The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-03-30

fBy Associated Prhss)
CLEVELAND. O.. March 30-With
II bodies recovered from the wreck
yesterday Of the three New York Cen
trail trains at Amherst, o. attention
was today focused upon the several
investigations which were put under
way by Federal, state and railroad au'
thorities to determine responsibility
for the wreck.
Representatives of the Inter State
Commerce Commission, the Utilities
Commission of Ohio and various de-
partment heads of the New York Cen
trail were conducting investigations in
Cleveland and in other points within
the vicinity Of the wreck.
The question OF whether the socall-
ed death coach on train No. Sc was OF
modern steel construction US claimed
by the New York Central officials
or was mainly Of wood construction is
expected to be an important feature
of the investigation.
Railroad officials were still divided
In opinion as to whether the blame
should be placed on the tower man
who. according to some officials, was
asleep and failed to give the proper
say, it may be shown either failed to
see the signal or exceeded his orders.
or, the more than 40 persons injured
in the wreck several are said to be in
a precarious condition and further IA
talities were feared. Railroad officials
say. that only 81 bodies have been re.
covered and that they regard it as i'm
possible that more bodies are in the
ruins. Unofficial, but what Is regards
ed as reliable, reports late yesterday
placed the number of dead at thirty.
1T is believed the actual number of
dead may be a matter OF uncertainty
for some hours at least.
I The two men at whom most Of the
questions were to .be directed at to-
days investigation, to be held in the
offices Of the Division superintendent
w. f.. ScEaff, were engineer Herman
Hess OF the Second section Of train
So and tower man "A. r. Ernst of Am
herst.
Ernst, the tower man, early today
made statement in which he stoutly
denied that lie was asleep or that he
was incapacitated by the loss of sleep.
He asserted that he set the signal
properly but that it failed to work and
that the accident was caused there
by.
while my wife was ILL.," said Ernst
II got my regular sleep and went about
my duties as usual. The signal sim
ply failed to work. That Is sail.
B II. w. Belnap representing the In.
terstate Commerce Commission early
today opened the federal Investigation
The Twentieth Century, notwith-
standing its impact with the debris
from the other trains, emerged almost
unscathed and proceeded on its west
ward journey, its passengers unlnjured
exceptSfor severe shaking up.
A pail Of fog from Lake Erie had
settled down over Northern Ohio. This,
with the. alleged failure Of tower
man to, do his duty under the rules.
was ascribed by some OF the railroad
officials as the cause of the wreck.
The towerman, 1t was said, had been
without sleep most of the time since
Sunday night, when his wife gave
birth to a child. q.
y . w. F.. Schaff, district superintendent
of the New York Central lines, said
yesterday: s
1.-THE ltowerman can have nothing to
do with the cause of this wreck. The
explanation lies between the engineers
and the block signal system. We test
ed out the block signal system this
after the wreck and found
It working perfectly. After the wreck
Hess and his brakeman, "A.
M. Gates, with Brakeman William
B1akeney Of the Twentieth Century
Limited. walked back to the signal
which Hess drove by. They all said
they found the signal was red, or
blocked then" y NJ
IA block signal, set suddenly and
warning, against a train speed