Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-14
TWELVE DEAD, 2OOHURT,
RESULT Of BOYS PRANK
Play With Engine Whistle,
Causing Wreck of Two
Electric Trains.

Los ANGELES. July ito meddle
some youths who played with the train
whistle is attributed the loss of twelve
ilVes and the injury of some 200 persons
near here last night when two Pacific
electric trains collided, telescoping two
cars and wrecking another at Vineyard
station. near the city limits. Many Of
the injured will die
Three trains loaded with excursionists
to the beach at Venice, sixteen miles
from Los Angeles, had stopped at a curve
where a switch is turned The last train
began moving forward while the two
foremost trains remained at a stand
still.
Pull Whistle in Jest
Carroll Bartholmae conductor of the
last car of the center train. jumped to
the track with his light to flag the APP
preaching train. Some youths, passen-
gers say, pulled the whistle in jest. This,
1T was said by railroad men, was in
terpreted by the motorman Of the on
coming train as the signal to go ahead.
With a crash of breaking glass, splin-
tering timbers and the cries of passen-
gers, the motor car Of the last train
drove into the rear of the center train.
The motorman of the moving train had
given full speed. A curve had pre-
vented his seeing the standing cars
The rear of the stationary train was
filed to capacity, and the aisles were
crowded with passengers. The seats
We're shuff1ed as a deck of cards by the
impact. Those who stood were crashed
into each other into the far end of the
car. The lights went out.
Sailor Receivers Eight Bodies.
Arthur Hill, sailor from the torpedo
boat Paul Jones. carried out eight bodies
including a woman gripping an infant
body in her arms.
Few of the Christian Endeavor dele
gates We're on the trains. The head
quarter Of the Toronto delegation OF !25
announced that none OF the CANADIAN
visitors were in the wreck. Practlcal!y
all of those killed and injured were resi-
dents of Los Angeles and suburbs.
Helen Hane of Escanaba, Mich; was
removed today as probably. fatally IN
jured. Her body was crushed. .:.
c. B. Craig and his wife OF Detroit
were internally injured and their con-
dition is serious.
OF the dead four men remained I'M
identified early today, two Japanese and
two whites.
List of the Killed.
The known dead are:
Miss Edna Alter, Pasadena.
Ollie w Axley, San Francisco.
Miss Veronica Miller, Los AiScies.
Merle Evans, Los Angeles.
William Taylor, Jacob Barman and
Edward Murray. addresses unknown
p R. Forester. mOtorman of the
wrecked train, missing.
The names of few of the injured were
known early today.
1t was thought virtually all were from
Los Angeles or vicinity.
Inclined to Blame Motorman.
Although no formal statements have
been issued by railroad officials they are
inclined to place the blame for the acct
dent on Forester, the motorman, and
the conductor of the stationary train.
Lacking Forrester's story, no clear &C
count of what happened has been obtain
able as yet
Investigation was begun today to fix
the blame for the accident last night. The
curve in the tracks of the Venice short
line at the place is held partly RESPONSE
BILE for the failure of the motorman to see
the stationary cars with which his train
coliided.
The motorman was missing today. His
body was not found in the debris. al
though it was thought certain that he
mao been killed.
Carroll Bartnolomai. conductor of the
last car of the stationary train, said he
made an effort to flag down the ap-
preaching cars, but that the mOtorman
failed to observe his signals.
Stories of the accident related by pas
sengers on the two trains differ widely
ana much difficulty will be experienced in
reaching the truth. The crash came SO
suddenly that only those on the rear car
of the standing train had any warning.