Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-20
BUCG OFFERSPROOF
THAT BLAST CAUSED
WRECK ON A.,B. & A.
Says Hydraulic Pressure of
10000 Pounds Was Nee
eSsay to Take Off Pony
Truck Wheel of Engine

| A hydraulic pressure of 10000
pounds was necessary to put on ant
10000 pounds to take off the pom!
truck wheel of the engine involved
in the controversy growing out Of
| the recent wreck on the Atlanta, Biz
mingham and Atlantic railroad, &C.
cording to a statement issued Satur-
day afternoon by Colonel B. L. Bugg
| receiver of the road.
The machinists' union claimed il
| the investigation conducted by Gov
ernor HardWick's committee, thai
the wreck was caused by the pony
truck wheel coming off when thu
train was running at high speed. The
officials of the road claimed that
the wreck was caused by a powerful
explosive placed on the track with
criminal intent, blowing the vince
off the axle and over the top of the
cut, height of thirty feet, and a
distance Of sixty feet.
Colonel Bugg's statement issued
Saturday afternoon sets out that a
test was made with the axle and
wheel in question; that a hydraulic
pressure Of 10000 pounds was re-
uired to force the wheel on the axle
and a pressure of 10000 pounds was
required to force it off; that this
demonstrates "conclusively that the
wheel did not come off, but was
blown off"
Colonel Bugg's Statement
Colonel Buggs statement regard
ing the test of the pony truck wheel
W. S as follows:
cat the hearing before the gov
ernor's committee the labor unions
represented by a committee of ma
chinists and Mr.. Carl Hutchesoh,
their attorney, took the position thai
the wreck of Atlanta, Birmingham
and Atlantic railway train No. so on
the outskirts Of Atlanta, on the eve
ming of September Z, was not due to
an explosion but to a loose wheel on
the front axle of the pony truck.
The officers of the railroad produced
evidence to show that the wheel
was blown off the axle by the force
of the explosion placed upon the
track, the wheel in question being
the one that exploded the charge.
"a test was made at the plant
of the Southern Wheel company in
Atlanta Saturday by pressing the
wheel back on the axle by hydraulic
power. 1t required a pressure Of 3d.
900 pounds to force the wheel back
=
forced on, it required a pressure of
10000 pounds to remove it again.
This test disposes entirely of the
claim Of the labor unions that the
wheel came off the axle because it
was loose.
Further Evidence Submitted
each time wheel is pressed off
and then is pressed on again, less
force is required; so that it must
have required much more than 10000
pounds to drive this wheel off the
axle at the time of the accident
This force could have been no other
than the explosion, which was testi-
fled to by all the surviving members
Of the train crew and was heard by
many citizens residing in that Sec
tion at distances from one-quarter
of a mile to five miles from the
scene of the accident.
Further incontrovertible evidence
DR.. w. C. Dumas, former state chem
st, who testified at the hearing be-
fore the governors commission that
his tests proved the use Of an OK
p1osive Of which the base was chic
rate of potash and sugar, this test
having been made from samples of
earth and debris taken from under
the track made by the explosion"
NO REPLY is MADE
TO BUGG'S REQUEST
WASHINGTON. D. c., Sept. IT,
Late this evening it was stated at
the office of Chairman McChord, of
the interstate commerce commission,
that no answer would be made today
to the protest Of Receiver Bugg, of
the A, B. & A. railroad, against w.
J. Patterson and associates as in
vestigators of the recent wreck on
that railroad.
This morning word came from the
office Of Chairman McChord that
reply to Receiver Bugg's protest,
based on the allegation that Patter-
son is a member of a union on strike
against the A, B. & A, would be
sent this afternoon. But the answer
was postponed until the early part
IF next week.
80 NNo ~ ~