Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-09-23
September 20. 1921

oeptelnDcr, ~, WI
Hon. Thos. w. Hardwick. Governor
Atlanta, Ga,
Dear Sir:--As membe- OF the
committee appointed by your xc. :
ency on September 10, 1921, to invcs,i-
gate the wreck which occurred on the
a. b. & A., at Cascade crossing on
the night of September 9TH, 1921, the
duty OF the committee comprising
Hon. Murphy Gambler, chairman of
the railroad commission of Georgia
Mr.. Woods Hudson and myself. be-
ing to investigate the causes of the
wreck and make true finding accord
ing to the evidence as we deduced
same |, after listening carefully to
every matter of evidence produced
during two days hearing and after
inspecting the scene of the wreck and
all other things connected and related
thereto, submit the following report
which is a minority report:
On September 18th, 1921 at about
80 a. m, the committe proceedcd
10 the scene OF the wreck and i'm
inedlately began to examine the loco
motive and parts of same. and also
the roadbed at each end of where the
wreck occurred for about a distance
OF 40 feet in each direction We
found the roadbed in bad condition
at this point there is supposed to be
i've 90 degree curve. but this curve
varied from; four (4) to six CO. de-
grees, and the track gagged from
'ight to l CD inch open. and the
spikes in ties were in very bad shape
and would consider this track dan
gerous for main line track
| also made the examination of Tho
engine truck, axle and wheel from left
'front.' engine truck, and found nv
using Brown & Sharps nicrometers
that said wheel was loose on the axle
In making this test of both wheel
and axle, | found that the bore NJ
sad wheel was five 60 and four hun
dred and thirty eight and one-balf
thousandths inches on one end and
i've C5) and four hundred and thirty
two thouSandths inches on the other
end, which is a difference of six ~
and one-half thousandths, and which
should have been straight
| also found said axle was five (5l
tour hundred thirty-three and one-baIf
thousandths inches or the outer end.
and tive 60 and four hundred and
thirty two thousandths inches where
SAID wheel stopped, which should have
been straight for this wheel
Alleges Loose Wheel
for this wheel to have been tight
enough to be safe, the axle should
have been eleven Ol) thousandths of
an inch larger than the bore OF the
wheel. and instead. the bore of the
wheel was larger than the axle
On September the 18th, 1921 at
about 1880 a. m your committee wit
messed the pressing on of the wheel at
the Southern wheel works and said
wheel went on at no pressure at all
until 1t got up in about one (l) and
one-halt inches where it stopped, and
then the pressure went up to fifteen
tlo) tons where it should have gone
to fifty (50) tons or more to have
been safe.
Then your committe witnessed the
pressing off of said wheel and twenty
(<O) tons was required to start il a
distance OF about one () inch: then
the indicator dropped practically to
nothing, and this was a travel of near
ly Z inches for the wheel fit. and Il
said wheel had been properly fit it
would have taken 20 tons to have
started it, and the pressure decreased
until said wheel was completely off
OF wheel-fit ,ea .,'''' - 'e'',' '..'.' 3.
Your committee further witnessed
the testing of said axle in lathe and
found said axle about five (5) eighths
inches in wheel fit. and said axle be-
ing bent after said wheel came off of
said axle, and this in my opinion, this
axle dropping down on the rail, was
the cause of said axle being bent,
thereby causing engine truck-frame to