South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-03-30
Known Dead of FrightfuI AM
herSt Wreck Now Numbers
27-Many Are MangIed
Beyond Recognition.
TOW ERMAN DECLARES
SIGNAL DEVICE FAILED
EmpIOye Upon Whom Blame
Has Been Shifted Asserts
He Gave Train Clear Track
But Signal Failed.
.ternational News Service:

international News Service:
CLEVELAND, o.. March 80
With the right Of way practically
cleared and train service back al
most to normal today. following yes
terday mornings frightful wreck at
Amherst. O.. the total number Of
known dead stands at q. Wreck
ers. clearing away debris late last
night found the last body that of a
man, crushed almost beyond recog-
milton
Mangled portions of 10 bodies lie
about the Amherst morgue and every
effort is being made to identify them
but success is doubtful Now and
then an arm, foot or hand is found
and brought in and an effort made
TO find where il will tit. BY. cOntin-
uing this task throughout last night
some Of the unidentified bodies were
made nearly complete, but the grew
some toll will avail little. as the re-
mains Of those whose lives were
snuffed out are so badly mutilated
that Identification can never be Ger
tain.
The death toll may be added to
within the next few hours Phys
icians at Memorial hospital, Elyria
said this morning that Frank Keller,
of Chicago, could scarcely live
through the day The body Of Bert
r. Ash. a mail transfer clerk, was
taken 70 OImsted Falls. .. The
body of David Fruchtman, Toronto,
Ont, was sent to his relatives there.
Start joint Probe.
Federal. state and railroad officials
today were to s.art a joint investi-
cation here for the purpose Of fixing
the blame on the manor men-re-
sponsi Die for the accident.
That il was a case of man-failure
rather than imperfect mechanical
devices, has been positively asserted
by officials OF the New York Central
lines, who made a minute examina-
ton Of the signal system at Amherst
tower, which held the first section Of
train No. sc while the second sec
ton crashed into it,
The two men at whom most of
the questions are to be hurled at the
investi cation are Engineer Herman
Hess, Of the second section Of train
No. SO. and Towerman A r. Ernst.
of Amherst.
Engineer +. W. Leonard, Of the
first section Of train No. Sc. which
ulled the death car" asserts he
stopped his train on a signal origin
ating in Ernst's tower.
Engineer Hess declares he saw no
signal when ne brought his section
booming along at a 5O-mile an hour
clip about three minutes later.
Ernst asserts he set no stop sig
nal. declaring the line was open for
Engineer Leonard TO go ahead.
If Ernst is held responsible in the
investigation the blame will trace
back TO tiny crib in the Ernst
home at Elyria, where sleeps a new
born babe
The baby was born Sunday night.
Since then Ernst has had little
sleep, railroad officials say
Statements Of telegraphers. who
are on the verge OF a strike that
TowerTnan Ernst. whom \. 5 In
gals, general superintendent Of the
New York Central. holds mainly re-
sponsible. is a green" man. were
dispelled today.
Railroad officials declared that
Ernst has been on the Lake Shores
payroll for u years.
Towerman Denies Blame.
Signal Towerman Albert H. Ernst
today declared that yesterdays dis
asteN was due TO the failure Of the
interlocking signal He claims 10
have talked 10 the dispatcher's Of
fee at Cleveland at 300 a. M, and
received orders TO hold westbound
freight train for the 10Th Century
Limited
If anyone IS seeking 70 fasten the
blame OF me in this affair ] shall
make IN affidavit 10 what I know
Of signal failures in the past on this
an other roads" said Ernst
1T was not / who stopped the
first section Of train No SO. A signal
failure caused that first section 10
be brought 10 a standstiI and made
the wreck possible
LAS the leyerman in the Amherst
tower should have stopped the
train if there had been any reason
for doing it, out there was none
AT seq a. m. the circuit buzzer
reported the first section OF No. Sc
at Vernilion. II generally takes
from ore 10 II minutes for the train
10 reach my tower from there. So I
was on the lookout for il.
when il approached the s. gnal
block two miles from the home block
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