New-York tribune., 1920-09-30
Harding's $ Car
j jumps rack
On High Bridge
W ood en- Stringer ON
a Railroad Trestie Saves
a Special Train From
an 8O.Foot Plunge
Accident Used as a Text
Senator Compares Guard
Rail to Constitution That
Kept u. S. a Sovereignty
From a stor CORRESPONDENT

WILDWOOD, w. Va, Sept. 20 (On
Board Senator Harding's Special
Train).-Senator Warren G. Harding,
in train wreck on the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad at this village to-day,
had narrow escape from death The
private car Ideal, in which the nominee
and Mrs. Harding were travelling, left
the rails and bumped over the ties
across slender trestle eighty feet
above deep creek. A timber guard
rail, known as a "stringer," paralleling
the steel rail, was all that kept the
sixtyton wooden car from plunging
into the stream.
None aboard the special train was in
jured, although all in the Senator's
car, the last in the train, were severely
jolted.
Three of the four trucks Of the Ideal
were broken in the 9oo-foot trip along
the ties. The private car was aban-
doned and the journey continued after
twenty-five minutes delay, the party
doubling up in the two remaining COM
partment cars.
Second Escape of Candidate
1t was the second escape the candi-
date has had since leaving the security
of the front porch at Marion last Sun
day night. A switch engine side-swiped
his train in the Pittsburgh yards of the
Pennsylvania Railroad in the darkness
early Monday morning.
Millwood, the scene Of to-day's acci-
dent, is small settlement at juno
tion point on the Baltimore & Ohio
about forty-six miles southwest of
Parkersburg, ". Va.
After night in the yards at Wheel
ing, where the candidate spoke last
night, the special train began the run
along the mist-shrouded banks Of the
Ohio River at 5 o'clock this morning.
At Parkersburg and Ravenswood the
train halted while the Senator spoke to
crowds that had come to meet him.
Between these towns the Baltimore &
Ohio right of way clings to the left
bank of the Ohio River.
Senator Harding was seated in the
observation compartment Of the Ideal
gazing at the corn fields and talking
correspondent of The Cincinnati
Times-Star. Mrs. Harding was in her
stateroom. On the rear platform
lounged Senator Howard Suthe rland,
Of West Virginia. With him was Ern-
est Chapman, captain of the Balti-
more g. Ohio police, whose promptness
in applying emergency air brakes after
the first bump probably saved the lives
Of all in that car. George Christian,
the Senator's secretary, and Mrs.
Christian were in one compartment,
and elsewhere in the car were Jimmy
Sloan, former Secret Service man, and
now the candidates bodyguard, and his
assistant, Bob Priton. of California;
H. H. Wilson, a uniformed Baltimore &
Ohio policeman, and three negro por-
ters.
Broken Casting Causes Accident
1t was 1l05 when the occupants Of
the car were shaken by the first
bump. This came at railroad switch
frog a foot beyond q grade crossing.
A casting ON the left side Of the for
ward truck of the Senator's car had
broken, dropping the arch or equalizer
bar so that it dragged over the ties.
This caught in the frog Of switch in
the west end Of a storage track at
Millwood. The heavy steel rail of the
frog was broken in half by the shock,
for the train was running more than
forty miles an hour. The rear truck
wheels were derailed on the river side
Of the main track.
Rocking and humping, the heavy car
tcent'nued page three)