Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-28

Failure TO obey caution" signal caused
the Mt. Union wreck on the Pennsylvania
Railroad. which cost twenty lives, it was
concluded today by investigators of the In
terstate Commerce Commission and the
railroad.
Although the investigators have made no
formal report 1t is known that they sbe-
lieve the fast freight caused yesterdays
disaster when A. T. Cook. the freight en-
glneer, ran past the warning signal. The
block signal system was working, in their
opinion.
Cook who is at home at Harrisburg with
fractured ankle, probably will be ques-
toned further today. The Public Service
Commission also is investigating the acct
dent.
Conflicting statements by the engineer
Of the freight train that plowed into the
Mercantile Express and the fagman of
the express itself have so far hindered the
probers. in unearthing the real reason for
the first big accident on the Pennsylvania
system in years.
While the stories of the two men di-
verge widely it is considered very likely
that nothing would have happened had
the night been clear. The fagman, S. X.
Jacobs. of Harrisburg. said the engineer,
A. T. Cook. disregarded his waving lantern.
Cook says the block signal he had passed
showed clear Absence of the fog, traffic
men say would have removed any uncer-
tainty as TO whether lights on the signal
system showed white, green or red
OFFICIAL DEATH LIST
While three separate investigating bodies
were sitting possible causes of the wreck,
the wreckers sent out by the Pennsylvania
Railroad had succeeded in removing the
last of the bodies from the mass Of jammed
steel After the last body had been re-
moved the corrected list OF dead was an
nounced today.
Additional identified dead were Mrs. A.
Delling, of Cleveland sister-in-law OF Ches-
tor A. Minds. former Penn football star,
who was killed with nine relatives; Frank
Landry twenty-eiEht years old of Brook
lyn. and +. s. Wagner, of Pittsburgh Dis
crepancies caused by misspelled names also
were cleared up.
CROWDS VISIT SCENE
Curious crowds from nelghboring towns
arrived at the scene OF the wreck this
morning and gazed at what remained of
the mass of scrap, just as thousands did
yesterday. The crowd was so dense yes
terday as to cause railroad police to shield
the wreckers removing bodies from public
gaze with long strips Of cloth.
BY daybreak today the wreckage has
been fairly well cleaned from the tracks
and traffic was nearing normal. More
than twenty hours elapsed from the time
of the wreck until the last body was re-
covered last night at half-past eight. Re-
lief workers could see the bodies, but
great difficulty was experienced in remov-
ing them.
The task of identifying the dead was a
severe one. Not until late yesterday
was this completed. About the wreck and
the undertaking rooms to which the bodies
were hurried there were many heartrending
sights. James A. Minds. the wealthy coal
operator and the father of Chester A.
Minds, was early on the scene. To him fell
a terrible duty He was forced to view the
body of each of the members of his sons
and sons wife's family who We're killed.
who had left his home yesterday to attend
the funeral of Mrs. Mindss father at
Utica, n. Y.
Mrs. A. Segur Delling the sister of
Mrs. Minds had been a bride only short
time, while Mr.. and Mrs. Paul r. Fan
ming, the Wisconsin victims, were on their
wedding trip to New York. Frank Landry
was OH his way home from st. Vncent's
College, Loretta, to New York.