The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-07-12
WRECK BLAMED
ONTO ENGINEER
Switch Unable to Stand
# Trains Speed.
TWELVE DEAD; 50 HURT

oh Iobto Doi cam Nool9UCd " Ntoi
Pullman Seek More Forward Loca-
ton, but Congratulate Themselves
When Their Car Escapes Plunge
over Embankment-Do Heroic Ser
vice In Rescuina Injured From De-
bris--SeveraI Dead Not Identified.
Bridgeport, Conn, July 12.-The fed
etal express, the crack train Of the
New York, New Haven C Hartford
railroad between Washington and
Boston. flashed into West Bridgeport
more than an hour behind time. Cur
tis, the engineer, was driving the big
1O-wheel locomotive for all there was
in her. trying to catch up to the
schedule.
He sent the heavy train over a cross
over switch that connects the two
eastbound tracks, a mile and half
west Of the Bridgeport station, at so
miles an hour. Half a minute later
five cars were lying smashed and
twisted in the Fairfield avende cut,
having been flung from a 2O-fcot VIA
duct. Curtis. and Ryan, his fireman,
together with at least 10 Of the pas
sengers we're dead. and 80 passengers
were hurt, dozen very svtlously.
Among those killed was Mrs. Helena
d. Walcott, the wife of Charles ID.
walcott, secretary of Smithsonian
Institute.
The only explanation offered by the
railroad officials was that the high
speed was the cause of perhaps the
most frightful accident in the history
OF that line. II was impossible for
them to tell whether the switch gave
way under the terrific strain or
whether the fast running weakened
and loosened an axle or burst a wheel.
But they placed the responsibility on
the dead engineer for driving the
train at 60 miles an hour at a point
where the regulations call for a 15-
mile rate. No cross-over switch ever
built was meant to stand against such
a strain. II appeared TO be simply a
case of an engineer who took n
chance in order to keep his days
record clear.
Ball Players Protest.
AS made up when It left Washing
ton. the train had nine cars-a wood
en- baggage car. second baggage
car, wooden day coach ard six
Pullman sleepers. The two Pullmans
at the rear end were occupied by tho
St. Louis National league baseball
team, % young athletes under the
command Of their manager, Roger
Bresnahan. Bresnahan and his Car
dinals boarded the train at Fhiladel-
phia and complained sorely because
the trainmen tagged their sleepers to
the rear end Of the Federal. They
protested because they thought 1t
would be hot travelling so far back,
but young Mr.. Bresnahan, as he
stood in pajamas that had been pink
but had gotten inky from dirt and
sweat, gave thanks that the railroad
people didn't do what he asked. Most
of tho other ball players were as
grimy as their boss, becau7e the
whole c-ew had turned out CT their
sleeper, which wasn't thrown into the
cut. and had worked splendidly help
ing to get injured passengers out of
the dreadful tangle of splinters and
twisted iron and broken seats. There
were perhaps 200 persons on the
train. very many of them women and
children. who we're going north for
vacations. The third car behind the
locomotive ~ the day coach was
crowded with passengers who hadn't
cared to pay extra for Pullman &C.
commodations and who were mapping
in their clothes whom the train shot
off the track. Most of the killed werc
in that car for it caught the full
shock of the plunge and besides was
ground against the stone viaduct by
two sleepers. It's sides were pinchod
together in this crushing vice and
few Of those in It escaped The peo-
pie we're pinned in their berths and,
although not hurt by wood or metal,
were suffocated as they struggled TO
get free.
Big Konetchy, the first baseman Of
the Cardinals, together with Bliss,
the second catcher and Golden, a
pitcher, got four people out of one
of the wrecked Pullmans.
Following is list Of the dead:
c. w. Christie, Philadelphia
Arthur NJ. Curtis Of New York, en-.
aineer.
Mrs. Gwenn Olin Rogers and in.
fant son Of Washington. d. g.
Walter A. Ryan Of New York, fire.
man Of the express.
George Saunders, Norwich, Conn,
Helena b. Walcott, Washington,
b. c.
Unidentified woman, about So years
old