The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-03-04
FOURTEEN DIE
WHEN EXPRESS
TRAIN HITSBUS
Returning Home From
Fairports O., Last Night
After Lodge Meeting
Fourteen Killed and
Seven Injured

Cleveland, O.. March 4.-Several Of
fiicials of the New York Central rail-
road went to Painesville, 25 miles
east of here early today to start an
investigation into the collision there
late last night of a New York Cen
tral express train and a motor bus
which resulted in the death Of II
persons and injuries to six others four
OF whom may die. Several other in
vestigations are TO be started. Thir-
teen bodies had been accounted for,
but there were reports that at least
d. one other person had been killed. OF
the Ia, seven of whom we're women,
only one had not been identified at an
early hour. This was believed by
Gus Radike, of Fairport to be that of
his son, Stanley, but it was so badly
mangled identification was not COM
plete.
Three of the dead were found on
the locomotive pilot when the train
in charge of Engineer F. S. Fernandez
of Buffalo and Conductor G. Ernest,
was brought from it's sixty miles an
hour pace to a halt about three blocks
from the scene of the collision.
Most of those killed were residents
of Fairport. Many of them had left
a dance hall in Painesville, less than
half an hour before the crash, while
several others had attended lodge
meeting. Two had just boarded the
bus and had just settled in their
seats when the accident occurred.
An explosion OF the gasoline tank of
the machine set fire to the debris and
Of
burned.
The bus which was operated be-
tween Painesville and Fairport was
making it's last trip to Fairport for
the night. A. w. Barnes, the cross
ing watchman, declared he tagged the
driver, who had stopped on the south
side of the tracks to pick up passen-
gers. A declaration by Chester Par
rish, manager of the bus line, that a
large oil tank obstructed Driver
Adams view of the watchman's Ian
tern and the approaching train, was
discounted by Carl Sullivan, -one of
the injured.
Il saw the train before we reached
the tracks," Sullivan said. 1--WE had
stopped to take on two passengers
Just south of the railroad or we would
have been across" People near me
screamed as the engine came on. /
saw the driver reach down and pull
something. / don't know whether it
speeded us up or slowed us down. 1t
was dark in the machine. l thought
we had cleared the track. Then it
hit us"
The train, Number 600, was CON-
POSED of twenty express coaches. 1t
was made up here to go to Buffalo
and does not stop at Painesville.
81 blew the whistle just as we
reached the limits of the town." En-
gineer Fernandez declared. IAN in
slant later l saw the automobile on
the track Immediately ahead of me.
The space before we struck it was so
brief I could not even know whether
the automobile was standing or in
motion. AS I threw>on the brakes /
felt the collision and fragments of the
wreckage flew past the engine cab.
] am sure we stopped as quickly as
possible"
The story of Fireman Milo Cornell,
also Of Buffalo, coincided with that of
the engineer.
Cleveland, u, March 4.-Ine ueatn
of George E. McGee today brought
the toll from the collision between
New York Central passenger train and
an automobile bus at Painesville late
last night up to IA Five persons are
seriously injured, three of whom are
expected to die.
A coroner's inquest will be held at
Painesville this afternoon. City Off
cials of Painesville and officials of the
New York Central railroad started in
vestigations this morning.