The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-02-28
MOST OF DEAD
WERE INJURED
ABOUT HEADS
Coming in the Darkness of
Night, the Collision Was
All the More Terrible
Towerman Says Block
Signal Was Set Against
the Michigan Central
Train.

Porter. Ind, Feb. 2S.-Forty-two
bodies had been collected to-day from
tho wreckape caused when the Canadi-
an Limited on the Michigan Central,
bound from Chicago to Toronto, and
the Interstate Limited OF the New
York Central bound from Boston and
New York to Chicago, crashed at
crossing last night.
A statement by towerman }. {. Cook,
on duty at the crossing, declared the
block two miles away was set against
the Michigan Central train while the
track was left clear for the New York
Central Railroad officials at the scene
of the wreck said engineer w. f. Long
of Jackson, Mich, who escaped unhnrt'
declared he had received q clear signal
and had checked it with his firemen.
He left early to-day for his home.
When the Michigan Central train
struck the derailer six hundred feet
from the crossing it was the first in
dication he had of the impending crash,
Long is said TO have stated. From that
point the eight coaches of the Michigan
Central train bumped along the ties
coming to standstill with the third
and fourth coaches at the intersection
of the tracks and an instant later the
New York Central train burst through.
All except the two baggage and mail
cars of the New York Central remained
upright, although bits of the wooden
coaches of the Michigan Central train
were scattered for 30 yards. Passengers
in the four coaches of the Michigan
Central train behind the death cars
were unhurt except for the shakeup
and all of the passengers on the New
York Central escaped, climbing down
from their ears through the wreckage.
Most of the identified dead and the
seriously injured were from Indiana
and southwestern Michigan.
For no reason that railroad officials
could assign almost all the dead taken
10 the little morgne at Chesterton,
across the tracks from Porter, received
their fatal wounds in the head. Some
were decapitated.
The speed of the New York Central
train, which was fatal to passengers in
the two death cars, saved the passen-
gers in the rear coaches of both trains
from worse than a severe joltng.
Bodies of engineer Claude johnson Of
Elkhart, Ind, and fireman George De
land of Elkhart, engine crew on the
New York Central train. were reeov-
cred early to-day from beneath the
tangled mass Of iron TO which their
engine was reduced by the impact.
Engineer W r. Long Of Jackson,
Mich, and fireman George Block Of
Michigan City. Ind. were able TO save
themselves, their engine being far be
yond the point Of the collision.
II was not to blame, towerman
Cook said al his home in Chesterton
to-day. Il threw the distant block
sgs,nst the Michigan Central train
two miles back from the crossing. / do
not know why they failed to catch the
signal"
Wreckinc crews expected to be able
to-day to clear away the wreckage SUI
fciently to enable trains 20 operate on
both tracks and to remove the last of
the bodies still held down by timbers
Railroad officials had no definite esti-
mate early to-day Of the total injured.
The heavy death toll. i was believed.
made II doubtful II more than n score
had been seriously injured. according TO
railroad officials. a. only the passen-
gers in the two coaches rec9iVed the
shock Of the flying New York Central
train.
The engine 81 the New York Central
train burst through the wooden coaches
with such force that Il whirled half
around. far down the track. and the
small blaze which started in the wreck
age vas quickly subdued.
Parts AZ What seemed 20 b. AZ least
!. three bodies we're taken from the debris
today Railroad officials and Coroner
Seipel of VALPARAISO almost gave up
haps of Identifying half dczen bodies.
Oficials of the New York Central
said that The automatic recording DE-
v5ee in thr tnu1er 81 the crossing
Showed that the NeW York Central
train M thr automatir tower bell sig
rai sfztiar. three m-iies hsrk from thr