The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-11-14
BLOCK SIGNALS
NOT IN USE
State and Federal Investigations as to
just Who Was Responsible
for the Railroad
Wreck.
BRAKEMAN NOW DENIES
Carl Gross contradIets His First
Story That He Made the Mis-
| take on the c.
II. and ..
BRAKEMAN NOW DENIES

limited Press Leased Wire Service
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Nov. IL.
The state OF Indiana and the federal
government today began rigid inves-
legations OF the G. H. and D., wreck OF
yesterday that killed fifteen persons
and seriously injured as many more,
prepared to fix the blame on the man
or men responsible, to punish them.
The Marion county grand jury, un-
the order of Judge Markey began a
probe Of the wreck while Prosecuting
Attorney Baker and the coroner work
led Independently The Indiana rail-
Iroad commission set November 25 for
an official state sift Of the wreck,
while w. H. Belknap, of the inter-
state commerce commission, was on
his way from Washington. prepared
to take up the inquiry for the federal
body.
| While these state and national in
lvestigations were under way, Division
Superintendent White of the Cincin-
natl, Hamilton and Dayton railroad,
was conducting an inquiry on behalf
of the railroad to ascertain whether or
not Head Brakeman Carl Gross told
the truth when he assumed respons.
ibility for the disaster.
| Gross, who is in hospital with a
broken leg, yesterday made state
ment in which he said that he sup
posed he was to blame for the wreck
! because he failed to close the switch
after the freight backed onto the sid
ing. He admitted that 1t was hi,
duty to attend to the switch, but his
excuse was the engineer "whistlee
him in and he therefore assumed
the switch to be closed and did moi
! look at It.
Today Cross sought to retract this
statement. He explained that he wal
partly under the influence OF In an
aesthetic when he talked and did no
know what he was saying. His ex
lplanation today was that the freigh
lengineer was responsible for th,
j switch.
4 The express freight which was or
dered to wait for the passenger a
Irvington ran past the siding and thel
/ backed into it, the locomotive facinl
the switch. Gross stood by while tn
train backed in and then in respons
to whistled signal, he said, mounte,
the cab where were the engineer
fireman and second brakeman.
One of the questions to be settle'
by the Investigators is whether ther
was light on the switch stant
Survivors of the passenger crew sa
! there was no light. The freight me
say there was. The passenger traiI
{ an hour late, was running fifty mile
| an hour and the crash came instantl
J after it took the switch.
, That division of the G. H. and I
where the wreck occurred is nc
equipped with block signals.
Block signals would have averte
/ the wreck declared J. ]. Mcclure G
!, Anderson, member of the railwa
commission "The cost of the wrec
would have equipped the whole syl
tenn from indianapolis to Cincinnat
with block signals"
Chairman Wood of the state con
mission said that the commissio
probably would bring suit to compt
the railroad to install the block syi
tenn within Indiana.
Twenty thousand people today an
yesterday visited the scene OF tn
, wreck and many of them brougf
$ away splinters of cars, pieces {
!, clothing and such like for souvenirs