The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1920-09-23
CAUSE Of
WRECK IS
UNKNOWN
0erailment is Caused 1t is Be-
lieVed BY Spreading Rails
Or Damage to Engine.
BIZ HARRY L. ROGERS

~ N
En- ROUTE WITH GOV CON.
DEMING. y. NJ, Sept. e3.-None the
worse for his experience of yesterday
when his special train was wrecked i
mile north Of Peoria, Ariz.. throwing
him a distance Of twelve feet Gov.
James II. Cox was today speeding to-
ward Albuquerque on d special sched-
ule following a dctour over the South
ern Pacific which necessitated the elim-
nation OF several Arizona addresses
NO RAIL OBSTRUCTION.
Ru1nors that the derailmen which
resulted in the destruction Of one loco
motive, tender and a baggage car and
the derailment and partial demolition
OF two other coaches had been caused
by an obstruction on the rails were ap-
parently dispelled by statements by
railway employees Who were on the
train at the time of the accident
Division Engineer Walker, who was
riding on the hrst two locomotives
hauling The Cox special denied en-
phaticaly ther was anything on the
track.
ENGINE INTO DITCH.
In my opinion he stated, the de-
railment was caused either by spread
ing rails or BY some piece Of mechan-
ism on the first engine dropping 20
the ground. We were running a little
better than thirty miles an hour. The
first thing I noticed out OF the ordi-
nary was when the tender OF the first
engine began TO jump and l knew II
was of the rails. jammed on the
air and an instant later the second
locomotive went crashing by and into
the ditch"
cox TALKS WITH ENGINEER.
Engineer Charles Nicholson. of the
second locomotive, who suffered a
broken leg and possibly internal in
iuries. was catapulted through his cab
window and clear OF the wreck The
injured man though in great pain. was
eager 10 ak TO Gov. Cox when the lat
ter came rushing to the scene.
I want you to know that we didn't
get you in the ditch on purpose" said
the injured man. grasping the COVER
nor's hand.
WHAT cox KNOWS.
7 know that perfectly wen.' said
Cox I know you boys are all for me-
You're right there. Governor" said
Nichols We're all for you
Nichols, like Engineer walker, frst
noticed the tender bouncing about and
then applied the airbrakes. i didn [
udNc NAhAr ~ JAAtIf - Se-~-
crash came TOO suddenly. 1 thought
Of jumping but before ! could move
something shot me through the air and
I saw the engine coming over on top Of
me How I manager to get clear OF
Il I do not know
TRAINMAsTER INTERVIEWER.
Division Trainmaster H. w. Mckean \
was riding in the first coach
II knew we were of the rails and |
heard the boys in front apply the air 7
he said Then l was conscious Of !
locomotive flying past the window and
the next instant there was a pile u
wreckage alongside. In my opinion
ehe deraNment was caused by spread
ing rails or something dropping down
from the first locomotive"
Gov. Cox was seated at the dining
table in the private car Federal when
the crash came. He was thrown a
third Of the length Of the car and slid
along the floor for some distance but
was uninjured.
Immediately upon regaining his feet
he ran TO the front of the train in an
effort to aid those n the car ahead. All
trainrnen admitted the accident might
easily have been disaster The oil
filed tender Of the second engine burst
and the ditch alongside the track was
flooded with petroleum which for some
time threatend to engulf the overturn-
ed locomotive with its furnace blazing.
A photographer with the party lived
up TO the ethics Of his profession by
rushing TO the scene Of he wreck and
cranking furiously at his machine
while passengers climbed out Of the
broken windows and trainmen vera
rescuing their injured comrades