Daily Kennebec journal., 1922-07-04
Z Dead, 65 In jure d
When Filler Goes Into
Open Switch
Smash Occurs Near Atlantic
City Towerman's Relatives
Deny He Has Assumed
Blame for Wreck-Switch
Opened by Mistake - Train
and Cars Plunge Down Deep
Embankment

Atlantic City, \. j., July 3.-Inves-
tigation from four sources was under
way tonight to place responsibility for
the wreck of Philadelphia and Read
ing railway train shortly after mid
night last night at Winslow Junction,
near here, which cost the lives of
six persons and injured more than
6o others.
The wrecked train was the Mid
night Flyer" which left Camden at
11.40 p. NJ, and was due in Atlantic
City at 1886 A. NJ. The smash oc-
Cured on the Cape Wildwood
branch, when the train running at
full speed swept into an open switch
leading off from the main line to the
Cape May line. The engine left the
| rails on the curve and catapultcd
Gown an embankment, taking with it
i've of the six cars it drew.
The Cape May switch had been
opened by mistake and John Dewalt.
6O-year-old tower man at Winslow
junction, is under surveillance bv the
state police. He is in bed at his home
IN Hammontonr where a state trooper
remains with him.
Reports that Dewalt had assumed
the blame for the wreck were denied
by the tower mans relatives and also
by the Reading management. In ex-
planning the apparent cause for the
switch open Charles H. Ewing, vice
president of the Reading Railway
Company in charge of operations in
statement said Dewalt had set the
switches for the movement of the
cape May branch, seemingly in the
belief that train Of empty passenger
coaches which had passed previously
was the Midnight Flyer"
Railroad officials said that when a
switch Is open a signal warns the
engineman of an approaching train to
SLOW down. A train going 40 miles
an hour they said would not have left
| the tracks
The engineman on the flyer took the
junction switch at full speed Mr..
EWlng's statement said and this caus-
ed the deraiment
Ninety passengers bound for the
shore over the holiday were aboard
the train.
Wrecking crews late today had re-
moved the wreckage of three of the
coaches and found no additional bod
les and it is not thought likely any
more will be found The body of
Walter Wescott of Gloucester, n. j.,
engineman, still lies beneath his loco
motive.
Wescott was killed instantly and his
fireman William T. Souder of Allan
tic City died on the way to the hospi-
! tai.
Almost every one on the train suf-
Tered more or less serious injuries,
among them being 16 women and chill
! dren.
When news of the wreck reached
Miss Margaret Loughmann. telephone
| operator at Hammonton, three miles
away. she Immediately summoned
every physician nearby, the Hammon-
| ton fire department, the American Le-
sion and Red Cross chapters at Ham
montOn.
Jonathan K. ("Pass'D Miller, captain
or the 1922 University of PennsyIvan
la football team, was a brakeman on
the wrecked train and suffered Sc
we're decorations about the body.
However. he continued to help in res
cuing passengers from the wreckage
until ordered away by physicians.
After extricating himself from the
debris. Miller obtained an axe and
proceeded along the line of overturned
coaches breaking all the windows not
smashed when the train left the
tracks. Women and children were
lifted through the windows and then
efforts were made to rescue the men.
Besides Engineman Wascot and
Fireman Souder. the other known
dead are: Joseph Dilasuco, shoema-
ker. Pleasantville: John F. Lineham,
Philadelphia; T. \. Selden. Negro,
Philadelphia. Francis Corbett, Phila-
delphia.