The sun., 1919-01-13
81 DIEM CRASH
ON n. Y. CENTRAL
NEAR BUFFALO
Engine Ploughs Into Rear
End of the "WOlverine,"
Despite Warnings.
IL BODIES UNIDENTIFIED
Coach, With Sleeping Occu-
pants, Ground to Bits-In-
quiries Started.
IL BODIES UNIDENTIFIED
Special Desparch 10 TIE suS.

one persons were killed all but one Of
them instantly, and three others are in
hospitals lowering between life and
death as a result Of Z rear end collision
between the New York Central Michi-
gan Central train known as the VOL
VERNE and the New York Central-Big
Four train. the Southwestern Limited,
shortly befo5e 4 o'clock this morning.
The accident occurred near South
Byron at the foot Of the steep grade
''etween Rochester and Buffalo. The
Wolverine had stopped at the foot of
the grade, waiting for a pusher engine.
1t is said the block was set against the
following train, but 1t followed the
Wolverine into the block and struck
the rear of the train ahead at a speed
estimated at sixty miles an hour.
Some Dead Unidentified.
The names of the dead as far as
known at this hour are:
Private Franklin E. Leonard, Bear
Lake. Mich. Sergeant 6. d. Harvey
Company F. Th!rty-seventh Infantry
Michigan; Ballard Jones, Pullman cal
porter New York George h. Cum
mings. George Rigby. Patrick Dougherty,
: Mrs. Jennie Levene, all Of New York
six men. unidentified six women, un-
identified; one boy. unidentified: one
GIRL unidentified.
The injured Mr.. and Mrs. Nathan
Lickerman, Hotel Endtcott. New York
city: Miss Flora Doherty. Flint, Mich.
all in Batavia Hospital.
Leonard was returning from France.
| where he had seen active service. Ser
geant Harvey had been on duty on the
Mexican border.
According to II. Friedly. engineer o!
the Southwestern Limited. he saw nc
warning signal until he was within five
car lengths of the Wolverine, when a
red flare suddenly doomed UP ahead
He applied the emergency brakes. but
his train broke under the strain, and
his engine, driven by the weight of a
buffet car. two day coaches and six steel
sleepers ploughed into the rear OF the
Wolverine.
The last coach OF the seven which
made up the Wolverine was demolished
like an eggshell, the coach ahead OF It
lifting slightly and diving back across
the floor clear to the end. dropping Its
trucks as the last car was driven un-
derneath. Every person in the last
coach was killed.
Engineer w. Gibbons was in charge
OF the Wolverine. As soon as the meme
bers Of the train crew could reach a
telephone aid was summoned from
Rochester and Batavia. Every hospital
In Rochester sent ambulances doctors
and nurses to the scene.
Bodies BADLY Crushed.
SO tightly were the bodies ot the dead
wedged into the wreckage that II was
several hours before they could be re-
covered. Finally wrecking crew lifted
the body OF the top car out of the
smashed shell beneath 1t. Most OF the
dead were found in the wreckage un-
derneath the end of the shattered car
where they had been ground to bits as
the cars telescoped.
Besides being badly mangled. the
bodies were clad mostly in night cloth
ing, which made identification doubly
difficult
A joint investigation by representa-
tives of the Railroad Administration
and the Public Service Commission is
under way.
The Wolverine left Rochester west
bound at 2:54 o'clock in the morning
and was followed closely by the South
western Limited. leaving here at 3 :07
o'clock.
One of the passengers who had a mar
row escape was Martin G. Alger. ass,s-
tant executive secretary to Regional Di-
rector A. II. Smith. He said the car In
which he WAS travelling was raised
In ha al ~ ha lian N
which had a shattering Impact. At the
same time the lights went out
victims suffer in Cold.
Mr.. Alger was asleep at the time
and was hurled out. When he managed
to get clear OF the wreckage. badly
shaken up. the zero weather, attacking
him and the other passengers who got
free in their scanty night attire, added
to their sufferings.
Railroad men say that as far as their
records show the telescoping of one
steel coach by another. as in this wreck.
is the first instance of the kind. They
explain that ordinarily the steel coaches
buckle at the couplings and fall TO one
side without serious INJURY to the pas
sengers.
In this case the impact OF the heavy
Southwestern Limited was so terrific
that the ends OF the last car on the
Wolverine we're driven inward. the rear
end OF the floor being lifted slightly by
the shock. the whole car slipped for
ward underneath the floor OF the car
ahead shearing off the trucks of that
car. The sides OF the last car. when the
trains came TO rest. were outside the
sides Of the car which had been ahead,
The roof OF the last car was a crumpled
mass
The forward car literally slid inside
the rear car, crushing the life out of
every one in the car. probably before
any OF them realized what was taking
place.
New York Man q Victim.
Letters and notebooks found in per-
sonal effects at the scene of tho wreck
made 1T practically certain that among
the dead Is Capt. r. Staud-Ximines,
port captain and chief engineer Of the
Atlantic Ship Salvage Corporation. l6
Broadway, New York His body has
not been Identified. however. and may
not be until the arrival OF relatives
The dead are being held at Batavia
undertaking rooms.
The point where the accident occurred
Continued on Fo~vth Pd9s.