Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1921-03-01
TRACKS CLOSED To
MICHIGAN CENTRAL
At TIME OF WRECK
OPERATOR AND TOWER MAN
EXONERATED or ANY BLAME
or DISASTER
by Associated Press.

by Associated Press.
PORTER, Indiana. Feb. 2s-
Charles Whitehead. telegraph opcr.
ator In the signal tower which
regulates the passage of the trains
over the crossing where y New
York Central train last night
smashed Into q Michigan Central
train. killing more than forty per.
sons. tonight for the first time
gave his version of the actual
events In The signal tower preced.
Ing and during tlsr collision.
lie subsianilated % statement of
doe Cook. operator of the fifty six
levers In the tower. that the signals
were set against the Michigan Cen.
trial train. aud exonerated Cook of
any blame of the disaster.
whitehead. too unstrung to talk
connectedly last night. tonight was
hack at his Job. outwardly calm.
His eyes. deep set from loss of
sleep. repeatedly darted hack and
forth from one track to the other
and many times he paced the fIoor.
To railroad officials. he said he
''thanlsed God for his own narrow
escape and was feeling fine, al.
thaagh his appetite was gone"
II send and receive all messages
telling when various trains VIII
arrive" he said. II have nothing 10
do with the operation of the signals
and am not considered In any way
responsible for them.
Blocks Were Set
Ordinarily q fellow named Pier.
Ing runs the levers. hut he wanted
60 take night cff and hired Sos
Cook. who h a substitute operator.
On work for him.
because of the mass ~ switches.
towers and intersections, both of us
mus, be on our toes all the time. and
we were last night.
Far down each track In an appil.
ancc which rings bell In the tower
when n train hits II Last night we
were waiting for Number ibi. the
New York Central train, o. arrive. We
heard the bell and looked up at the re-
cordcr. seeing II was the New York
Central. About 80 seconds later the
Michigan Central rang the bell. Joe
set the signals agains, the Michigan
opening the track for the New
York Central. We sat pcecring down
the New York Central tracks watch
Ing the head light gradually grow
larger and larger We hadn't noticed
the Michigan Central
Shouts Warning
"The New York Central engine grad.
ually grew larger and finally its out.
lines were plainly visible. Suddenly !
heard Joe shout:
MY God Charley. the Michigan
Central In coming through the block
II can still hear that shouted warn.
inR.
II turned quickly 10 the right and
there. not $50 feet away. was tho
Michigan Central. Number twenty.
crashing down at sixty miles an hour
n was M close could see the spaces
between the fender hars. Joe Jumped
for the door and I jumped after him.
Something. intuition. ! guess. made us
rcalizc that TO go downstairs would he
fatal. We grabbed the door and held
for our lives
I'VE heard terrific grinding smash.
There was hiss ~ steam. n brilliant
red glare lighted up the tower. and
our little building shook all over. The
crashing of glass-thc tower windows
breaking --,ingied In my ears and the
tower continued TO rock.
I'VE lay against the door for n
moment and then collapsed 10 the
floor. Later a few seconds later. ]
suppose. Joe got up and dashed down.
stairs followed him.
Ran to City
when I reached the ground. Joe
was running full speed up the road to
Chestcrton. two miles away. ain told
that he never stopped until he reached
there. although everal persons tried "a
stop him.
II went down 10 the wreckagc. the
conductor % one ~ the trains came up
and tried Ca ask me something lie
couldn't talk. he was shaking 80. and
guess I couldn't have answered. ]
don't remember much after that
went home hut couldn't sleep. KEEP,
seeing those two glaring headlights
they seemed gigantic--rushing down ON
me. | dreamed ~ them"
Whitehead explained that the signal
system was interlocking so that both
tracks could not have been open AT
the same time Closing the tracks Ia
the Michigan Central automatically
opened it to the New York Central and
vice versa he said
Whitehead said the Michigan Central
probably was making sixty miles an
hour but that that New York Central
was travelling slower probably forty
miles an hour
They always travel nearly fun speed
but last night the New York Central
seemed 10 be coming slower thar
usual"
Last nleht was the first night oil
the regular towerman had taken IL
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