Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1919-07-02
Man Riding Blind Believed to
Have Closed Air brake on
Train.
DYING ENGINEER
Clasps EXPLANATION
Brakes Wouldn't Hold" He SAYS,
Telling of Rear-end Collision
On the New York Central
Railroad.

buiklIh, IN. L E, July l.-Eng1neer
Clifford of the New York Central's
Western Express, tried, according to
his statement, to avert the rear-end
collision with the train which caused
the death of IL persons, the serious
injury of 19 others and slightly cuts
and bruises to as many more here
early today. The airbrakes failed to
work, the engineer declared Wit
nesses said the siren was still scheeeh-
ing for the hand brakes when the
Western, going SO miles an hour,
plowed into the rear coach of Number
Al.
Clifford stuck to his post to the
end. He was dying when his body
was taken from the wreck of the en-
CINE.
"The brakes wouldn't hold, they
wouldn't work." he grasped just be-
fore he died.
Eight bodies were taken from the
wreckage in the early morning hours
and four of the injured died during the
day.
In investigation by railroad and fed
eral officials is said to have developed
the fact that the air controlling the
brake on the Westerner was cut off
between the engine tender and the
first car Of the train, although it
was tested in Buffalo yards an hour
before the accident.
Tramp Caused Wreck.
The finding of body, apparently
that OF tramp, wedged in the wreck
age back of the tender, is the basis Of
theory that man stealing a ride
on the blind end of the baggage car
accidently or deliberately turned the
cock, rendering the air brake useless
throughout the length of the train.
1T is certain railroad and other Off
cials agree, that the proper signals
were set against the Westerner and
that Number Ais flapman did all in
his power to warm the approaching
train of the dancer ahead.
The rear coach of Number Al was
thrown from the track and shattered
and three cars ahead of it were de-
rallied and damanged But it was
the Westerer that suffered most. The
baggage car back Of the tender was
completely demolished. The second
car, a steel dav coach, swung side
WAYS and the sides were crushed ito
gether nv the grinding debris and by
the explosion of the boilers Of the
Westener's engine. Most of the fatali-
ties occurred in this car. III
Crush Comes at 5O-Mile Speed
Train No. Al left Buffalo at 1902
o'clock. the Westerner left short
time later. Railroad officials saw
that No. Al developed an overheated
journal and was DELAYED here. A flag
man was sent back to protect the
rear of No. Al. it is claimed, but the
Westerner approaching at speed Of
As to so miles an hour did not check
the speed perceptibly as it rushed into
the Dunkird yards, eve-witresses say.
All the coaches of No. Al, were Of
steel construction. The rear Of the
last coach was badly battered as No.
rs engine knocked it from the track,
but the body remained intact. Three
other coaches of No. Al were also
pushed from the rails, but remained
UPRIGHT.
When the tender and encine Of the
Westerner buskled back through the
wooden express car and crashed into
a steel day coach. the first passenger
car Of the train. the boiler exploded,
fatally scaldingN the engineer and the
fireman. The steel dav coach Of the
Westerner was reduced to wreckage.
5 Traffic west of Buffalo on the New
York Central lines was COMPLETELY tied
IN. trains being operated over the
Nickel Plated railroad