Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-03-30
'orty More Are Injured-Threc
Trains, Including Twentieth
Century, Limited, in Coli
sion.
CAUSE OF CRASH unknown
Twentieth Century Said to Have
PlOughed into Wreckage Re-
sulting from Tail-End Colli-
sion of Two Trains Ahead of
1t.

Cleveland March o7.-With at least -
persons dead and more than 40 injured, |
Federal, State and railroad AGENTS have |
begun an Investigation into the cause that |
led. early to-day to one of the most dis |
astrous wrecks in the history Of the New
York Central system.
Three trains, including the Central's
ralatial flyer, the Twentieth Century Linn |
bted west bound, and two sections of No. |
81, known as the Chicago pittsburg Lin |
tted eastbound. were in collision near
amherst, Ohio. 81 miles west of Cleve-
land.
Reports generally credited are that the
first and second sections of No. Sc We're
proceeding at rapid rate. at some point
only mile apart when the second section
crashed into the first section, ana the
twentieth Century rloughed into the
wreckage of the first two trains. spread
ing over from the parallel tracks
The coaches and engines of No. s. were
toppled over and wrcckage was piled
thirty feet in the air. Two cars We're
smashed to splinters. Fourteen coaches
Were overturned
The Twentieth Century, Notwithstanding
its impact with the debris from the other
WdS scarcely udlDuPtu ana pro.
ceeded on its journey its passengers un-
injured except for a severe shaking up.
a heavy fog from Lake Erie had settled
over northern Ohio and it was stil dark
when the wreck occurred. This. with
the alleged failure Of a towerman to do
his duty under the rules. was ascrlbed
by some railroad officials as the cause
of the wreck. The towerman. it was said
had heen without Slpep of no ipoC
since Sunday night, his wife being i'll
and requiring his attention when he was
not on duty.
block signal set suddenly and without
warning against train speeding east
ward following in the next block is the
basis of the doubt that existed tonight
as to the real cause of the wreck. w. +.
Schaff, district superintendent Of the New
York Central lines, said to-day:
The towerman can have nothing to
do with the cause of this wreck. The
explanation lies between the engineers
and the block signal system.
1--WE tested out the block signal sys-
TEN this morning after the wreck and
found it working perfectly. After the
wreck Engineer Hess and his brakeman,
A. NJ Gates, with brakeman William
Blakeney of the Twentieth Century Linn
ited, walked back to the signal which
Hess tr1Te by they all said they found
the signal was red, or blocked, then"
Scenes of terrible confusion followed
the catastrophe. which occurred shortly
after 300 a. m. Many Of the injured
pnioned in the wreckage called pite-
ousIy for help as uninjured passengers,
half clad emerged from the sleepers and
Joined with trainmen and others in
rescue work. fire among ne wreck
age provided the first light. Firemen
from Amherst were among TIE first ART
walls and soon extingulshed the flames
The fire was In one coach of train No
&C. General Manager Moon, IN an Off
cial statement, said this coach was q
'modern solid steel coach" Passengers
end others who were on this scene to-
day did not agree rs TO the correctness
OF this statement many OF them contend
ing the coach was OF wooden construc-
tion. Those who disputed the assertion
that the coaches We're all Of solid steel
ponted to the fact that death coach
hs they termed It was torn into small
fragments which burned like tinder.
Hospitals in Lorain and Elyria tonight
were filled with injured and It generally
was believed the death list would be
Cleveland, Elyria and Loran to the
scene Of the wreck and physicians and
ambulances were rushed from all these
points Hundreds of villagers and farm
crs from Amherst and vicinity did heroic
work in caring for the dead. dying and
injured. The little morgue at Amherst
was quickly filled, but other buildings
were made available Most of the bodies
were mangled beyond recognition ant
in some cases Identification may be i'm.
possible. Private homes were alsC
thrown open and many We're utilized
pending removal of the injured to Elyrii
and Lorain hospitals
The Twentieth Century Limited wa
wrecked on June 81, 1904. at Mentor
Ohio, about 20 miles east of Cleveland
In that disaster 10 persons lost thei
lives. The New York Central at tina
time was just inauguratng its fast serv
ice shortening the time in trips betwee
New York and Chicago and the Twen
teth Century was making Its secon
run under the new fast time schedule
A maniac 1t was asserted by railroa
officials turned n switch that caused tn
Mentor wreck.
The wreck to-day, however, was ia
more disastrous in loss of life and In
jured
At 300 p. m. d. c. Moon, general man
ager of the New York Central Rallroa
company, issued the following statement
About $50 o'clock this morning frs
No. SC, the Dhicago-Pittsburg passenge
train, vas stopped at Inc interlockn
toyer at Amherst, ohio. shortly afte
me train started to proceed and was mov
ing at a speed Of about five to on mile
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