The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-28
DEATH TOLL 43

tOOuIlnueu lEOA1 HEC 49,
Creme Of the wreck until nearly two
hours after it occurred, hlndereo the
first aid work,
There are no physicians in Porter.
The two who resided in Chestertown
were away from home. Automooles
secured the country around the scene
of the wreck for miles before the
physicians were finally located.
Addison Van Ripper was killed in the
wreck here last night on the fortieth
anniversary of his service with the
Michigan Central railroad. He was
to have retired today. His wife was
killed with him.
Dead All Hit on Head.
All except the two baggage and
mail cars of the New York Central
train remained upright, altho bits OF
the wooden coaches of the Michigan
Central train were scattered for fifty
Yards Passengers in the four coaches
of the Michigan Central train behind
the death cars were unhurt except for
the shaKeup and an Of the passengers
on the New York Central escaped,
climbing down from their cars thru
the wreckage.
For no reason that railroad officials
could assign almost all of the dead
taken to the little morgue at Chester
ton, across the tracks from Porter, re-
ceived their fatal wounds in the head.
Some were decapitated, accounting for
the failure to identify nine of the 25
which had been taken there up to s
o'clock. The first group of those
critically injured were rushed in an
ambulance to Michigan City, Ind, and
two of them died on the way.
Railroad officials expressed the be-
lief early today that all of the others
injured would recover. Hospitals and
private homes at Michigan City and
raNaiUad fhn inifIred according IN
the character of the injuries.
Central Signals Set.
Officials of the New York Central
said that the automatic recording de-
vice in the tower at the crossing
showed that the New York Central
train hit the automatic tower bell sig
nal station three miles back from the
crossing on each line, just 20 seconds
ahead of the Michigan Central train,
thus giving the New York Central
train the right of way.
The derailer at the crossing Is auto
matically set when the train is still
two miles back from the crossing, they
said.
Start State Probe.
Towerrnan cook of the New York
Central said he always set the sig
mails so as to allow the train which hit
the "buzzer" first to have a clear
track. His records showed, according
TO railroad officials, that the Inter
state sounded the "buzzer' before the
Canadian gave warning of it approach.
Two officials of the Indiana public
service commission were en- route to
the scene of the wreck to conduct
the investigation. No probe has been
started by local authorities as yet.
The fact. that Coroner P. o. Seipel
of Porter county did not call for an
immediate probe of the disaster by
a jury, has incensed Porter citizens.
Seipel said the investigation could
not not be held because he was toe
busy gathering the bodies of the vic
Tins and preparing them for burial.
Responsibility for the wreck was to-
day placed on the shoulders of w. f.
Long, engineer on the Canadian
An examination Nof the block signal
system showed that the two blocks
were set against the Michigan Cen
trail engineer. His fireman said that
he saw the signals set but that LONG
failed to slow down.
The fact that the derail was set and
the train slid from the rails as it shot
across the intersecting New York Cen
trail tracks, proved to the satisfaction
of most investigators that the tower
man, Joseph Cook, had given the New
York Central train a clear track and
signalled the Michigan Central Il
stop
Engineer In Hiding.
railroad OlllCldlS SiuuSSleu Long
from the vicinity of Porter soon aftel
the crash in order to protect hin
against demonstration by friends o.
relatives of any of those in wreckage
lie was said to be in hiding in Mich
igan City, Ind.
Many mangled arms and legs ha(
been found in the CHASTITY monument
piled UP when the Interstate express
struck the Canadian at a diamond
crossing here at 6 p. m. Sunday. Thi
led to reports that many additiona
bodies had been found.
Thirty-six of the mangled and mu
tilated bodies were laid out in tn
Chesterton undertaking room, a mil
and half from Porter
About one-half of the bodies ha,
been identified. Because of the man
gled condition of many of the bodies
Coroner w. o. Seipel was doubtful
many of the bodies could be identified