The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-18


day. All four of the tracks of the New
| York Central through the rocky cut
where the train left the rails and sew
eral Of the cars went to pieces. had been
| cleared
At the Webster avenue police station
| late today lay eleven mangled bodies.
three of them unidentified.
With the clearing OF the wreckage.
l interest turned to what the authorities
| might do Perhaps the most significant
| statement OF the day was the one made
to the Associated Press by Coroner
| Schwannecke- He had secured a state
ment from Motorman Rogers of the
wrecked train In this, according TO the
coroner. the uotornan stated he was
running on schedule time when the ac-
cident occurred and admitted that the
speed OF his train was 20 miles an hour.
Rogers, said the coroner, declares he
did not know anything was wrong un-
til an eighth of a mile beyond the place
OF derailment.
Was a Double Header.
The train consisted of a double head
er motor coupled into one engine draw
| ing five coaches The first was a smok-
er, the second is described as q power
car, though ii is commonly designated
as a combination baggage and smoker
and the three following were ordinary
passenger coaches
TT appears TO me- said the coroner.
that a spreading of the rails caused
=.
motors hit a section of the track with
force enough to cause it to jump off.
The smoker followed and swung the
| cars following completely of the track.
breaking the coupling. When the rear
cars broke loose they ran wild for a dis
tance and finally turned over
The smoker showed only little dam
age. but the other cars gave evidence
| Of the drag along the roadbed-
When the wreck occurred the three
49, lie
were thrown on their right side just
| above sharp curve at Woodlawn road
| bridge. The shock was terrific. Peo-
pie were hurled violently from their
seats and the most of those who were
killed were pitched through the win
third rail held for a time. but finally
broke with a flash and a roar seen and
heard for a great distance Between
the wreck of the current" rail and the
main track the bodies were wedged.
They were held here as the cars passed
along aid in this way were terribly
mangled.
The relic hunter was much in evil
dcnce Sunday and this probably gave
rise to the story of ghoulish work The
police guarded the wrecked cars at
night, but with daylight large num-
Der of persons managed to work their
way to the coaches and cut out pieces
of cushions, curtains and carpeting
broken windows.
Running at High Speed.
Assistant District Attorney Nathan
A. Smythe said that he had made his
inquiries, particularly on the speed OF
the train. whether tire had been lost
condition of the rails. He said he
found that one of the outer rails on
the curve had been torn up and that
the heads of the spikes which held the
rail to the ties had been cut on. but
there was nothing to indicate by what
agency. He said pieces of a broken
wheel of the first motor were found at
point far beyond where the rail had
been ripped up Whether the rail or
the wheel was the first TO give way he
had no means of knowing, but it ap-
peared that the wheel had broken
some time after it had passed over the
displaced rail.
AS to the speed of the train at the
time of the accident, Mr.. Smythe said:
e. R. Rogers. the motorman, who
was operating both motors under one
control, declared he was running As
miles an hour. The state railroad
commission is preparing to make a
searching inquiry into the wreck
It has been learned that the railroad
company has detectives at work on
theory that wreckers had tampered
with the track. The company's de-
teetfves had found. it was stated. that
the stretch OF track in the locality of
the wreck was not specially guarded
or lighted at all.
4 representative of the company
said that if the district attorney de-
sired to have the grand jury sfnvesti-
gate the accident the company would
aid In every wav by supplying wit
nesses, company employees. the COM
panys books and time sheets, with
schedules, models. maps. etc
At the company's office it was stated
tnat the coaches in the wreck were of
the old or wooden type, not the new
steel cars that have been ordered.
According TO the company. J. J.
Jacobs oiler and assistant to Motor
man Rogers. has not been seen since
the accident and his wIlerea bouts are
unknown
Jerome VIII Direct Examination.
District Attorney Jerone's ofrice win
be represented at the coroner's Inquest
this afternoon into the wreck on the
New York Central railway SATURDAY.
evening. and it is expected that the
disputed question as TO the speed of tn
wrecked train will be answered by the
testimony of the notorman. z. r Rog-
ers. the train inspector who was rid
ing in one Of the electric motors and
from the reports of the towermen who
recorded the passage of the train.
An effort viii be made to ascertain
just what caused the rail to be torn
up and the breaking of a wheel on the
leading motor.
All the bodies Of the passengers
which were held at the Bronx Park po-
lice station have been Identified and
removed OF the injured in the hospitals
four were regarded today as being in Il
critical condition They were:
Mabel Smith, Oneonta, y. Y. skull
fractured.
Elsie sniffen. Englewood. y. J.. skull
fractured
Arabalia Fowler. Pleasantvills. n. 7.
legs broken
Ernest Knoll. Mount Kisko. \. Y.
fracture of the thigh.