Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-03-01

o He substantiated the statement OF
Joe Cook, operator Of the fifty-six
levers in the tower, that the signals
were set against the Michigan Cen
trail train and exonerated Cook of any
blame.
Too Unstrung to Talk.
Whitehead, too untrung to talk con-
nectedly Sunday night, Monday was
back at his job, outwardly calm. His
eyes. deep-set from loss of sleep,
repeatedly darted back and forth from
| one track to the other and many
times he paced the floor. To railroad
officials he said he thanked God for
his own narrow escape and was feel
ing fine although his appetite was gone.
Il sent and received all messages
telling when various trains will ar
rive" he said. Il have nothing to do
with the operation of the signals and
am not considered in any way re-
sponsible for them.
Substitute Operator.
Ordinarily a fellow named Piering
runs the levers, but he wanted to
take a night off and hired Joe Cook,
Because Of the mass switches, de-
tours and intersection, both of us must
be on our toes all the time, and we
were Sunday night.
Far down each track is an ap-
pliance which rings bell in the tower
when train hits it, Last night we
were waiting for Number ISL, the New
York Central train, to arrive. We
heard the bell and looked up at the re-
corder, seeing it was the New York
Central. About thirty minutes later
the Michigan Central bell rang. Joe
set the signals against the Michigan
Central and opening the track for the
New York Central. We sat peering
down the New. York Central tracks,
watching the headlight gradually grow
larger and larger. We hadn't notice
the Michigan Central.
Warning Is Shouted.
My God. Charlie, the M. C. is
coming through the block -
II can still hear the shouted warn
ing
Il turned quickly, and there, not
$50 feet away, was the Michigan Cen
trail, Number 20, crashing down, 60
miles an hour. 1t was so close | could
see the spaces between the fender bars.
Joe jumped for the door and I jump
ed after him. Intuition, ! guess made
us realize that to 60 downstairs would
be fatal. We grabbed the door and
held for our lives.
we heard terrific grinding
smash There was hiss of steam,
brilliant flare lighted up the tower
and our little building shook all over
The crashing of glass-the tower wind
ows breaking-t;ngled in my ears aud
the tower continued to rock.
I'VE lay against the door for a mo-
ment and then collapsed to the floor.
Later. l suppose. Joe got up aud
dashed down stairs. / followed him.
Ran Two Miles Without Stop.
when l reached the ground, Joe
was running full speed up the road to
chcsterton. ;wo miles away am
told that he never stopped until he
reached there. although several persons
tried to halt him.
.! went lown to the wreckage. The
conductor Of one Of the trains came ND
and tried to ask me something. Hc
couldn't talk, he was shaking so, and
/ guess / couldn't have answered. I
don't remember much after that. ]
went home, but couldn't sleep. I kept
seeing those two glaring headlights
rushing down on me. I dreamed of
them and l must have tossed a lot
for several times picked the bed
clothes off the floor.
I'm all right now, and thank God
for my escape. Fortunately the cars
fell away from the tower"
Explains Signal System.
Whitehead explained that the signal
system was irterlocking so that both
tracks could not have been opened at
the time. Closing the tracks to the
Michigan Central automatically opened
it to the New York Central, and vice
versa, he said.
He said The Michigan Central prob
ably was making 60 miles an hour and
that the New York Central was trav-
cling probably 40 miles an hour.
''They always travel nearly full
speed. but Sunday the New York Cen
tral seemed to be coming slower than
usual. Perhaps the engineer saw the
other train and tried tn STOP" he said |
Cook was unable to work Monday
night, but was not needed. Every
train on both roads was ordered to
stop before reaching the wreckage and
to proceed only by hand signal All
derailing switches wers locked closed,
nII all blocks were set against on
coming trains.