Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-07-06


1911.'
Albany, NJ Y, July 5.-The Public
Service Commission which is investi-
eating the Laekawanna wreck at Corn
ING. issued a statement, today, stat
ing that at midnight, last night, SUI
peryisor Of Equipmen Buchanan re-
ported that there were IL dead and so
injured.
"Mr. Buchanan's investigation up to
that time" says that statement, was
to the effect that the accident following
the pulling OF a drawhead on a freight
train which was just ahead of train
Nc. 0. Train No. 8 was being pulled by
two locomotives. one of which was TAX
en- from the train and started to push
the freight train into clear. In the
meantime a flagman on train No. .
had gone back one-half mile to flag
No. IL. The engineer on No. II passed
one signal at caution and one signal
OF danger in addition to the flagman
from train No. 9. Train No. II was
drawn by Mother Hubbard type
of engine. At the scene of the accident
the track is level and 1t is possible to
see rear ends of trains at least 1000
feet There was some fog at the time
of the accident. one wooden coach and
on wooden Pullman car were demolish-
ed and one steel coach went down the
emhankment of the Chemung river,
which runs along the tracks"
1T is, however, to the best of my
information, the most serious rear end
railroad collision in railroad history.
ut outclasses the Manchester, N.
Y, wreck, which was caused by
broken rail, both as to the number
of dead and the number injured. -
In addition to these safeguards the
railroad company claims that the
flagman was at a peint midway be-
tween two semaphores or nearly half
mile from the wreck AT this point
there is a straight stretch of track
and but slight curve, not sufficient
to obstruct the view just east of the
wreck
The demolished cars were found to
be of a standard construction and i'm
good condition. The commission ex-
perts left, this afternoon, for Elmira
to examine the wrecked engine of
the express train and the steel pas
senger coach. Coroner Smith stated,
today, that 1t was remarkable fea-
ture of the wreck that 50 per cent
of the victims suffered fractured
skulls. He concluded from this that
most OF them had their heads out of
the windows in an effort to learn the
cause of the trains delay when the
crash came.
New York, July 5.--"No matter how
perfect is the mechanical department
of a railroad and how strict are the
rules and regulations given the men.
1t is impossible to get away from the
fact that we have always to depend on
the brain of one man. 1t is the en-
gineer in the cab"
Such was the statement today, of
George A, Cullen, general traffic man
ager of the Lackawanna. after hours
of effort in trying to place the exact
blame for yesterdays disaster near
Corning
Railroad men have studied this
problem for years." he went on, "and
always we come to the same question
lis there any other means than hui
man agency that will protect perfectly
the lNeS ol tHoSe eiitFuSleu 10 our
care? No, there has got to be the
human mind--the man. The mechani-
cal contrivances, in themselves. are
perfect but without the cooperation
of the man they are useless.
"In every accident il is some human
mechanism that is at fault; some
brain forgot or neglected to work at
the proper time. The steel and wire
mechanism is never at fault. That
fits the case in this terrible catas-
trophe. Our signals worked perfectly.
all the men on the road performed
their prescribed duty, except one, and
he says, in explanation, that he didn't
see the signals He blamed the fog
He was the engineer of the express
No. 9 we call it, which telescoped the
Buffalo limited"