The Irish standard., 1907-03-30
ATTEMPT TO
Wreck fast TRAIN
RAILS ON PENNSYLVANIA LINE
ARE DISCOUNTED AND Ex-
PRESS LEAVES TRACK.
SLOW SPEED ONLY
PREVENTS DISASTER
Officials Offer Reward for Guilty Per-
sons-New York Central Men In.
dicted for MansIaughter in Con-
nection with Wreck

SON8-lNCW YORK ACUIVdt mCl Vu'
dicted for MansIauehter in Con-
nection with Wreck.
Pittsburg, Pa, March 2S.-Train No.
20, on the Pennsylvania railroad.
known as the keystone express, east
bound, was derailed near Wilmcrding,
Pa, IA miles east of here, early We'd
nesday. The engine two mail cars
and a combination baggage and smok-
er, left the track but no one was hurt.
AS the sleepers all remained on the
tracks, the passengers were not even
jolted.
Slow Speed Saves Train.
1t is believed the train was inten"
tionally derailed, and that the deed
was done by the same parties who
wrecked the Chicago limited train No
23 at Stewart, Pa. last Friday morn
ing. The same plan was carried out.
and only the slow speed of the train.
80 miles an hour, saved 1t from turn
ing turtle, diving over steep bank
and crushing out perhaps score of
lives. The work of the perpetrators
was thorough and in this their evil in
tent is shown. for both the east-bound
and west-bound tracks were tampered
with, one rail Joint on each track be-
ing displaced within a few rods of
each other Had trains coming in op-
posite directions met there, the on
rushing flyers would have collided
with fearful consequence.
Following the derailment Of the
coaches the passengers rushed out In
their night clothes. When they dis
covered there was no immediate dan
ger they returned to the cars, and all
acted as coolly as it was possible un-
der the circumstances.
Electric Current unbroken.
In trying to locate the missing fish
plates the railroad officials discovered
that one of these had been fixed tight
ly between the two rails that had
been disjointed. The purpose of this
was to prevent the interruption of the
electric current caused by tho break
ing of the binding wires, which
would have set the signals to dan
ger before the engineer could have
reached the wrecking point.
The west-bound rails had been sim
dlarly treated" The alleged wreck
ers had found an easy method of cir
cumventing the block signal and the
discovery caused the officials much
worry. as it meant that they We're
fighting with a man or men who had
experience in signal matters, and
Who did not hesitate to reduce that
knowledge to the practice of train
wrecking
Wreck Occurs at Sharp Curve.
The scene of the wreck 10 at a
sharp curve near tho Turtle creek,
and as if by miracle the outside
rail held against the grinding of the
heavy train and prevented the whole
train from plunging over 40-foot en,-
bankment into the river. The two
rail joints tampered with were not
more than 25 feet apart. and it is
authoritatively stated that had a
train on the westbound track come
along it would certainly have crash
ed over the embankment. This would
have probably happened had not the
Chicago limited train No 23. running
on track No. 4, west-bound, been late.
Fortunately it was delayed and
reached Wilmerding some time after
the Keystone express had been de.
rallied.
Offer Reward for Perpetrators.
Philadelphia, Pa, March 2S.-The
Pennsylvania railroad announced
Wednesday afternoon that it will pay
$4,000 for the arrest and conviction
of the persons guilty of attempting to
wreck its trains on the Pittsburg divis
ion.
The company also offers reward
Of $500 for the arrest and conviction
of the persons responsible for the dc
railment Of the Chicago Limited at
Stewart. Pa, last week, and $500 re-
ward for information leading to the ar
rest Of the guilty person or persons
making total of $500 offered.
Rail Officials Indicted.
New York. March 2S-Indictmente
charging manslaughter in the second
degree wero returned Wednesday
against the New York Central rail
road, Ira A. Mccormick general su
perintendent of the company. and AL
, fred H. Smith. one Of the vice presi
dents of the road, in connection with
the wreck Of the Brewster express or
| the Harlem division of the railroad
last month. Mccormick and Smith
entered pleas Of not guilty and were
released on $4,000 bail each. The
grand jury also handed up present
ment containing many recommends
: tions to the state railroad commission
ers concerning restrictions upon rail
road operation in this state
Two Killed in Wreck.
; st. Paul, Minn., March 2s.-Tht
> Northern Pacific passenger train fo
Duluth which left St. Paul Tuesday
night was wrecked at Carlton, MINI.
early Tuesday morning. The engine
i mail and combination cars were de