Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-21
HOG ISLAND WORKERS
HURT IN TRAIN CRASH
Tampering With Switch Blamed
for Collision in Which Five
Are Injured
DENY GERMAN PLOT HINT
Investigation Follows Wreck Involving
Crowded Passenger Train and
Empty Freight Cars

Five men we're slightly injured and several
score others badly shaken up when the sre-
cial Pennsylvania Railroad train to Hog
Island ran over an open switch on the old
Chester branch of the Philadelphia and
Reading Railway shortly after o'clock
this morning. The train, which consisted
of sixteen cars crashed into number OF
empty freight cars standing OIL siding
and demolished two of them. The first two
cars Of the passenger train were derailed
and the engine badly damaged.
More than 1900 workinen employed in
the construction of the Government ship.
building plant at Hog Island, filled the
train. After the accident rumors spread
that the accident was the result of a Ger
man plot IN an effort to hamper the work
of rushing the new shpyard to completion.
Charles H. Urban. 52i5 Greenway avenue,
engneman of the train, and r. J. Conte,
5S33 Media street. the fireman, declared
that the switch was opened by German
spy or some other person with malicious in
tent. "The switch was inspected ten min
utes before we reached it and found to be
o. X" they said
Officials Of both the Reading and the
Pennsylvania Railroads refused to discuss
this possibility, but admitted that an in
vestigaton was being made by their re-
spectve detective forces
a. II. Mars, freight tranmaster of the
Philadelphia and Reading Railway. who
supervised the work of removing the wreck
age. said he believed that the switch had
been opened by several men who desired to
board the train, Notwithstanding the fact
that there was no light on the switch and
that station of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad running trains to the same point
was but a short distance away.
The theory that German agents were re-
sponsble for the accident gave rise to a
report that Frank l.. Garbarino, special
agent of the Department of Justice was
conducting an investigation. officials of
both roads however denied they had asked
the Federal authorities to take charge. At
the Department of Justice 1t was said that
Garbarno was out and that nothing was
known of any investigation.
The injured men are:
II. ADAMS. 7s9 South Thirteenth street
cuts and bruises.
JOSEPH JETCS, forty-eight years old, 9o3
League street
ANGELO CONESTELLO, ffty-four years
old. 1884 Ellsworth street
ANTONIO DIESS. forty-eight years old
743 South Darien street.
PRANK FERIAL. fifty-one years old, 112a
Montrose street
The four Italians werc only slightly
and taken to Broad street Station and ther
to the Polytechnic Hospital.
The special is the first OF three trains rur
to Hog Island every day, 1t leaves Broao
street and Washington avenue at 6;1t
oc' ock. proceeds over the Pennsylvania
| diverted over the Reading tracks to Hog
| Island.
The accident occurred at about Fifty
| third street. The special was running at
| wenty-five-mile clip, which is believed L
| have been the reason that there were NJ
| fatalities. Had 1t been going faster. it wal
| said, it's momentum, after striking th
! empty cars. would have carried II over
| twenty-foot embankment, several feet ava.
from the siding
| The force of the impact deraled tn
| tender of the special, and buckled it unde
| the trucks Of the first car. The first o
| the freight cars struck-a coal car-wa
| thrown several feet in the air 1t LANDED
| across all three other tracks, completel
| blocking all traffic.
| The damaged engine and the deraile,
| cars were uncoupled. and he remainder o
the section furnished with another engine
| and diverted over the tracks of the Phila
| delphia, Baltimore and Washington Rail
| road &c, Hog Island. A number of work
| men tagged a train on the Baltimore an
| Ohio Railroad and reached work in tina
| manner.
| Believing that several persons had bee
seriously hurt, emergency calls were sen
to all West Philadelphia hospitals an
police stations and a dozen ambulance
and patrol wagons arrived at the seen
within a few minutes.