The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-09-07
OFFICIALS OF ERIE
NOT YET READY TO FIN RE-
SPONSIBILITY FOR FRIDAYS
BAD WRECK AT LAKE ARIEL,
IN WHICH TWO MEN WERE
KILLED AND IL PASSENGERS
INJURED.

DUNMORE, Sept 6.-Division
Supt. c. p Eckels of the Erie is not
yet ready to give out a statement de-
finitely placing the blame for Fri
days bad collision between two pas
senger trains at Lake Ariel-a col
lision in which Engineer Daniel
Smith and his fireman, John B. Mil
Ter, were killed and II persons in
jured, some of them seriously. He
intimated today that he might not be
ready to talk for publication for two
or three days yet,
Several witnesses, including En-
gineer w. G. Grant and Conductor
Abraham Snyder of one of the
wrecked passenger trains, are still to
be examined by the company Both
| Grant and Snyder are unable to leave
their homes on account of injuries
| they received In the wreck.
The funeral of Fireman John d.
! Miller of East Grove street, Dun
more, one of the wreck victims, was
held at noon Monday from his home.
! The body was taken to Lake Ariel
at 1.30 over the Erie and exercises
were held there. Burial was in the
! Maplewood cemetery.
The collision occurred at 2.25
o'clock in the afternoon on stretch
of single track leading from the main
! line of the Erie division into the
Lake Ariel station. This track is
in the form of a loop, and is about
three miles in length. 1t leaves the
main track at a point called East
Junction and enters onto it again
at West Junction, three-fourths of a
mile distant.
Train No. 102, leaving Scranton
at 1.27 o'clock, running east, and
train No. 143, running west, came
together on the loop leading to the
station. Train No. 102 was in
charge of Engineer Smith and Con-
ductor Elston. Train No. 143 was
in charge of Engineer Grant and
Conductor Snyder. The locomotives
were less than 200 feet apart be-
fore either engineer saw the other
train. Then Engineer Grant jammed
on his air and with his fireman
jumped. Engineer Smith and his
fireman were caught in the wreck
age before they had a chance to
jump. Both were killed. 1t was
five hours before the fireman's body
was recovered from under the
wreckage.
When the trains came together
the locomotives ploughed through in
| tn N In
The passenger coaches were thrown
from the tracks, but none of them
were telescoped. The passengers
were thrown in all directions inside
the cars.
Engineer Grant, who escaped by
jumping, and the conductors of both
trains disclaim all responsibility.
At Lake Ariel dozen persons inter-
viewed said both conductors had dis
played their train orders, which
gave them the right of way on the
loop. Conductor Snyder, they said,
had shown his orders, telling him to
pass train 143 at East Junction.
Conductor Elston had displayed or
ders telling him to pass No. 102
at West Junction.
Just before the collision both
trains were running about 80 miles
an hour, but Engineer Grant had
brought his train to about half that
speed before he jumped. The fact
that both trains carried two bag
gage coaches between the engines
and the passenger cars prevented
more serious injury among the pas
sengers.
Within a few minutes after the
collision four doctors from Lake
Ariel were at the scene. They tenn
porarily dressed the injuries of the
passengers. A call sent to Scranton
brought a special relief train to Lake
Ariel, carrying several doctors and
surgical supplies. The more seri-
ously hurt were brought to Scranton
or taken to the hotels at Lake Ariel
The. less seriously hurt who were
bound for Scranton were taken there
|, in a special train. The eastbound
passengers were provided transpor.
, tation by the company to Gravity
where they took main line trains fol
, New York.
Superintendent Eckels was in
formed of the statements of the resi-
} dents of Ariel and the passengers or
the wrecked trains that conductors
of both trains had displayed train or
, ders which gave both the right o.
/ way on the loop to the Ariel station
and that these orders apparently
, conflicted, the conductors being or
dered to pass each other at differ
ent points. Mr.. Eckels was askeC
for statement from the company
= giving the causes of the accident, bu
he was not ready to talk then.
The full list of the dead and in
2 jured:
Daniel Smith, fifty-seven years old
engineer, of 1922 Paul avenue, Dun
B more; leaves wife and grown u
family.
John B. Miller, forty years old
/. fireman, of Grove street, Dunmore
leaves wife and two children.
Martin Carroll, baggagemaster, o
4 513 South Blakely street, Dunmore
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