The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1921-09-23
Was A.B.&A. Wreck
Result Of Blast.
Probe Board to Have Meet
ing After Tests are Made
federal investigator
May be Removed.

| Atlanta, Ga, Sept. 22.-Wheth
ler the recent big wreck on the At
Ilanta, Birmingham and Atlantic
Railway in Atlanta was caused BY
dynamite or Loose wheel" will
soon be decid3 I'd by the special COM
mission appointed by Governor
Hardwick to make an investigation.
Following the sensational hearing
at the state capitol, the board took
the case under consideration and
are new awaiting certain tests they
are having made. A meeting will
be called as soon as these tests are
determed.
The latest development in the
case is a request by Col. B. L..
Bugg, receiver OF the A. B. & A.
Railroad to &C. McCord, chairman
of the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion, at Washington, d. c., for the
removal of Paterson, one Of the
Federal Investigators, on the ground
that he is partisan. Col. Bugg
wired Mr.. McCord as follows:
Section three of Act, approved
May 9Th, nineteen ten, requires
impartial Investigators to ascertain
Icause of wrecks AS organized labor
has challenged findings OF Receiver
as to cause OF wreck on Atlanta,
Birmingham and Atlantic Railway
near Atlanta last week, your inves-
tigators cannot be considered impair
tial, because they are members of
labor unions which are now striking
against this property. Patterson,
who is here now, is member OF Or
der OF Railway Conductors Zone of
the striking unions. He is not inn
partial and has shown himself to be
partisan. Request withdrawal OF
present Investigators and assign
ment OF non partisan, impartial re-
representatives. Of the commission to
make this investigation =
When Attorney Reuben R. Arnold,
representing Receiver Bugg, was
examining the witness, A.C. Whip
pei, business agent of the Machin.
ist Union, which was one Of the
outstanding features of the hearing
at the capitol, the. latter testified
that in his opinion the wreck was
caused by loose wheel. Whipple1
in attempting to explain how the
wheel struck a bank sixty feet from
the scene Of the wreck and Eounc.
ing over it, ran seventy feet farther,
said the father a loose wheel ran,
when it wap detached from the
engine, the faster it went.
Attorney Arnold then asked if it,
were not true. if Whipple's state
ment was correct, that the wheel
would never stop. The witness re-
piled that it would stop if it hit
something.
The attorney then asked the wit
ness if the fireman on the train in
looking out felt the explosion, saw
the flash felt the engine lift up,
and if the witness would attach any
importance to that evidence. The
witness replied that the fireman
might be mistake becauee ofNexcite.
ment.
Attorney Arnold then asked the
witness If the train hands riding on
the engine also felt the explosion
and felt the engine lift up; if the
conductor in the caboose heard the
explosion and felt it jar the caboose;
! if the fireman likewise heard the
same thing; if more than score Of
residents in the neighborhood has
heard the explosion and it Jared
their houses; in one case had Jared
a Bible off the table; if in addition
to this an examination at the point
ed derailment had shown high ex'
plosives iii the dirt and dehries, anc
l if the fange OF the rail mad beer
blown off, would he consider thu
! details testified to by many witness
es were all mere decisions and th'
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