The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-04-11
WRECKERS STILL FREE.
Pennsylvania Exerting Every Effort
to Capture Wreckers of Flyers.

Pittsburg, April 7.-Oficials of the
Pennsylvania lines are adopting every
means in their power to insure the
capture of the person or persons who,
| after having wrecked four of the fast
est trains on the road east of this city,
last night transferred the scene of
their operations to the lines west and
derailed the Cleveland Flyer, the fast
est train on the Cleveland and Pitts
burg division at Hudson, Ohio.
AS result of the attempted wrecks
the Pennsylvania trainmen are al
most panic-sticken Among them the
fear of being constantly derailed is
growing constantly, and many old en-
gineers and hremen who have been
intrepidly running TIE very fastest
trains on the system for years are
now asking to be taken off them and
put on slow freights. All trains on
lines both east and west are running
behind schedule time, the enginemen
being afraid to keep up to it lest they
strike at full speed a loosened rail
! and bring death to themselves and
their human freight.
A reward of $4,000 it was announc-
ed this morning at the Pennsylvania
headquarters, will be paid for the cap.
ture of the man or men who attempt
| ed to derail the Cleveland Flyer, and
an additional $4,000 if they are taken
within forty-eieht hours Immediate
iy following the derailment of the
flyer scores of the railroads best de-
tectives were hurried to Hudson, and
together with the authorities at thar
place, they are now securing the en-
tire surrounding country for the
wrecker or wreckers, SO far, though.
without even discovering the slight
est clew which would lead to an ar
rest.
Every foot of the roads lines be-
tween Altoona and Pittsbsrg is now
being patrolled by armed guards, and
more men arc being secured for that
duty every hour. Division superin-
tendents have all been called into
Pittsburg for conference with Presi-
dent McCrea tomorrow morning IN
the hope that plan for the assurance
{ the safety of the fast trains may
,e worked out. 1t is likely that at
the meeting the rewards already of
fered will be increased to $10,5Oo.
Detectives now have 1000 employees
under surveillance, watching their
every move and close attention is be
| ng paid to the actions of the Italian
section hands at Pittsburg, who ar.
openly hostile to the company, as
they claim that they should have par
ticipated in the recent wage increase
granted the trainmen.
An investigation conducted by Off
Gals of the Pennsylvania this morn
ing at Hudson, where the Cleveland
Flyer was wrecked, revealed the fact
that the same method was employed
| to derali the train there as in the in
stances of the wrecking of the Man
haitian Limited at Wilmerding, the
Keystone Express at East Pittsburg.
the Chicago Express at Turtle
Point and the eighteen hour train at
Mineral Point, indicating that the at
tempts were all made by the same
men.
In each case the spikes were drawn
the fshplate removed and the rail-
bent inward, the fishplate afterward
being wedged in between the rails TO
prevent the breaking of the electric
rail circuit, which would display
danger signals The work was every
time executed with diabolical clever
ness and plainly by some one familiar
with the nature of It,
A test made at Hudson at the time
of the investigation showed that all
that was done TO derail the flyer could
be done in daylight in five minutes.
but 1t would probably take longer in
the dark, when the wreckers are
thought 20 have worked.
The wreck last night took place a,
| Q o'clock in a cut just west of Hud
son. The train, composed of an en-
CINE, tender, baggage car, one day
coach. and three Pullman sleepers,
was running at fifty mile clip when
it struck the broken track. 1t hap
pened that just at this point bank
of earth parallels the track and the
train was turned into it. The loco
motive plowed along the bank for
fully 100 yards before the train was
stopped. 1t was found that the spikes
of one rail had been removed and
one end of rail turned in just
enough so that it would catch the
hanges of the engine wheels and
throw the train of the track.
What alarms the railroad officials
most is the fact that the work is done
by experts, who not only understand
how to avoid such interference with
the electric rail current as would send
in danger signal but also do all 9th
or work in skillful manner.
The officials of the railroad admit
that the capture of the wreckers is
the most serious problem that has
confronted them in years. That the
lives OF hundreds of passengers and
thousands of dollars worth of rolling
stock are in constant danger is adj
mitted by the officials.
Mo- g., N~1>cx C:1l>e~:~