The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-12-06
FIXING
The BLAME
For The Terrible Railroad
Wreck Near GAINESVILLE
In Which Former Nj. Vernon
People We're Killed
Trains Played "Tag' The
Statement Of One Mao
"Flnally Caught Them" Says
The Engineer
State Officials Making An
Investigation

GAINESVILLE, Ohio, December 5-The
disastrous wreck Of local passenber
trains ON the c. A. & G. and M. v. Di.
visions Of the Pennsylvania Railroad
claimed II dead and s seriously in.
jured as its toll.
GAINESVILLE has settled down to a
.sane discussion of the causes Of the
terrible tragedy and an effort to fix
the blame for 1t.
The news from Columbus that com.
missioner John Sullivan, Of the Ohio
Public Utilities Commission. had be-
gun an investigation and had visited
the scene of the wreck today met with
hearty approval.
DR.. w. G. Walter, Coroner of Mus.
kingum County, has announced his in.
tention to begin thorough investi.
cation into the wreck early next
week In an endeavor to place the
blame where It belongs. ~
1t has been pretty definitely settled
that the two trains left the depot at
Dresden about three minutes apart.
f. H. Smith, Dresden business
man, WHO escaped with his life by
jumping from the rear end OF the
coach that was telescoped just before
the collision, made this positive state.
ment today:
Operator Fred Morrison, at Dres-
den, received orders to release the G.
and M. v. train just three minutes and
forty seconds after the c. A. & c.
train had pulled away from the depot.
The brakeman sent back to flag the
G. & M. v. train when the c. A. and
G. engine broke down had proceeded
not more than 200 feet when the on
coming train rushed around the
curve"
Constable Poke" Roush, former
railroad engineer of 40 years expert.
ence, who was bringing prisoner
from Urichsville to the GAINESVILLE
Workhousesmakes the statement that
the c. A. & C. train lett the Dresden
depot at 5:27 o'clock and the c. and
M. v. train was released by the opera.
tor there at $3.50 o'clock.
Neither Superintendent Paul Jones
nor any other railroad official will say
anything today regarding the wreck
or the cause of 1t, other than that the
fiagman did not get back in time tt
halt the second train.
Today resident Of Ellis, a small
station this side of Dresden, made
this remarkable statement:
mo one along the line was at all
surprised when they heard about
Sthe wreck; In fact, we've all been ex
pecting the very thing that happened.
Every night the two trains rush
down from Dresden to GAINESVILLE al
most within sight OF each other, SO
close at times that It almost looks like
the one was trying to tag the other"
The remains of Harry Balbian. Of
/, Dresden: Max Harris. of Lodi, Ohio.
and Harry Bortels. Of Albion, Mich,
were shipped to their respective
homes today.
Among the more seriously injured.
all Of whom 1t Is now believed, will re.
cover, are G. o. Brownheld. of Cincin.
natl, boiler inspector for the Mary
land Casualty Company. whose left
leg was crushed, and who sustained
internal injuries and James Bryant
the G. and M. v. engineer who Jumped
to safety, but sustained internal In
juries, who was removed to his home
in Lancaster.
Conductor George Evans, Of the G
and M. v. train, attributes to Engineer
Bryant significant statement. He
says that when he was going forward
from the rear coach of his train, In
which he was riding when to crash
came, he passed Bryant lying on the
ground alongside the track.
Evans asked Bryant what happened
and the engineer tersely answered:
"A "We finally caught them"
BANNER WANT ADS PAY