The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-09-23
wreck FAILS
TODETERCOx
Mystery Surrounds DeraiIment
OF Governors Traln-Several
Causes Advanced.

EN- HOOTE yin
( cox. DEMING. N. n. sept 23--None
I, the worse for his expsriencs OF
yesterday. when his special train was
wrecked a mile north Of Peoria. Arix.,
throwing HIN \ distance OF twelve
| feet, Gov. James n Cox was To-Day
speeding toward Albuquerque on
special schedule following detour
over the south Pscinc which
necessitated the elimination OF SOW
eral Arisona sddressss.
Rumors that the deraiimsnt. which
resulted in the destruction OF one
locomotive. q tender. and . baggage
car. and the derstlment ana part
demolition of two other coaches. had
been caused by an obstruction on the
rails were apparently dtspslled BY
statements from railway smpioyes
who were on the train At the time
OF tho accident
Division Engineer walker. who was
riding on the Arst Of the two loco
motives hauling the Cox special. do
MED emphsticaliy there wa anything
, on the track.
BLAIMEs sPnUADING RAILS.
"In my opinion" he stated. "the
derailment was caused either by
spreading rails or by some piece Of
mechanism on the first engine drop
ping to the ground. We were run
ming a little better than 80 miles an
hour. The first thing I noticed out Of
the ordinary was that the tender Of
tho FIRST engine began to jump. andJT
knew It was OF the rails. ! tammed
on the air and an instant later the
second locomotive went crashing by
and into the ditch"
Engineer Charles Nichols, of the
second locomotive, who suffered
broken leg and possibly internal in
juries, was catapulted through his
cab window and clear Of the wreck.
The injured man, though In great
pain. was eager to talk to Governor
Cox when the latter came rushing
to the scene.
INJURED ENGINEER EXPLAINS.
II want you to know that we didn't
get you in the ditch on purpose"
said the injured man. graspins the
Governors hand.
II know that perfectly well. said
Cox. II know you boys are all for
me-"
you're right, there, Governor"
said Nichols "We're all for you"
Nichols, like Engineer Walker,
first noticed the tender bouncing
about and then applied the air
brakes.
~ did not have time to jump" ne
said. "The crash came too suddenly.
! thought of jumping. but before /
could move. something shot me
through the air and l saw the en-
gine coming over on top Of me. How
know"
Division Trainmaster H. w. Nc
Kean was riding in the first coach.
II knew we were OF the rail and
I heard the boys in front apply the
air." he said. "Then I was conscious
of q locomotive flying past the win
dow and the next Instant there was
a pile of wreckage alongside. In my
opinion the derailment was ca1sed by
spreading rails or something drop.
ping down from the first locomotive"
GOVERNOR CATAPULTED.
Governor Cox was seated at the
dining table in the private car Fed
eraP' 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 caught in
the car ahead. All trainmen present
admitted the accident might easily
have been a disaster. The oil-flled
tender Of the second locomotive burst
and the ditch alongside the track was
. flooded with petroleum, which for a
time threatened to engulf the over
turned locomotive with it's furnace
blazing.
A movie photographer with the
party lived up to tn. ethics of h g
profession by rushing to the scene
with his camera and cranking fran
tically while passengers clmed out OF
the broken windows and trainmen
were rescuing their injured comrades