Arizona republican., 1919-01-13
GREGORY CUTS CABINET
REAR-EsND COLLISION FATAL TO 21
Frightful New York Central Catastrop he Happens When All Are Asleep Rear Coaches On One Train Demolished Three Only Escape Instan t Death
Republican A. p. Leased Wirel

Republican A. p. Leased Wirel
 BATAVIA, \. Y, Jan. 12.-TWenty- one persons were killed and three were seriously injured in a rear-end collision on the New York Central railroad, at South Byron, six miles east of Batavia, at 3:36 o'clock this morning. Both trains were westbound, running behind schedule. Tram No. Il, known as the Southwestern~h limited, ran into the rear of train No. r, the Wolverine, while the latter was at a standstill, prepara- tory to taking on a second engine for the run up the steep grade between South Byron and Batavia
 Up to late hour tonight only few of the 21 dead nag been identified, the mangled condition of the bodies and the absence of clothing making identi- fication difficult. All the fatalities were in the last car of the Wolverine.
 The rear Pullman, a steel car, was completely wrecked When the engine hit, the upper part of the second coach from the end was torn from it's trucks and lifting slightly smashed directly through the center of the rear coach for it's entire length, sweeping the berths and seats into a compact pile ot wreckage. Into this debris, the passen- gers were tightly wedged and the con- dition of the bodies indicates that the deaths of most of them must have been almost instantaneous.
 Not a sleeping passenger in the car escaped death or serious injury. When the two cars became locked in their tangle of broken timberS and iron gird- ar tho ton of tho but it's body was left intact. The car ahead, a mass of steel and wooden fragments, crashed through the open top.
 Conflict In Statements
 There appears to be some conflict be- tween the statements of railroad off cials and Engineer John Friedley of the Southwestern, as to the responsibility for the disaster The railroad officials said that the rear of the standinig Vol verine was protected by the block sys- tenn, and that in addition, a flagman with a lighted fuse was sent back along the tracks.
 Engineer Friedley says the block was clear when his train entered it. Fire man Brill backs him up in his claim. Friedley says that the first danger s'@nal he observed was red light be- tween the rails on which his train was travelling. This light. he claims, was only few oar lengths behind the Vol verine, leaving an insufficient distance within which even to check the speed o1 his train
 When he threw on the emergency brake, Engineer Friedley said the en. zine tender broke away from the train Freed from the drag of the cars it momentum almost seemed to make i leap forward and then came the crash Neither Engineer F'riedley nor Fireman Brill was injured.
 Engineer Friedley left Buffalo yes terday afternoon at 5:10 o'clock, an( reached Syracuse at 7:30 o'clock. H. laid over there until 1 o'clock in tn, morning, and then took the Southwest ern limited westbound. The train wa due at Batavia. at 1:04 a. m. and tn Wolverine was due at 2:0S.
 It was clear, cold night and object could be seen at considerable distance The track at the point where the acci | dent occurred is straightaWay, an, there is nothing to obstruct the viey of train crews for miles. The railroa' 1 inquiry already is under way, and it i understood Coroner Snow plans to be gin one tomorrow.
 Only Three Escape Death Only three passengers in the req coach escaped instant death. The, were Mir. and Mrs. Nathan Lichtermal of Chicago, and an unconscious woman said by the railroad authorities to b Miss Flora Doherty of Flint, Michigan Seriously injured. they were taken t 1 the Batavia hospital. Miss Doherty has both legs broke and is internally injured. She is no expected to live through the night Mrs Lichterman is more seriously injure than her Husband. In addition to bod injuries, her face is terribly torn. was said MT. and Mrs Lichterman wer married only short time ago and wer on their way to Chicago, where Nil Lichterman has business interests. Eleven bodies were released from tn wreckage about noon, and brought t undertaking establishments here Shortly after 3 o'clock, nine additiona bodies were brought in, and it wa said that there were no more in tn Wreckage.
 Dead and Injured
 The identified dead in the New Yor Central wreck at South Byron toda are:
 Franklin B. Leonard, believed to Iiv in Bear Lake, Michigan. Identified b tag inscription, "A. E. F. 1917, F. an A. M. Lodge Number 416." s. D. Harvey, residence unknown i Identified by service ring signifyin service with United States army o Mexican border, inscribed on inside IS. D. Harvey, Sergeant, Company 32nd Michigan infantry"
 Ballard Jones of New York, PuIIma porter on sleeper, which was de
 moiished
 1 The seriously injured were:
 MT. and Mrs. Nathan Lchterman ( Chicago.
 Miss Flora Doherty of Flint, Mchi
 gan, will probably die.
 l Slightly injured:
 Frank Peterson of Harkimer, a ma
 clerk on Southwestern limited; sIightl
 injured.
 E. c. Rutan, of Chicago; back injure
 H. o. Ritz of Syracuse; slightly ir
 jured in chest.
 w. D. Rieden of Ashtabula, Ohio,
 mail clerk on Southwestern limited; Ie
 hip injured.
 S. L. simons of Kansas City, Misso,
 ri; injury to ankle.
 Mrs. o. Taylor of Chicago; slight
 injured. She was accompanied by h,
 husband, Major Taylor.
 E. s. Thornton of Muskegon, Mich gan; slightly burned on chest. Issue Two Explanations NEW YORK, Jan. 12.-The New Yol
 Central today issued two statemen ? dealing with the wreck near South B, ! ron. The first, made public this morl