The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-06-29
Chicago Flyer Suddenly Goes Into
Open Switch
LARGE LIST OF DEAD AND INJURED
Although None Of the Lake Shore or
New York Central Officials Ascribe
the Disaster to Excessive Speed, a
Return to the 2o-Hour Time is An.
nounced.

Cleveland, O., Special-Nineteen dead
and a dozen slightly injured comprise
the revised casualty list made by the
wrecking Thursday night, at Mentor,
Ohio, of the east-bound twentieth CEN
tury limited, the Lake Shore and New
York Central's eighteen-hour train,
which ran into an open switch, crushed
the Mentor depot and partly burned it
up, scorching several Of the mangled
corpses. The surviving injured are not
much hurt.
The twentieth century limited, ac-
cording to announcement from New
York, will hereafter return to twenty
hour schedule, although none Of the
railroad officials ascribe the wreck to
excessive speed.
IT. maintained by railway officials
thaHthe switch on which the limited
wA wrecked was thrown open and
locked and the switch light extinguish-
ed by some person, either a maniac
or some one seeking revenge. 1t is still
unknown who this person is, although
detectives are working on the case. A
careful examination of the switch
showed that it was in perfect condition.
Trainmen are Of the opinion that the
engineer Of the twentieth century train
was deceived by the light of the switch
just beyond the open switch, the light
Of which is said to have been out.
w. H. Marshall, general manager of
the Lake Shore, says the speed Of the
train was not a contributory cause to
the wreck. He said that other Lake
Shore trains travel through Mentor at
a speed equal to that attained by the
limited, which was not, Mr.. Marshall
says, above go miles an hour.
The schedule for the train calls for
a speed of 81 miles an hour at Men
tor.
Coroner York, Of Lake county, an
nounced that an inquest would begin
next Monday in Painesville.
A revised list of the dead follows:
John r. Bennett, attorney, 81 Mas
sau street, New York.
John A. Bradley, Of the law firm
Of Rowley, Rogers, Bradley & Rock
well, Akron, Ohio.
T. R, Morgan, second vice president
Of the Wellman-Seavers-Morgan Com
pany, Cleveland.
C. H. Wellman, of the Wellman-
Seavers-M Morgan Company, Cleveland,
died in hospital.
A. l.. Rogers, New York city, repre-
sentative of the Plat City Iron Works,
of Dayton, Ohio, died in hospital.
8. C. Beckwith, 115 One Hundred and
Seventy-fourth street, New York.
A. H. Head, London representative
Of the Otis Steel Company, Of Cleve-
land, died in hospital.
H. H. Wright, travelling man, Chi
cago, died in hospital.
D. E. Arthur, travelling man, Mil
waukee, died in hospital.
]. H. Gibson, Chicago, travelling man,
died in hospital
H. C. Mechling, New York city, with
the Wheeling Corrugated Iron Com
pany.
L. M. Eirick, manager Keith's The
atre, Cleveland.
E. F. Nagle, Chicago, proprietor Of
a railway supply house.
Two unidentified bodies, supposed to
be those of L. A. Johnson, Of the millin-
cry firm of >Comey G. Johnson, Cleve-
land, and Henry Trinse, barber on the
train.
Allen Tayler, engineer, Collinwood,
Ohio, died in hospital.
e. J. Brant, head brakeman, 2012
Ash street, Erie, Pa, died in hospital.
N. B. Walters. baggage man, Ham
burg, N. Y, died in hospital.
w. D. Mickey, porter, Chicago.
The scenes following the wreck were
appalling. The night was dark save for
the light from the blazing wreck Of the
coach that was crushed and splintered
on top Of the engine. Men swarmed
about it combating the flames with the
means at hand, grouping their way
through the binding, scalding steam
that rose in clouds, hunting for the in
jured, whose piteous cries were such as
chilled the hearts Of those who heard
them. The water supply was small and
the means at hand for fighting the
flames were pitifully inadequate, but
the zeal Of the rescuers wrought great
things for the first few minutes.