Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-07-09
THIRTEEN BOD
les REMAIN TO
Be IDENTIFIED
Confusion Caused by Taking Bodies
to Elmira Delays
Work.
THE ENGINEER IS BLAMED.
Lackawanna Official Gives Out
Statement Concerning
Causes.

Corning, N. Y, July 6.-of thu
forty-one passengers killed in tht
rear-end collision on the Lackawan
ma, two miles east of this city early
Thursday, thirteen remained uni
Identified up to a late hour yester;
day. OF these SIX are in local NOR.
CUES and seven in Elmira. In sevesa
instances there are no clues upon
which Identification may be at.
tempted and several bodies are Sc
badly mutiIated that ultimate dis
covery OF their identity seems but a
remote possibility. The unidentified
dead comprise six women, five men,
a young girl and boy.
Considerable confusion has been
caused by the fact that many Of the
dead and Injured were taken to FL
mira soon after the accident. Rela-
tives have flocked here seeking miss
ing ones, and their mission failing,
have been compelled to make the
trip to Elmira.
It developed last night that Mrs.
Charles Brandes, of New York city,
who has been mentioned hitherto in
the press dispatches as among the
dead, was not on the train. This be-
came Knswn when Henry Hente, a
cousin of Mr.. Brandes, arrived at
the morgue and identified the latter
but said that Braades' wife and four
children were at home In New York.
A few minutes later the body of
the young bride supposed to have
been Mrs. Brandes, was identified as
that of MRS. C. Al. Masserve. As
Ada Benson, Of Poquannock, Pa,
she was married on Wednesday, at
Pompton, ". j., by Rev. e. P. Hoop
err to c. A. Masservs; a clerk in the
Office of tire Chicago, MiIwaukee &
st. Paul railway. They were on
their wedding trip.
The fact came to, light yesterday
that the express car next 10 the en-
CINE of train No. Is which was bad
" damaged in the wreck, contained
100000 in currency and 100000
in valuable shipments" None but
the express messengers knew OF its
existence A special crew Of seven
men heavily armeG, was despatched
from Elmira to guard the hoard
which was shipped west late last
night.
Engineer William Schroeder, of
the express train, is reported today
to he in a serious mental condition.
New York, July 6."No matter
how perfect the mechanical depart
ment OF railroad and how strict
the rules and regulations given the
men, it is impossible to get away
from the fact chat We have always
to depend on the brain of one man.
1t is: the engineer in the cab"
Such was the statement yesterday
of George A. Cullen, general traffic
of the Lackawanna after
hours of effort in trying to place the
blame for Thursdays disaster near
Corning.
Railroad men have studied this
problem for years" he went on,
land always we come TO the same
questions there any other means
than human agency that will pro-
tect perfectly the lives of those en-
trusted to our care? No, there has
got to be the human mind-the
man, the mechanical contrivances In
themselves are perfect, but without
the cooperation of the man they
are useless.
In every accident it is some hui
man mechanism is at fault; some
brain forgot or neglected to work at
the proper time. The steel and wire
mechanism is never at fault. That
was the case In this terrible catas-
trophe. Our signals worked per-
fectlyy all the men on the road per-
formed their prescribed duty except
one, and he says. in explanation,
that he did not see the signals. He
blamed the fog. He was the engin-
eer of the express which telescoped
the Buffalo Limited
Injured by Mower.