The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-31
ENGINEER Hess Is
BLAMED BY EXPERT
FOR DOUBLE WRECK
"Mental Waywardncss." Say
Cc%ntral's Signal Men-Pub-
liz Hearing To-day.
R\N ~ TWO "STOPS":
MORE COUNTED DEAD

cIryrl,Np. ohio. March 3o.-Albert
II Ernst OF Elyria. night towerman at
amherst. was not responsible for
WcdrcSddy's double wreck Mt Amherst,
ia which at least twcnty-seven persons
ocrc Killed and nifty were injured.
Neither were defective signals to blame.
rms was the statement at Amherst
late to-day by W. II. Elliot and r. y.
Wicgaud. New York Central signal en-
rinccrs. who went with the joint investi-
eating committee of the Interstate Conn
nicrce commission and the Ohio Public
r'litics Commission to the scene OF the
wreck. II WAS reported that II. A. Nc.
adams. one OF the Federal commission's
experts. also had exonerated Ernst.
This reported exoneration and asser-
tons that the signal system has been
found in perfect working order made the
case against Engineer Herman Hess of
the second section OF train No. IS look
more serious. according to the investi-
gators. Mr.. Elliott went so far as to
ay the blame on Hess by asserting the
cause OF the wreck was mental way.
u,rdness' on the part Of the veteran
engineer.
Passed Two stop signals"
Elliott says Hess must have passed
NO stop signals. because with the
sgnsl system in perfect condition the
ed light In Ernst's tower would have
lccn duplicated at the mex, block. a
nile down the track. and a third ligh.
would have shown the green caution
gnal two miles from the scene OF the
accident.
just how the red danger signals near
Erasts tower came TO be burning has
ct been determined. Ernst declared
he put up "A clear" signal for the first
-ection. and says the system must have
necn out Of order II the block showed
Ell.
The signal engineers say that even II
Erts, is mistaken IN thinking he put a
clear signal-even II the signal was
a stop commandments still il not
20 blame. because Hess should have been
stopped h.. the two signals one and two
miles down the track.
4 public hearing at which train crews
viii be examined Is to be started here
tomorrow morning.
TOwerman AbsOlves StOrk.
Il WAS apparent early in the day tina,
the investigation would turn largely
Don two men. the towerman. who was
r"ported to have been doing as the
T.ft4- ss1ANi.I aud sI. ~ ~.
second section of the eastbound hier.
who, some believe, either failed to see
the sigma set for him or disregardcd
his oIders. Railway officials were lii
''i"d in opinion as To which was deserv-
.ng Of blame.
An interesting development of the day
was "A statement by Ernst. the over
IAN. in which he declared the engineer
ndmeless. As emphatically, he also alb
Owed the stork of blame. II having been
asserted that Ernst had lost so much
,.''p at the time of the arrival of a
baby at his home that he slumbered
on duty.
4 was not asleep" asserted the
'oncrman. Il set the signal properly,
hE' II failed to work. Not | or the en-
gucer was TO blame. The whole fault
Was IN the mechanism.
II the signals had been working prop
''' ~ " slo hbtk Two U114cN
away would have flashed a caution and
lie block IA mile away would have sig
allied Hess 1.-THE engineerl TO come to "a
lead stop. Hess was too good an en-
l0eer to run past two signals set against
him
Knew signal Had Failed.
y was on the lookout for No. SO. and
"t"n y was two miles away | threw
III" signal lever into the clear, giving
sS 4 clear path, When the train stopped
J realized the sigma. had failed. |
damned the signal lever again n this
me , must have worked. for the train
started ahead. Then the crash came
and I mad no time TO stop the Twentieth
century before IL too p%loughed into the
wreck"
Another important point which. II was
'Np"c'cd. would be cleared by the in
Nest.gttlon involved the construction Of
I'm" so-called death coach Of train No.
:" IN" investigators wanted to make
'ir" that il was actually OF steel. as
''-'r''i by the railway officials, and not
mainly II wood.
Tn" Investigation is fourfold. Fedora.
>'H'" and county governments. as well
Is VI" railway company. conducting in
qNrc~ H. ". Belnap, representing the
''f-'f" commerce Commission. was
IN the ground early and opened head
quarters IN behalf OF the Federal Gov
-um"i' IN \ downtown hotel. Soon after
'' ARRIVAL he was met by A. S. ingalls,.
general superintendent OF the New York
'"n'ral lines west OF Buffalo. who placed
h"'oi" him al the Information which the
way officials had collected up to that
me
Tho "Probably Dead"
VI" commerce Commissioner represent
'd''"' arranged to go to Amherst early
VI '' afternoon and "A special train
was placed at their disposal and that Of
Nd" STAT" Investigators. Coroner Carver
".' ih" pdr'y Of officials at Elyria.
I.' GLOWING list OF probably dead
We 'ou out this afternoon:
|I'..N AUSTIN. SIR. Cleveland.
HINN, G., Beaver Falls. Pa. At
't American bowling congress In
'. Was on train. but has not been
"rH -.nDe the wreck.
''''i ~ r. g., TrafOrd. Pa. was on train
~ missing,
y, , Detroit, ana
lN', -, Detroit, Neither has been
| s'r" wreck. Wer. travelling with
I.~ H~o'har t,llfe nsnap 90 f1a,aI., ~