South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-06-30
Supt. Hardy Of Chicago, South
Bend and Northern Indiana
Railway Examines Car Crew
and Other Witnesses
TWO VICTIMS STILL IN
HOSPITAL, RECOVERING
MOtorman Darling Tells Probe
Board Brakes Had Worked
Perfectly Until He Tried to
Stop at L. S. Crossing.

An investigation 10 determine, if
possible, the exact cause of the
wreck which occurred Monday aft
ernoOn when a Michigan st. car ran
onto the Lake Shore railroad tracks
and was struck by passenger
train. eight persons sustaining in
juries. was begun Tuesday morning.
Officials of the Chicago, South
Bend and Northern Indiana Railway
Co. stated they would leave no stone
unturned TO establish all of the
facts in connection with the ac-
cident
The car crew, passengers and sew
eral other witnesses were to be ex-
amined closely and the remains of
the brake mechanism of the wrecked
car will be examined to determine if
possible what the defect was which
caused their failure to work as was
declared by Motorman Claude Oar
ling. 1t was doubtful, officials said,
that much information could be OBJ
tanned from this examination, how
ever, inasmuch as the front of the
car was reduced to mass of
splinters and twisted iron.
Injured Are Recovering.
The injured persons were recov-
ering Tuesday The three most Sc
riously hurt are in no danger, it
was stated.
Mrs. George Bill, 1904 s. Mich
igan St, who sustained a broken leg,
and Mrs. V. A. Candy, 1926 Witwer
av., who suffered a broken collar
bone, are still in Epworth hospital.
Mrs. ]. F. Dempsey, who sustained
bruises about her face and was re-
moved to the hospital, later was
taken to her home.
Others injured slightly were Mrs
Leonard DeSonia, S37 E. Bowman:
Wesley Van Valin, 1912 S. Michigan;
Mrs Bert Ray, 3O4 F. Donald; Miss
Doris Allen, III w. Ewing av.; Mrs
F. Schroeder, 1907 S. Michigan:
Mrs. L. Roth, 1905 Randolph, and
Mrs. Leo O'Connor, 1905 Randolph
Hardy Conducts Probe.
Frank l. Hardy, superintendent of
transportation, had charge of the in
vestigation and during the morning
he listened to the testimony of the
motorman and conductor and wit
nesses of the affair. Both trainmen
laid the blame of the accident to
the brakes, asserting that although
several attempts were made to stop
the car the brakes failed to work.
Motorman Claude Darling assert
ed that he had been operating the
car for more than an hour and that
the brakes were in perfect order
until he tried to stop at the Lake
Shore tracks. The motorman who
had been operating the car before
Darling went on duty, also testified
that the brakes were in good con-
ditiOn
Darling said he applied the
Shore crossing but that they failed
to work and that his car shot
through the gates and onto the CEN
ter track on which the train was ap-
preaching He said he jumped with
Conductor Harold Hively, crossing
the tracks in front of the engine.
Say MotOrman is Reliable.
The motorman has been in the
service Of the railway company for
more than II months and according
10 both Hardy and Gen. Manager
&C. D. Emmons. he was believed TO
be one of the most efficient men in
the service.
Many witnesses of the accident
will be called before the transporta-
tion superintendent before the COM
pletion of the investigation Hardy
asserted Tuesday that had the train
been going at a high rate of speed
fewer injuries would have 7 r-sulted
as il would no doubt have cut the
entire front of the car off and since
the passengers were in the rear they
would have escaped with few hurts.
The train is estimated to have been
travelling at 10 miles an hour.
Passengers as well as the motor
man and conductor saw the ap-
preaching danger. When the car
drove through the gates and onto the
tracks they could see that the train
was but a few hundred feet away.
Only one man standing in the rear
had time to jump. The rest of the
passengers were saved by the fact
that they were near the rear veSti-
bule The conductor had taken a
place by the side Of the motorman
so as 10 be ready TO cross the tracks
ahead OF his car TO give the neces-
sary signals.
The watchm at the crossing where
the accident occurred was not able 10
speak English and no satisfactory
story could he gained from him. How
ever. the watchman at the Main st.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14.)