The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-03-31


wreckage from both sections over on
the westbound highspeed track Into
this pile of wreckage, the Twentieth
Century train crashed, resulting in it's
derailment. Most of the dead were
in the rear coach of the first section
of the Flyer. There were forty pas
sengers in this car, when the second
section came up from behind and tore
into the standing train. ...-
Some of the dead were found in the
rear coaches of the second section of
the Flyer, which buckled over onto
the Twentieth Century'S right-cf-
way and composed mass of wreck
age through which the Twentieth Gen.
tury nearly plowed it's way before be-
ing thrown from the rails.
There were no dead among the pas
sengers of the Twentieth Century,
though a number of passengers were
badly hurt on this train. Two
coaches of the Twentieth Century
overturned
eth Century are attributed to the fact
that the palace train was proceeding
comparatively slowly because of the
dense fog. The second section of the
flyer, however, was going at a high
rate of speed when it struck the first
section, which was taking water.
Another Story of Wreck.
UNITED Press Dispatch.l
Cleveland, Ohio, March 29.-In the
midst of a binding, fog, three trains
on the Lake Shore line of the New
York Central system, collided early
this morning at the town of Amherst,
Ohio, thirty miles west of
Cleveland. One of these trains was
the we'll known Twentieth Century
Limited.
G. S. Goodwin, superintendent of
the New York Central, stated today
to representative of The United
Press, that ten to twelve persons had
lost their lives, and twenty-five to
thirty were injured, some very badly.
The first section of No. sc was
coming to a stop a short distance east
of Amherst, when the second section
crashed into it. A few moments lat
er, the Twentieth Century Limited,
speeding in the opposite direction,
smashed into the wreck.
Injured Rushed to Farm Houses.
Many of the injured were rushed
to neighboring farm houses. A new
train was soon made up of the two
sections that first collided, and other
injured persons and others that need
ed care were hurried on this train
to neighboring towns.
A. w. BaetZ and o. H. Baker, un-
dertakers, who were on board the
Twentieth Century Limited, stated at
eight o'clock this morning that they
had taken twenty bodies out of the
wreck.
Henry Runkle, land agent, who
was on the same train, remarked that
when the crash occurred, the car in
which he was sleeping seemed to
stand on end. He dressed hastily
and made his way out.
d. G. Mohr of New York remarked
that the fog was so dense that one
could not see twenty-fi five feet away.
There is no doubt that the wreck
would have been far more disastrous
had it not been for the steel cars.
Tower Man to Blame.
UNITED Press Dispatch.1
Cleveland, Ohio, March 29.-The
sleepy tower man was to blame for
the Amherst wreck according to
statement issued today by the super
intendent of the New York Central.
This tower mans wife gave birth to
child last Sunday night and the
tower man has had scarcely any sleep
since.
Herbert Hess, engineer on the Sec
ton of Train No. SO, which crashed
into the first section, stated that his
section was going about sixty miles
an hour at the time of the catas-
trophe. He said he observed two
signals before he came to the place
of the collision and both signals indi-
Gated that the path was clear.
The total of those dead from the
wreck now foots up to twenty seven.
Twenty were injured and some
of these fatally.
Will Make Investigation.
limited Press Dispatrh.J
| Washington, March 29.-H. H. Bel
KNAPP, chief of the division of safety
! of the interstate commerce commits
sion, left today for Amherst, Ohio, to
look into the particulars of the New
York Central wreck. George Ellis,