The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-01-13
q PASSENGER RS "A
KILLED IN CRASH
ON n. Y,CEATRA!!
Nearly Every Occupant of Pull.
man Instantly Killed
ALL-STEEL CAR CRUMPLEs
Conflicting Statements of Railroad Of
fieisIs and Engineer FriedIey as to
Responsibility Of Accident. 4

Batavia, n. Y, Jan. l2.-Twenty-ope
seriously injured in a rear-end collls-
ion on the New York Central railroad
at South Byron, six miles east OF Ba.
tavia at 1886 O'Clock this morning.
Both of the trains involved were west
bound, running behind their sched-
ules. Train No. IL known as the
southwestern Limited. ran into the
rear of No. II, Wolverine. while
the latter was at standstill prepara-
tory Of taking on second engine for
the run up the steep grade between
South Byron and Batavia. Up TO a.
late hour tonight only few Of the 81
dead had been identified, the condi-
tion of the bodies and the absence OF
clothing making the work of identifi,
cation slow and difficult All OF the
fatalities occurred In the last car OF
the Wolverine, which bore tho full iE-
pace OF the engine of the Southwest
ern going al high speed.
The rear Pullman "a steel car, was
reduced to complete wreckage. When
the engine hit it, the upper part OF the
section coach from the end was torn
from its 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 of wreckage. Into this
debris the passengers were tightly
wedged and the condition of the bod.
les indicate that the deaths OF most OF
them must have been almost instan.
taneous.
Not a sleeping passenger In the car
escaped death or serious injury.
When the two cars became locked In
their tangle of broken umbers and
iron birders. the top Of the rear car
was gone--entirely demolished and
crushed down into the opening was
the body OF the second car nearly IN.
tact for its entire length. The crash
OF this great battering ram down the
aisle and through the berths of the
under car swept everything before 1t
toward the rear end where the engine
Of the Southwestern. iammed into the
platform and, practically undamaged,
acted as a buffer against which the
debris piled
The crews of the two trains, rein.
forced by railroad workmen from Ba-
tavia, tried for several hours to bring
out the bodies, but II was not until
we'll on toward noon when a wreck
ing train equipped with large der.
rick came on from Buffalo that II was
possible to life away the uppermost
care and thus permit the workmen TO
get down into the under car where all
the bodies were located.
There seems 10 be some conflict be.
tween the statements OF railroad Of
licials and Engineer John Friedley of
the Southwestern as TO the RESPONSE
bility for the disaster. The railroad
officials say that the rear of the stand
ing Wolverine was protected by all
the usual safeguards. such as the
block system and that in addition a
flafman with lighted fuse was
sent back along the tracks.
Engineer Friedlcy says the block
was clear when his train entered t..
Fireman Brill backs him up on this
claim. Friedley says that the first
danger sign he observed was a red
light between the rails on which his
train was travelling. This light. ho
claims. was only few car lengths be.
hind the Wolverine. leaving an INSULT
cient distance within which even to
check the speed OF his train.
When he threw on the emergency
J brake, Engineer Friedley said 1t was
done so quickly that tho engine and
4 tender broke away from the train
/ Freed from the drag OF the cars us
. momentum almost seemed to make II
I. leap forward and then came the crash
[ Neither Engineer FrIedloy nor Fire
!. man Brill was injured.