Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-05-08
FRENCH MISSION
is UNDISTURBED
IContinued From First Page1

plate which bound the ends of the
rails and thereby permitted the rails
to spread, letting the day-coach, one
sleeper and the front truck of the
dining-car Gown on the ties.
The wreck occurred at point
where the line is of single track
construction, which had been thor
oughly inspected by trackmen only a
short time before the accident, one
of the trackmen arriving at the scene
of the wreck almost as soon as the
train party left the cars. The trucks
of the day-coach and the tender of
the locomotive were strewn along the
ditch in mass of twisted steel. The
vestibule OF the Pullman car in which
the mission staff and newspapermen
were riding was partly telescoped.
The trainmen riding in the first car
had a narrow escape from serious in
jury when their car was dragged
along the track and A=ssas S@srturn-
ed. The men made their escape from
the car by crawling through the win
dows. The first engine and tender
and the second engine minus it's ten
der became separated from the train
when the tender left the track and
escaped from the wreck, stopping
several hundred feet from where the
cars overturned.
Hurried Survey
After making a hurried survey of
the wreck, Chief Nye, of the secret
service accompanied by newspaper
men, boarded the first engine and ran
to Filson from where help was sum-
moned.
Members of the commission remain
ed aboard their cars, the observation
car and the compartment car, until
assistance came. They showed no ex-
citement and the American members
of the party also remained calm.
Breckenridge Long third assistant
secretary of state, was one of the
first outside the train and alongside
the wrecked car with Chief Nye. They
held a brief consultation and pre-
pared dispatches for the government
at Washington, informing officials
there of the accident and that every
one was safe and uninjured.
Marshal Joffre was the coolest
member of the party. With Vice
Premier Viviani and the other lead
ers gof the party he was at dinner
when the jolting began.
Secret service men Immediately
| hurried along to members of the par
ty and reassured them that every
| thing was all right.
AS soon as news of the accident
Preached Arcola people with automo-
! biles went to the assistance of the
distinguished party. Offering their
| homes and machines for their use.
They sslred the officials that all
the inhabitants of the section were
in sympathy with the allies cause
| and that the little town had sent
more than it's quota of recruits to the
army and navy of the United States.
Resume Dinner
| After a few hours delay the train
had been made up with extra equip
ment and was on its way again.
Meanwhile M. Viviani Marshal Joffre
and their compatriots had resumed
their dinner, the table having been
laid anew and service established
in less than fifteen minutes.
Recognition of the cool-headedness
and courage of John Redmond, the
engineer in charge of the first en-
gine, and others of the crews of the
two engines probably will be taken
| by the government. Assistant Secre-
! tary Long already has taken steps to
ascertain the names of the men. In
the opinion of railroad men the steel
coaches prevented a worse wreck.
and possibly saved lives. Had the
cars been Of wooden construction, the
railroad men say. it is possible they
! might have been badly shattered.
| The Washington authorities have
| arranged for an entirely changei
| schedule and revised route. The spe-
cial train will stop at Terre Haute
for ten minutes to-day, at Indianapo-
lis an hour and a quarter and at Co.
lumbus, Ohio, for the same length OF
time. Further movements have not
been determined.