no defect in either switch
of rails.
AN investigation will be begun i'm
mediately and carried far enough to
satisfy US as to exactly what happened.
There had been no one noticed in the
neighborhood during the day or last
evening who might have been suspected
OF being the one who tempered with the
switch. The thing is a mystery"
Switch Tempered With.
4 "A statement for the Lake Shore road
was later given out by d. c. Mccn. as
sistant general superintendent. He
said;
1T looks like malicious interference.
Three-quarters of an hour before the
Twentieth Century Limited was due,
train No. 10. a fast passenger, went
through Mentor. The switches were
all right then and the train went
through without stopping.
AT 800 o'clock the wrecked train
struck an open switch IN front of the
station at Mentor, and crashed through
the freight depot. The conductor rushed
back and found that the switch was
open, and locked open.
II have no theory as TO how the switch
became open, but the wrecked train
showed that some one mad tempered
with the switch
Conductors Story.
' Conductor Alexander Campbell told
his experience thus:
Il rushed back to the switch fmmedi-
ately after the wreck. 1t was open and
locked open.
II tried It and found that it worked
ell right. the switch light was out Not
wheel rolled over the switch since
No. 10 went through forty-fye minutes
before
J. Prior, colored, OF New York, por-
ter on the second car OF the train was
busy making up berths for the pas
seDgers wnen he felt the train leave the
main track. He said he Just went up intc
the air and Their ne lurched sideways
Il fell against n window and broke It
l crawled out of the window. coming out
on the underside of the train : Whenever
face appeared at a wfndow I grabbed
for the man and pulled him out
L was hurt a little. My hand was bad
Iy cut and my shoulder sprained severe
ly.'
Superintendent Marshall would not say
whether or not the Lake Shore would
withdraw the eighteen-hour train be
cause of the wreck. Marshall said the
wreck would have occurred as well tc
any other train and would have been z
bad one even IL the speed had not beer
as high as that Of the limited.