New-York tribune., 1919-07-02
Fast Train Crashes Into the
Rear of Another Standing
at the Station; Nineteen
Injured, Some Seriously
Engineer Dies at Post
S'Bral1es Wouldn't Hold."He
Says; Tramp Is Believed
to Have Cut OFF the Air

DUNKIRK, N. Y, July 1.-Engineer
Clifford, Of the New York Centra's
"Westerner" Express, desperately tried,
according to his dying statement. to
avert the rear-end collision with train
No. Al here early to-day which caused
the death of twelve persons, the seri-
ous injury of eighteen others and
slight cuts and bruises to as many
moro. The air brake failed TO work,
the engineer declared. Witnesses SAID
the siren was still screeching for the
hand brakes when the "Westerner,'
going fifty miles an hour, plowed into
the rear coach of No. A.
Engineer Clifford stuck to his post
to the end. He was dying when his
body was taken from the wreck of his
engine.
"The brakes wouldn't hold, they
Wouldn't work." he gaspcd just before
he died.
Three Die of Injuries
Eight bodies were taken from the
wreckage in the early morning hours
and four of the injured died during
the day. A revised list of the dead an i
injured compiled by the police ard
coroner follow:
The dead:
Frank L. Clifford, engineer of the
w eSterner, ButfAlO.
Mrs. Fred H. Cartan, Toronto
Gertrude Cartan, her fourteen-year-
old daughter.
Charles Schiller, dressed in soldiers
uniform, address not known
Mrs. Edmunds Quiones and two
daughters. ten and three years old, Of
Niagara Falls.
Charles NJ. Tyldesley. an engineer in
the army aviation corps, stationed at
Dayton, Ohio; home at Watertown,
Ny. '
d. L. Hurst. Williamson. w. Va
Fred II. Stolz. Lackawanna, fireman
Of the Westerner, who died in the hos
pital tonight
One unidentified man.
List of Injured Heavy
The injured:
Mr.. and Mrs. ". R. Hurst, Of
Williamson. ". Va; Thomas v.
'ianey, of Williamsville, N. Y;
Charles Einstein, of Buffalo; Mrs J..
W. Peters. OF Williamson, w. Va: Dr.
John Sweitzer, Mrs. Sweitzer and their
son, Webb. of New Straitsville, Ohio;
Mr.. and Mrs. L. f. Annis, of Toronto;
Joseph Portbur, of Dunkirk; B. f. Nc
Way, Of Buffalo; Mrs. F. E. Rathbun
and Miss Jane Webb, of Columbus,
!. H.,
of Toronto, and Mrs. E. F. Galloway, of
Duluth.
Air OFF Behind Locomotive
An investigation by railroad and
Federal officials is said to have devel-
oped the fact that the air controlling
the brake on the "Westerner" was cut
first car of the train, although it was
tested in the Buffalo yards an hour
before the accident. The finding Of a
body, apparently that of tramp,
wedged IN the wreckage back of the
tender, is the basis for a theory that
man stealing ride on the blind end
Of the baggage car accidentally or de-
liberately turned the cock, rendering
the air brake useless throughout the
length of the train.
1t is certain, railroad and local Off
cials agree, that the proper signals
were set against the "W esterner" and
that AIS flagman did all in his power
to warn the approaching train of the
danger ahead. The fagman waved
franticaly as the train came on heed
less OF his signals and as it passed
him he hurled his lantern through the
window Of the "Westerner's" engine
cab.
The rear coach of No. al was thrown
from the track and shattered and three
cars ahead Of it were derailel and
damaged. But it was the "Westerner
that suffered most. The baggage car
back OF the tender was completely de-
molishcd. The second car, steel day
coach swung sidcwisc and the sides
We're crushed together by the grindin :
debris and by the explosion of the
BOILER Of the "Westerner's" engine,
which let go with the impact of the
collision. Most Of the fatalities oc-
c1rrol ;n thic cnr