Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1916-03-30

CLEVELAND, Ohio, March 20
With toll OF at least 80 persons dead
and 40 or more injured, federal and
state officials and officials of the rail
road company have begun an investi-
cation into the cause, which early to-
day led to one of the most disastrous
wrecks in the history OF the New York
Central system.
Three trains, including the Twen
tieth Century Limited, westbound, the
New York Central's palatial flyer, and
two sections OF No. S6, known as tho
Chicago Pittsburg Limited. eastpound.
came together in collision near Am
herst, Ohio, 81 miles west OF Cleve
land.
Reports generally credited were
that the first and second sections OF
No. SO were proceeding at a rapid rate
and at some points were only mile
or so apart. When the second sec
tion crashed into the first, the Twen
ieth Century Limited plowed into the
parallel tracks and the three wert
thrown together into a mass OF debris.
The coaches and engines of No. 81
were toppled over and wreckage was
piled 30 feet high. Two cars were
smashed to junk. Fourteen coache.
were overturned.
The Twentieth Century emerged al
most unscathed and proceeded on it
westward journey. its passengers un
injured except for severe shaking
up. A heavy fog from Lake Erie had
settled down over Northern Ohio
This. with the alleged failure OF a
towerman to do his duty under thu
rules, was ascribed by some Of the
railroad officials as the cause Of tht
disaster. The towerman, it was said,
had been without sleep most of thu
time since Sunday night, his wife be
ing i'll and requiring his attention
when he was not on duty.
When the half dozen investigations
already under way are concluded, the
blame will be fixed.
W. f. Schaif, district superintendent
of the New York Central lines. said
today:
The towerman can have nothing to
do with the ause OF this wreck. The
explanation lines between the engi
neers and the block signal system
we tested out the block signal sys
tenn this morning after the wreck anf
found it working perfectly. After the
wreck Engineer Hess and his brake
man, A. r. Gates. with Brakeman Viii,
liam Blakeney of the Twentieth Cen
tury Limited, walked back to the sig
raj which Hess drove by. They al
said they found the signal red, OF
blocked, then"
Scenes of confusion followed the
collision. Many OF the injured, pin
ioned in the wreckage, called for heir
as uninjured passengers, half clad
emerged from the sleepers and Joined
with the trainmen in the rescue work
Firemen from Amherst were amonf
the first arrivals and succeeded in put
ting out fire which started in the
wreckage of one of the coaches.
General Manager Moon in an offica'
statement said this coach was mod.
ern solid-steel coach" Passengers and
others who were on the scene did not
all agree as to the correctness Of this
statement. many contending the coach
was of wooden construction. Those
who disputed the assertion that the
coaches were all of solid steel, point
ed to the fact that the car in which
the fire started-the death COACH" as
they called it-was torn into small
fragments which burned like tinder.
The wreck occurred shortly after 2
a. M and it was near 4 o'clock when
something like organized relief work
was begun.
Hospitals in Lorrain and Elyria to-
night were filled with injured from
the wreck and it was believed eener
ally the death list would exceed 80
the first figures announced.
Hospitals were run from Cleveland
Elyria and Lorrain to the sceEe OF
the wreck and physicians and ambu
lances were rushed from all of these