Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-07
Who Threw the Switch?


was allowed to leak out while the party
wns at Bryn Athyn concerned the
thrpwing Of the switch. The officials
said that whoever threw the switch, !
presumably without orders from the
station muster, must have first con
suited the conductor. else tho conduc
tor would have stopped the train when
il was started.
IL the officials know the name of tho
man who threw the switch, they were
not willing TO make 10 public Perhaps
1t will be allowed TO leak out later.
The steel special train reached the
cut where the wreck occurred Mt noon.
The investigator found work train
on the trnCk, men scavcnging through
the debris, and a gang preparing to
lay new rails
The committee and their guests got
down and examined the place carefully,
photographers for the Interstate Com
Inerce Commission and the Iublic
Service Commission taking many pic
lures. Railroad mon pointed out the
scars in the rock wall of the cutting.
made by the rearing engines when they
met and topplcd sideways.
For 300 yards the tracks were ntrCwn
With deoris, bolts, Charred wood, stray
trucks, bits of engine boilers. Il was
pointed out that the local from phiIa-
delphia had sped over 500 yard
straightaway before meeting the on
coming commuters train. city bound,
Just around the deadly rock corner.
The work train was pulled out Of the
cutting TO let the steel car special pass.
Inspect Death Coach
At Paper Mill, quarter mile back
toward Philadelphia, the party stopped
to inspect one of the deadly twenty.
year old wooden cars, its roof gone,
ats sides fallen in, It's floor bucklcd.
Railroad men are anxious TO know
the details Of the testimony Of Charles
Evans, conductor Of Train l5l, and
Clayton when they arc called before the
investigators.
Sentiment among the tiren;rn, con-
ductors and engineers in the Headings
employ IL strongly in favor VI Evans
and the engineer in charge Of the train.
One thing that the employees want to
know is who was driving train No. 15l
at the time of the collision.
Walter Ncnkle, who is now in the
Abingdon Memorial Hospital IN a serious
condition. was at first listed as the
engineer in charge Of the train. Later
the name of the engineer was given as
Edward NOgcl q younger mun, who
died in the wreck.
Friends of Evans hint that there is
too much tendency to put the blame on
him. They say he is n man of more
to be careful and reliable. and familiar
with every foot OF the road. The train
men hint that when the full facts be-
come known there will be quick re-
yersal of opinion ns to the RESPONSE
bility.
May Have Mixed Trains
The railroad men, trying TO explain
the wreck. say that n milk train. No.
154, was running on schedule ahead Of
the inbound express. and that Evans
had been accustomed to let this train
pass him on his trip out
The milk train was late, and this pr.
marily was the cause Of the accident
Evans friends think. They believe
Evans may have confused the milk train
with the expires. or in some way yet to
be explained may have confused the
numbers Of the two trains 1914 and 1856
The tranmen also are loud in their
condemnation Of the obsolete and an
cient cars which burned like tindcr. in =
cinerating the victims, reducing the
bodies of men and women TO unrecOg =
nizable bits of Charred flesh.
Before yesterdays session of the
wreck inquiry began it was announced
that the investigation would be an
open one. This seemed particularly
hitting because investigators from the
Interstate Commerce Commission and
the State Public Service Commission
had decided to sit with the board OF
railroad officials.
Testimony Technical
However, at the last minute it was
decided to put the silenCer on the meet =
ing. The Committee of Inquiry Assem-
bled, with railroad stenographers the
Il, only other persons in the room besides
the members Of the board
The railroad paradcd a corps OF eX.
perts, who testified that the block RnC
other signals were in perfect working
order
There were no experts. however, tc
testify as to the inhOmmability Of the
obsolete wooden coaches, which every
one who has had anything to do with II
is blaming for the appalling loss Of life
Nor was there any testimony confirming
or disprov!ng the position taken earlier
yesterday by the railroad, that the
wreck had been caused by disregard o
orders duly issued and delivered.
The railway officials directed the
trend Of the inquiry. th' Federal anc
State representatives. playing the par
of audience. Whether they will take
an active hand in later meetings Of the
committee, or conduct an inquiry o.
their own when the railroad has finished
demonstrating the excellence Of its sig
mailing equipment, remains to be seen
Coroner BlaInes Wooden Cars
Coron"r Neville. of Nontgomrr!
County. who IS making an iuvcstiga
ton of his own, declares he wlll hrinI
criminal charges against any individua
or individuals who muy be found guilt,
of contributory negligence in the wreck
Francis Y. Rcnningcr, District Attor
ney for the county, emphatirallY De
clared he would hack the Coroner up
and that every step made by that Off
cial would bc taken with the approyO
of the county's legal officer.
1.-THE wooden coaches were 20 blam
for this terrible loss Of life," said IN
Coroner Had steel coaches been usec
they would not have smashed ms I'll
wooden coaches, and Furthermore
: there would not have been the fr'
which was the most appalling featul
Y of the wreck, and the greatest cause
the loss of life.
lieutenant Governor Beidleman sal
there should be- Legislation TO forbid tt
use of wooden coaches, either a State {
Federal law. II did not know thu
these obsolete coaches were still
use," said the Lieutenant Governor.