Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-10-07
Evidence Submitted To The
Interstate Commerce Commission
Examination Made By Special 1nves-
tigators OF, A. B. & A. Wreck

Locomotive 102 is of the 400 type
having total length including the
tender of 81 feet. The weight of
the engine alone /. 10000 pounds of
which 1900 pounds rest on each pair
of the engine truck wheels. The rum
ming gear and under each side of the
engine bore no marks which would
indicate the cause of the derailment.
Parts of the broken pilot were found
scattered over a considerable area in
front of the engine, the most distant
being 429 feet east from the initial
point of derailment. The axle and
remaining wheel of the forward pair
of wheels of the engine truck remain
ed practically in place in the truck
frame, sthe left journal box being de-
troyed The axle was found to have
slight bend of about 5-8inch at the
left journal bearing. The engine truck
wheels were % inches in diameter.
The forward pair were of cast iron
made by the Southern Car Wheel Co..
and each were cast June 6, 1921. The
record produced by the railroad COM
pany shows that the wheels were put
on the axle by the Atlanta, Birming-
ham and Atlantic Ry. c., at the Fitz-
gerald, Ca, Shops between June %
and June 9th, 1921 and that>a max
imum pressure of 50 tons was used in
forcing them on. They were applied
to engine 102 at Atlanta, Ca, and Aug
ust II, 1921. and up TO the time of the
accident had made approximately /
400 miles.
The end of the axle from which the
wheel was detached bore slight tool
marks but showed no other unusual
indications. According to statements
OF railway officials who were on the
ground shortly after the accident oc-
CURED the first s-ks n ade BY The
vice appeared on the e -. hard erl-
nankmcnl about :, fea' above the :oD
OF .! r,ii and abe. E C;ee+ from he
initial IL mt OF i"-ll;men;. The seco III
mark appeared about IS feet further
on and nearer the top of the bank
Both marks appeared to have been
made by the tread and flange of the
wheel as if it had been rolling. At
the top of the bank flange mark could
be traced in a semi-circ1e to the point
where the wheel came to rest on its
side about so feet from where it first
reached the top of the bank. These
marks seem to indicate that when the
wheel left the journal it rolled on its
edge in diagonal line until it reached
the top of the bank. The wheel bore
no marks which would give any indi-
cation of the cause of the accident
Considerable evidence from persons
living within radius of IL miles
of the point of accident was introduced
tending to show that the sound of an
explosion was heard by them about
$3.50 P M. on the night of the accident
Conductor Ross of extra 1O2 stated
that approaching the point of accident
ne was riding in the cupo1a of his
caboose. The air brakes had been
applied but when the train was about
onc-half mile from the beginning of
the ascending grade the brakes were
released At the time of the accident
he estimates the speed of his train to
have been between IS and 20 miles
per hour. The first indication of
trouble which he received was the
sound of an explosion from the for
ward end of the train followed by four
distinct jars. He looked at his watch
Immediately and found the time to be
$3.50 P. M. He stated there was no
explosive in his train and that none
of the freight cars were blown UP.
Brakeman Wilson stated that at
the time of the accident he was riding
on the fireman's seat on the left side
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