The Cairo bulletin., 1907-01-01
Investigation Shows That Engineer Was Guilty
of Awful BIunder
HEARTRENDING SCENES WHEN
MANGLED VICTIMS WERE
FOUND BY RELATIVES.
WHOLE CITY MOURNING
Held BIameless But Train Crew
Is in Jal--Commerce Commits
sion May Investigate.

Washington, d. c., nec. 3l-The
Baltimore and Ohio wreck at Terra
Gotta Sunday night grows in magni
tude as the hours pass. The most con
scrvative estimate of the dead tonight
is So, with three score injured. Sew
eral of the more seriously injured are
expected to die during the night ana
the death list may reach so or more.
Heartrending and pitiful were The
scenes at the city morgue today where
hundreds of persons have focked to
assist the police in the Identification
of the dead. Women. girls and even
men with iron nerves shrieked, sobbed
and tainted as their relatives or
friends were found among the thirty,
two mangled corpses strewn about the
hoor Coffins. wicker baskets and
winding sheets were found on all
sides. 1t was a day never to be for
gotten.
Operator Freed From Blame.
Officials of the Baltimore and Ohio
re ilroad are conducting an inyesti-
CATION of the wreck in Baltimore for
the purpose Of placing the responsible
ity for the dsastes. General Superin-
tendent Todd exonerated Milton w.
Phillips. operator at Takoma block sta
ton, the last signal station the equip
mcnt train passed before crashing into
the passenger at Terra Gotta, The
superintendent declared that he was
obeying instructions when he went
home al 6;30 o'clock leaving the
"double Green signal burning.
Trained Crew is Held.
While making no positive charge,
TODD intimated that the burden q the
blame would fall upon the Engineer
and crew of the extra. Five members
of the crew. arrested shortly after the
accident. are now being held to await |
the result of the official investigation. |
They are Harry Fl. Hildebrand. en-
gineer Ira c. McClelland. fireman; |
Frank f. Hoffmeer, conductor;
Ralp Rutter brakeman; William A.
Norris. baggagemaster.
Engineer Hildebrand said tonight.
"It will all come out at the investige
ticn. don't believe that there is any |
thing for me TO say and couldn't say |
it if there was Before he was ar
rested the engineer made statement
to the Associated Press in which he
declared hat IL the danger signal light /
was displayed at Takoma he failed %
see it an account Of the fog.
Says Train Passed Signal.
Melton w Phillips. operator, who
Is also under arrest said today that
the equipment train ran past his dan
ger signal at a speed or 50 to GO miles
an hour. He says there was heavy
fog but not enough to hide the red
light He declares he Immediately
notified the operator at University sta
ti"n thai the train had taken the
block against orders. His statement
is corroborated by the University sta
tion operator who says he received ,
the message
Policeman Ke1edy. stationed at Ia !
kcma Park will testify that he saw the ,
signal light in It's proper place and t,
that Hildebrand drove past the signal
Fred Lemkum, gate keeper at Tako !
ma will make q similar statement
c. W. Galloway. general superintend.
ent of transport ton for the Balti. i,
more and Ohio exonerated the com !
pny from all blame and put the re. !
sponslbility on the engineer Of the q
equipment train or the operator at q
Takoma block :,
Warts Commission TO Probe. It
Chairman KNAPP. Of the Interstate -
Commerce Commission. tonight said u
to the Assoc 'ated Press that the com p
mission today considered the advisi. q
bility of making special Investigation il
into the cause OF the wreck M do g.
E sion has been reached he saws a.
to when THIS investigation will b,
D ade !.
J. W Kelly. train master II The Raj n
imore and Ohio. for this division is i'm h
Washington TO make an investigation "a
ntO the cause Of the wrecS. He de- n
'lared that to locate the responsibility v
II this time was an utter impossibiniy. ltC
The police have all the trainmen lock. d
II up he explained. "and until We p
an get at them ask questions and d,
Ompare stories it will be impossible
. determine anything Meanwhile ! OF
roUld not make a statement simpl! 4
Iecause ] haven't the facts" 81
FIspe at Han Mast. II
As a manifestation Of sorrow and le
Tor all afflicted by the dis