Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1907-01-03
RAIL HORROR STILL
GROWS IN MAGNITUDE
SO Dead at Washington and
About go Injured.
moaous SCENES HeAsTasnoIso

sonpslhiIity on the Engineer VINO
olsrspsndsd Danger sisnsl-Ens'.
nesr 70 uasss Arrest.
washington, ID. c.. Jan. s.-Tns
baltimore and Ohio wreck al Terra
Gotta, grows 10 magnitude as the
hours pass.
me most conservative estimate Oh
the dead is So. with three scores OF
injured at the hospitals or At their
homes. suffering from wounds and
fractures sustained In the rear-end
collision, which completely deplolish-
cd the two day coaches and the smok-
or attached 10 the local Frederick.
ND, train No. Sc. Several OF the
most seriously injured are expect
ed to die. and the death list may yet
reach sixty or more.
Heart rendlng and pitlful were the
scenes at the city morgue, where
hundreds Of persons focked 10 assist
the police In the identification OF the
dead. Women. girls and even men
with iron nerves. sobbed aloud and
tainted as their relatives or friends
were found among the corpses strewn
about the floor.
onicials OF the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad are conducting an inyestiga-
ton of the wreck in Baltimore for.
the purpose Of placing the response
bility for the disaster.
General Superintendent Toll exoner-
stea MiltoI v. Phillips. the operator
n, the Takoma block station. the last
signal station that the equipment train
passed before crashing into the pas
senger train at Terracotts. The SUI
perintendent declared that Phillips
was obeying Instructions when he
went home at $50 O'Clock. leaving
the double green signal burning.
While making no positive charge. Su-
perintendent Todd intimtaed that the
burden Of the blame would fall upon
the engineeresnd crew Of the extra.
The ave members OF the crew who
were arrested shortly after the acct
dent. are now being held to await
the result OF oficial investigation.
Caring vacantiy between the iron
bars Of his cell At the police station,
Engineer Hildebrand Is too full Of
emotion to make any definite stare
ment. 1T will all come out at the
investigation. he said. Il don't be-
lieve that there Is anything for me TO
say and I couN not say 1t IL there
was"
Before he was arrested, the ensi-
neer made O statement, In which he
declared that II the danger signal was
displayed at Takoma. he failed 20 see
Il. owing to the dense fog.
Milton w. Phillips. the operator,
who 10 also held prisoner at tbs
Tenth precinct. said Tuesday that the
equipment train ran past his danger
signal board az q speed OF so 20 60
miles an hour. He said there was |
heavy fog. but not enough to hide the
red light. He declares that he i'm
medistely notified the operator AZ Uni |
verstty station that the train had TAX |
en- the block against orders. His
statement 10 corroboratsd by the Uni |
verslty station operator. Who say. hs
received the message. Policeman ].
r. Kennedy. stationed st rskoms
Park. will testify that he say the s,x. |
nal light In Its proper place and that
hildeorand drove past the signal.
Fred Lamkum. gatekeeper at Tako-
ma. makes q similar statement.
c. W. Galloway, general superta.
tendent OF transportation for the Bal
ttmore and Ohio. exonersted the com.
pany from all blame and put tho re-
spons'bility on the engineer OF tina
equipment train or the operator a, Ia.
koma block.
III the coroner's jury fails 70 hold
the engineer or the block operator &"
ne said. we shall not consider ths
matter settled. We shall 20 70 thu
bottom OF tse wreck. This horrhIs
catastrophe could have been avoided
some one IL responsible, and We IN.
tenf 10 leave no stone uuturred unit,
= rsapons:hility has 3esn fixed. Tn.
~. t}GCk xFNfar1 was t,...u