The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-03-01
STORY ASTOLD
BY TOWERMAN
Charles Whitehead, Telegrapher,
Gives His Version of Events
Preceding Collision.
SAYS COOK is BLAMELESS
Declares Signal System Was In
terlocking So That Both
Tracks Could Not Be
Open at Same Time.
SAYS COOK is BLAMELEsS
(sy The Associated Rress)

PORTER, md, Feb. 2S.-Charles
Whitehead, telegrapher in the signal
yer which regulates tie passage of
he trains over the crossing where
New York Central train slast night
smashed into the side of a Michigan
Cantral train, killing more than 40
to8 light for the first time gave his ver-
syn of the events preceding and dur
ing the collision.
! He substantiated the statement of
lIoe Cook, operator of the Sc levers in
TIE tower, that the signals swere set
a& inst the Michigan Central train
ana eXonerated Cook of any blame
for the disaster.
Whitehead, too unstrung to talk
|connectedly last night, tonight was
back at his job, outwardly calm.
Il send and receive all messages
telling when various trains will ar
rive he said. 81 have nothing to do
with the operation of the signals and
am not considered in any way re-
sponsible for them.
Ordinarily a man named Piering
runs the levers, but he wanted to take
a night off and hired Joe Cook, who is
because of the mass of switches
detours and the intersection, both of
us must be on our toes all the time,
and we were last night. Far down
each track is an appliance which rings
a bell in the tower when a train hits
il. aAast night when we heard the bell
weHaw it was the New York Central
About 80 seconds later athe Michigan
Central bell rang. Joe set the signals
against the Michigan Central and
opened the track for the New York
Central. We sat peering down the n.
Y. c. tracks, watching the headlight
gradually grow larger and larger We
hadn't noticed the Michigan Central.
The New York Central engine
gradually grew larger and larger and
finally it's outlines were plainly WISH
BILE. Suddenly / heard Joe shout:
My God, Charley, the NJ. c. is
coming through the block
Il can still hear that shouted warn
ing. l turned quickly to the right and
there, not $50 feet away, was the Mich
igan Central, No. 20, crashing down
at so miles an hour. 1t was so close
L could see the shakes between the
fender bars. Joe jumped for the door
and l jumper after him. We heard a
terrific grinding smash. There was a
hiss of steam, a brilliant, red glare
lighted up the tower and our little
building shook all over. The crashing
of glass-the tower window breaking
-tingled in my ears and the tower
continued to rock.
eve lay against the door for a. mo-
ment and then collapsed to the floor.
Later, few seconds later, I suppose
Joe got up and dashed down stairs. 1
followed him.
when / reached the ground, Joe
was running full speed up the road to
Chesterton, two miles away. am
told that he never stopped until he
reached there, although several per-
sons tried to halt him.
II went down to the wreckage. The
conductor of one of the trains came
up and tried TO ask me something. He
couldn't talk, he was shaking so, and
l guess I couldn't have answered. I
don't remember much after that"
Whitehead explained that the sig
nal system was interioclSing so both
tracks could not have been open at the
same time. Closing the tracks to the
Michigan Central automatically opened
it to the New York Central and vice
versa, he said.
Whitehead SAID the Michigan Cen
trail probably was making 60 miles an
hour but that the New York Central