Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-02-18
ELECTRIC TRAIN WRECKED.
Continued from Page One.)

4 it Will show Indications winch tend I'D
| support his theory that the rails were
out of alignment.
II The coroner then went on to detail
some of the evidence which will be pre-
scented tomorrow. He said that he had
secured statements from some Of the
passengers that the train was running
at a speed which frightened them, that
i several declare they were so alarmed
that they put on their overshoes in the
Il third car and went to the ar car be-
Ilieying there was less danger there"
Assistant Attorneys Smith and Man.
Il lev were with Coroner Schwannecke
most of the nigIrr. From the district
attorneys Office came statement to-
day bearing out in par< the. theory
Of a coroner. The New York Central
officials also issued a statement.
There we're many exaggerated stor-
les of the wreck in circulation last night
and today. One was to the effect that
many of those killed had been electro
cuted by the third rail. This was abb
solutely denied By the coroner as well
as by the police. When the wreck &C.
CURED the three rear coaches, COM
| pletely filed with passengers were
II thrown on their right sides just above
a sharp curve at Woodlawn road
! bridge. The shock was terrific. People
were hurled violently from their seats
and the most of those who were killed
were pitched through the windows ';i
the cars slid on their sides. The third
rail neld for time. but finally broke
II with a fash and roar seen and heard
a great distance. Between the wreck
of the current rail and the main
Il track the bodies were wedged. They
were held as the cars passed along and
in thi:, way were terribly mangled.
To explain the coroner's theory as to
the cause of the wreck it may be SAID
that his Office is of the opinion that
one of the motors struck rail which
was out of alignment, that the second
| motor and the smoker passed II, the
rear trucks leaving the track, but that
| when the three other coaches hit the
spot the couplings broke and they were
thrown aside. The coroner believes
the motors and the baggage car ran an
eighth of mile before being stopped.
| Assistant District Attorney Nathan
T. Smyth. with two other assistants,
| continued his inquiries into the wreck
today with a view to determining
whether the circumstances warranted
criminal proceedings. Mr. Smyth and
his associates worked in conjunction
with Coroner Schwanneche and Police
| Inspector Flood and interviewed mum =
Der of the officials and employees OF
the New York Central including Ira A
Mccormick. superintendent of motive
power. MIR Smyth said tonight that
he made his inquiries particularly on
the speed of the train, whether a tire
had been lost from one of the motors
| and as to the 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 trail TO the ties had been Gu,
: off.
Whether the rail or the wheel was
the first to give way he had no way Of
knowing. but it appeared that the
Wheel had broken after it had passed
over the displaced rail
AS to the speed of the train at the
time of the accident. Mr.. Smyth sai1
that r. r Rogers. the motorman, who
. was operating both motors. under one
, control. declared he was running As
! miles an hour.
That tho state Railroad Commission
Is preparing 10 make an inquiry int
the wreck was made evident TODAY
from the fact that Henry " Rockwell
t or fonkcrS, member OF the commits.
SION, notified the Officials of the Ney,
: York Central railroad that he had beer
I instructed by the commission to re.
quire the officers Of the road to furnish
them with the details Of the wreck. 4
4 20
, representative of the road said that
the demand would be complied with.
Il In an official statement today. !. G
hammond, press representative of tbs
New York Central, said that the in
, Vestigati"n of tn" accident by the rail!
road officials had not disclosed tn,
cause
He said that the rail used was stan.
' dard weight. 100 pounds to the yard
the track was of best construction an,
IN hrst-ciaSS condition. and that tn,
electric motors had been thoroughly
tested on an experimental track befort
they were put into service He sait
the train was six minutes late an
that the reports of the trainmen an,
of officials who had investigated show.
cd that it was going from 40 to .
miles an hour, which he declared wa.
not excessive.
II had teen intended to run all tn.
suburban trains on the electric system
today, but because Of the wreck tn,
further installation of electric motiv,
power on the Harlem division wa.
postponed until tomorrow, when it WI
.. be put into effect.
One of the sad stories Of the wrecJ
is that surrounding the death Of Mis-
Elsie ID. Warren. 4 trained nurse VIII,
lived in this city. but who was attend
ing case in Pleasantvile. Miss War
rem was adopted several years ago by
family in Greenviile village. Mass
after having been rescued from a fir
and left parentless.
T. r. Rogers, the motorman of tn
derailed train. who was arrested lat
last night by order of the coroner an,
taken before him for examination, wa
subsequently paroled on his own rec
ognizance to appear for the coroner
inquest later. Rogers declared that tn
train was running no faster than steam
trains were commonly run.
|