Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-06-22

SWITCH WAS TAmPERED WITH

h2lvS02Q OtUSsaso SSssSvS
Wa. Result Of MaIiciousness-lm
prisonsd Victims Burned to Deatf
while Rescuers More Poweriess &c
Render Aid.
cleveland. June 22-This afternoon
4he fatality list of the Mentor Wrech
has been practically fixed at twenty
,a lives. All the dead were men and
81, we're passengers on the buffet car
eighteen have been positively loenel-
4,ed. The other three are in doubt.
cleveland, June 22.--Twenty- -one
5,,arsons are dead as the result OF the
wreck of the Twentieth Century Linz
tied on the Lake Shore, at Mentor
last night.
Cleveland, June 22.-Conductor
/ gr1ammond. of the Limited, told his ex-
perience thus:
I 81 rushed back to the switch imme-
diately after the wreck. 1t was lock-
I'd open. tried It and found IT work
ed all right. The switch light was out
N1ot 4 wheel had rolled over the switch
afY,ce the east bound Chicago Boston
+ express went thru about fortv- five
{ Y !. "a f<,rn porfef. Prior. cOlOred,
ia the rear car, was busy preparing
the berths for passengers, when the
train left the track He said he just
went up into the air, then he lurched
sideways. That's all ! can say about
it. / fell against a window, broke It,
crawled out of the window. and when
ever 4 face appeared grabbed the
man slnd pulled him out thru the wiz IN
dow. All were saved. but I was hurt
little
q Charles II. wellman, and Engineer
tyler. j. n. Bradley, of Akron; q. E.
Head, Of London: F. j. Brandt, Tole-
do; James ii. Gibson, Chicago, all died
this morning at the hospitals here as
the result Of injuries. A quantity OF
first class mail matter was destroy
ad by fire which consumed all except
The two rear coaches. The mail was
largely composed of thru pouches from
the west. Just how many sacks were
destroyed, the officials are unable to
tell ;t present. Practically all the in
iured were burned, and had to be ex-
tricated from the burning wreckage
by rescuing parties.
Victims crazsd.
Peculiarly the most distressing feat
ure Of the rescue work was that the
injured were so crazed when taken
from under the wreck, that they could
not even reveal their own identity, de-
spite the urgent appeals. The scenes
resulting from their mental condition
were affecting to the point of tragic.
Travelling at a rate Of more than a
mile. minute the heavy train was
hurled to its doom with momentum
thar was appalling. The scene Of the
accident was at Mentor depot. The
switch that caused the trouble, was lo-
Gated about 13O yards west of the de-
pot AS the heavy engine struck the
switch, the engine left the main track
and swung violently to the left. For a
distance of twenty yards the engine
ran on the rails, and then, leaping
from the track, turned on its side. The
heavy tender was hurled entirely over
the engine and was buried in the de-
pot The combination car was hurled
with terrific violence on top of the
engine, and the tender. and in a mo-
ment was enveloped in flames.
Passengers Crushed.
The Chicago sleeper Immediately be-
hind the combination car swung from
the track and, crashing into the de-
pot and building, collapsed on ton of
the coach. The helpless passengers
were crushed and manned, and We're
tIten completely DuIleu III CHe collapsed
structure. The next sleeper following
was left off the track behind and the
other remained upright on the rails
An instant after the crash, the boiler
OF, the great engine burst with terrific
force, scattering fire and steam
through the wreck in a manner that
made escape for the helpless impris-
oned passengers impossible. The
wrecked combination car was at once
enveloped in binding flames. and
scalding steam. The cries of the inn
prisoned passengers were heard above
the roar, but they were beyond all hu-
man aid, and the car became pyre
for number of human beings A
score or more physicians from Cleve-
land, Collinwood, Asthabula and
Painesville went to the scene at the
request of Lake Shore officials. After
the physicians had treated the injured.
the latter We're placed aboard a special
train and brought to this city where
they were hurried in waiting ambu-
lances to several hospitals.
Bodies lncinerated.
The scene following the wreck was
one that beggars description. The