Evening star., 1921-03-01
Ry the Associated Press.

By the Associa ted Press.
VALPARAISO. Ind. March l.
Mandamus proceedings against Coro-
per H. o. Siepel of Porter county were
filed today in the superior court at
Briggs of Chicago to compel him to
hold an immediate inquest into the
death of thirty-e eight persons in the
Porter, Ind. train wreck Sunday.
The proceedings condemn the coro-
ners action yesterday in withholding
the names of the partially identified
dead Coroner Siepel attracted at
tention recently when he temporarily
barred state officials from murder
Inquest. Robert H. Moore, deputy
prosecuting attorney for La Porte
county acting as attorney for DR..
Briggs, filed the suit.
Michigan Central to Report.
DETROIT. March Promise that
"a complete and most searching" in
yestigation will be made of the wreck
at Porter, Ind. Sunday night. and
that "the result will be made known
as soon as the inquiry is completed" :"
was made here today by the general
road.
Desire to avoid incorrect impress
sions of the wreck and its causes WAS
assigned by the railroad as its reason
for maintaining secrecy until the In
vestigation is concluded. I'VE believe
that to give out Information based
upon the incomplete inquiry would
do more harm than good" the state
ment said.
Text Of Statement.
The statement follows:
Our investigation has not been
completed. and we could not in fair
ness to the public give conclusions
based on incomplete information. Not
only Is a thorough investigation be-
we understand, by the public service
commission Of Indiana and the Inter-
state Commerce Commission. The re-
suit of all these Investigations will
be given the public as soon as they
are completed.
Our investigation is being held at
Niles. Mich. which is only proper, in
asmuch as Niles is the divisional ter
minus of the western division, on
which division the accident occurred
That accounts for the report that the
Engineer and firemen were spirited
away" to Niles. They were not 'spir-
ited away They were taken to the
point at which the investigation is be-
ing held.
The accident, of course was most
unfortunate and we cannot express in
words our sorrow. but the public may
be assured a complete and most
searching investigation is at this min :
ute being conducted and the result
will be made public as soon as it is
completed.
Engineer Long Mt His Home.
JACKSON, Mich. March 1.-Engi-
neer w. +. Long of this city, who
drove the engine attached to the
Michigan Central which met with dis
aster at Porter, Ind, Sunday night,
reached his home in Jackson late last
night.
He declined to be interviewed, and
all efforts to see him at his home were
unavailing today.
Investigators nt Work.
BY the Associated Press.
PORTER, Ind, March 1-Investiga-
tions by Indiana state officials and Of
fcers of the Michigan Central and
New York Central railroads were con-
tinued today to determine the cause
of the wreck here Sunday night. fatal
to thirty-eight passengers, on the
eastbound Michigan Central train.
Members of the Michigan Central
train crew were closeted all day yes-
terday with General Supt. j. L. Mckee,
but no statement Of the information
obtained was given out.
OF the thirty-fiye bodies taken to
the Chesterton morgue, a mile from
the. wreck. identifications had been
made of all except two. but some of
these were regarded by Coroner Sci
pei as unverified. The coroner de-
clared the death total would not ex-
ceed thirty-seven or thirty eight, but
Information from relatives and friends
showed haN a dozen persons still un-
4 II,
wreckage had been searched early to-
day except beneath the battered en-
CINE Of the New York Central train,
and heavy wrecking crane was ex-
pected early today to lift it from the
pit where 1t buried itself.
Eight Bodies Claimed.
Eight of the bodies had been claimed
by relatives and removed for burial,
but dismemberment of some made IL
difficult to determine the exact total
and likewise to complete some of the
identific ations. One or two more may
be beneath the engine. the coroner
said, but he believed the death roster
was complete.
Bodies of four women and one man
remained today unidentified, but some
Of them could only be recognized by
relatives. officials said.
All four of the most important wit
nesses in connection with the wreck
are railroad men OF long experience
and this one is said to be the first
wreck in their careers. Engineer
Long has thirty-one years of railroad
service and has been with the Michi-
gan Central since 1890. Towerman
Cook was acting as a substitute for
the regular operator. Towerman Pier,
ing. but Cook had long experience with
the levers.
Identification OF three additional
bodies early today brought the on
cial list of positive jdentifications to
thirty Ave. The additions were Miss
Dorothy Langin of Cleveland. whose