The New York herald., 1922-08-21
Michigan Central Express Is
Ditched at High Speed
Near Gary, Ind.
ENGINEMEN ARE KILLED
Road Offers ST, 900 Reward for
Discovery of Those Who
LoOsened the Rails.

Special Dispatch TO THE New York HEpALp.
CHICAGO, Aug. 20.--Two men were
instantly killed, two others seriously
injured, and an engine and half dozen
baggage cars were demolished early
this morning when a Michigan Central
express train of twenty-three cars was
wrecked one mile east of Gary, Ind.
Officials of the road charge that
spikes were drawn on the inside of the
track, causing the rails TO spread on
thirty-seven ties, with the result that
the train jumped the track.
The dead are Edward Coy and E.
Lubbs, respectively engineer and fire
man of the train. both of Niles. Mich,
whose bodies were buried in the wreck
age of the engine, while the injured
are Charles III. Stolkwell and A. B.
Heath, express messengers.
Officials of the road have offered a
reward of $1,000 for the arrest of per-
sons responsible for the wreck.
The train, composed OF twenty-three
express and baggage cars. was travel
ling at an estimated speed Of sixty miles
an hour when the wreck occurred. Sud
| denly the engine left tho rails, plowec
along the ties for fifty yards and turned
over Into the sandy marsh land with q
crash. The first baggage car, carried
along by the momentum of the other
cars behind 1t, went 200 feet beyond
tile engine before 1t toppled into the
ditch a mass OF wreckage. Five cars
We're smashed and ten ditched.
Immediately after the crash special
agents Of the road swarmed to the scene
from Gary, and it was from these
agents that the officials obtained the
evidence purporting to show that the
wreck was the work of strikers or their
sympathizers. According to Capt. Mar
tin Quinn, chief special agent of the
Michigan Central, his men found that
the spikes which hold the rails TO the
ties had been pulled from at least thirty
seven ties. The heavy train. when 1t
Jumped the roadbed. tore up a long sec
tion of track, making 1t impossible 10
tell whether more spikes had been re-
moved, but the work of the vandals was
clearly visible at the point where the
train first left the rails.
First reports of the wreck were re-
Foote, who was In charge of the train.
He was uninjured and walked the mile
into the city Physicians and nurses
were hastily summoned and rescuins
parties were soon at work on the wreck
age, the two express messengers being
dragged from the debris Of the over
turned car.
The engine when 1t left the rails had
buried itself In the sand, and 1t was
not until several hours later than the
rescuers were able to reach the bodies
OF the engineer and fireman.
Officials Of the read say II Is a
miracle that the wrecked train was an
express instead of a passenger train,
which was due soon after the accident.
Apparently the vandals had planned to
wreck this passenger train, and had this
happened the death list would have been
high. as the forward cars were prac-
tically demolished. The baggage express
train was several hours late. however.
and was speeding along IN an attempt
TO make up time when the engine hit
the loosened rails.
When road officials were notified Of
the pulling Of the spikes Henry Sherer,
general superintendent Of the road, au-
thorized the Offering or the $1,000 re-
ward. and police official in nearby
towns were notified 10 he on watch for
the wreckers The call 10 Chicago was
received by Lieut. William Kennedy Of
the detective bureau and he Immediately
detailed detectives TO question striking
shopmen in the Michigan Central yards
here in an effort TO gain information
seeking 20 lead to the arrest of the men
responsible