The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-03-01
MANY WILL NOT
Be IDENTIFIED
Were Left in Such a Condition
by the Wreck That They
Cannot Be Recognized.
NO PUBLIC STATEMENT
Engineer and Fireman of Mich
igan Central Train Prac-
ticaliy Unhurt.
(6y, The Associated Press.)


Porter. Ind, Feb. 2S.-A complete
check up by the railroad officials and
the coroner of the bodies in the Ches
terton morgue at 9 o'clock tonight re-
vealed that there were not more than
thirty-seven known dead in the Michi-
gan Central-New York Central wreck
last night
The discrepancy between this count
and one of more than 40 previously
announced by Coroner H. o. Seipel
was found to be due to the mutilated
condition of some of the dead. In
some cases body badly mangled
had been counted as two.
The last body tonight was believed
to have been removed from the debris
of the wreck last night when a New
York Central train cut in two a Michi-
gan Central flyer at the intersection
of the two lines here, but Identified
tion of the dead still progresses slowly.
The official list of dead tonight
stood at 81, but little more than a
score of these had been identified
positively. Several other bodies were
partly identified through elimination
processes in pass and ticket lists of
the trains. The county coroner. how
ever, withheld official announcement
of these names pending complete
Identification.
Some seven or eight of the bodies,
however. may never be identified.
The wreck left them in such condi-
ton they could not be recognized. Only
one part of the debris remained to be
searched tomorrow-the twisted brok-
en- hulk of the New York Central en-
gine which tore through the wooden
Michigan Central passenger coach
with such force that it was hurled
several feet in the soft earth.
This had been partly undermined,
however, and it was thought that all
of the bodies had been recovered. To-
night forty-one of the dead had been
taken to the little furniture store
morgue in Chesterton. one mile away
and the other two had been removed
to Michigan City, Ind.
Only half dozen of the bodies had
been taken from the Chesterton
morgue, the slow Identification prob
ably being responsible for the failure
of relatives to call for them.
No statement has been made public
by the engineer and firemen of the
Michigan Central train. They escap ped
serious injury and went to Niles.
Mich, where they related their stories
td operating officers of the road. The
engineer later went to his home in
Jackson, Mich, 1t was said
Trainmen and citizens here contin-
ued in their belief that Joe Cook the
substitute signal operator on duty last
night, had closed the crossing against
the Michigan Central train and opened
it for the New York Central train
Trainmen pointed to cuts in the
Michigan Central ties as proof that
the train had been derailed by the au-
tomato derailing switch and then had
climbed back on the track, when it hit
the diamond" at the intersection
Cooks statements were substantial
ed by his fellow worker, Charles
Whitehead, also on duty in the tower,
at the time of the disaster. Posi-
bility of an Immediate inquest was set
aside today when DIR. H. o. Seipel of
Valparaiso, coroner of Porter county
said he would not attempt to start an
inquest until the identification work
had been finished. He predicted that
this might be a week or more.
Porter and Chesterton were crowded
with visitors today, but tonight most
of them had departed and the wreck
age was largely cleared away.