Evening journal., 1905-06-22
Officials Learned That
Disaster Was Caused
by Train-wreCker Open
ing a Switch and Then
Locking It
Limited Train Left Rails
When Running at Rate
Of Seventy Miles an
HOur-SCenes Of the
Horror
speoIal q The nvenIng I0urnaL

Cleveland. o.. June 22-The wreck of
the Twentieth Century Limited on the
Lake Shore Railroad. the fastest long
distance train iR the world. which oc-
cured last might at Mentor. east OF
here, was much more serious than at
first reported. Nineteen persons were
killed, over a score were injured and
the famous train was demolished. The
disaster was the work OF train
wreclSer who locked open a switch.
The train. while travelling at the
rate of seventy miles an hour. ran
through the open switch causing one OF
the most horrible wrecks in the history
Of the road.
The engine was hurled into the ditch.
part OF the train was crushed on top
OF Il, and the wreck was partly burned.
The horrors OF the wreck were double
IN the horrors OF the FIRE.
The train was crowded practically all
OF its accommodations being taken
when It left the city. It was behind
time andJthe greatest speed was being
made 10 make up the lost time.
LIST OF DEAD.
The dead are:
Thomas r. Morgan, Of the Wellman-
Morgan Company. Cievelands
iburned to death.
John r. Bennett. patent attorney,
New York City. burned 10 death.
A. l.. Rogers. Platt Iron Co.. New York
lCity. died on operating table az Cleve-
Hand General Hospital
II. b. Walters. baggageman. Of Ham-
burg, ~ ". scalded to death.
Alien Tyler. Collinwood. Ohio en-
lgineer, crushed under engine.
II. II. Wright, travelling man.
Chicago, died at Cleveland General
Hospital. a.t.t.
Fireman Graham, collinwood. crush
led under engine.
I - Williams. first name and adj
dress unknown.
SC Beokwith OF New York. an
advertising agent.
James II. Gibson. OF Chicago.
Nine bodies not yet identified.
Messrs Beckwith and Gibson died in
the hospital this morning.
A. /. johnson. OF Cleveland. and the
barber and the porter of the combina-
tion car are missing. Most of the in
iured were burned and had to be-
rescued from the burning. cars.
SWITCH LocKEL OPEN.
Assistant General Superintendent ID.
lC. Moon. OF the Lake Shore on the
scene of the wreck gave out the follow
ing statement to-day:
so far as can be learned the switch
/ was opened and locked open by some
party unknown; probably a crank and
evidently for malicious purposes Train
No. TO- a fast eastbound train, passed
through the same switch four minutes
ahead OF No. 20. and it was all right at
that time. II IS positive that no other
train or engine, either freight or pas
senger, PARSED through the switch be-
tween No. 10 and No. 26."
The scene Of the accident was at
. 1.-THE Mentor depot The switch that
caused the trouble is LOCATED about
, 130 yards west of the ldepot. AS the
heavy engine struck the switch. the en-
: glne left the main track and swung
violently to the left.
For a distance OF twenty yards the
engine ran on the rails. and then leap
ing from the track. turned on its side
= just to the east OF the depot The
I momentum was such that the heavy
tender was hurled entirely over the
= engine and was buried in the depot
=, An instant after the crash the boiler
4 of the great engine burst with terrific
< force, scattering fire and steam through
4, the wreck in a manner that made
D escape for the helpless, imprisoned pas
I sengers impossible.
A score or more Of physicians from
5 Cleveland. COllinwood. Ashtabula and
: Painesville went to the scene Of the
wreck at the request Of the Lake Shore
officials. After the physicians had
treated the injured the latter were
placed aboard a special train and
brought to this city where thew were
hurried in waiting ambulances to the