Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-28
PROBE OF WRECK
BEGUN; FOUR HURT
Signals Found in Good Shape
When Pennsylvania Flyer
Left Track.

Sn lnfeSIlSdtlOn was laOnCneu 10
day to probe reports coming to the
Washington Terminal Co. officials that
excessive speed and either disregard
Of signals or faulty brakes caused the
wreck of the Pennsylvania flyer from
Philadefl hia last night about S:l5 on
the terminal tracks just north of the
Florida avenue Viadu"t which resulted
IN serious injury to Engineer j. j.
Mooney, minor injuries to three others.
the overturning of the locomotive and
the derailing of six of the nine cars
making the train.
Mooney is at Sibley Hospital suf-
fering from severe burns and his con
dition is serious. Harry Wilhelm, his
fireman is at the same hospital suf
fering from minor burns. cuts and
bruises. Mrs Bennett of MorriStoWn.
y. J.. and a Mr.. Lindsay of New
York were reported slightly injured
and treated by DR.. T.. c. Hunter. rail
road surgeon. Their injuries did not
prevent them from continuing their
southwark journey.
Throughout bitter cold night and
into n colder dnv wrecking crews mum
! bering approximately 100 workmen
! were clearing away the debris in the
I face of n freezing wind sweeping
across the open stretch above the
| today. five of the nine main tracks
were in operation with indica tons that
! normal conditions would be restored
| by nightfall.
Cars Cleared Away.
The wreckers had cleared away the
| two derailed express cars, the bag
| gage car, the diner and the two Pull
man parlor cars by 10 o'clock this
| morning. leaving only the big loco
motive lying on its side. while three
| huge hosting cranes were mobilized
| to pick it up.
| The wrecking cranes We're obtained
! from three railroads-the PennSyl-
vania. the B. and O. and the r., F.
! and P.-and the workmen were busy
| during today getting chains end hoist
ing trusses under the locomotive
Scores of spectators. flocking to the
| scene despite the coldneSS of the day.
were kept beyond ropes and lines
| while the workmen went about their
! task. Last night the crowd Of spec
| tators threatened for q time To inter
| fere with the work of the wrecking
! crew. and Commissioner Eenning in
| charge of police: Maj. T.. l.. Hesse
superintendent of police: Detectives
| Kelly and Scrivener AM inspectors
| Harrison. Evans and Stoll were on the
! job to put the crowds beyond police
lines. This was accomplished within
an hour after the wreck. and the inn
mediate work proceeded without in
| terruption or annoyance from that
| time forward
Reports Conflict.
The investigation into the wreck
| started today after Manager ]. II.
| Tonge of the Washington Terminal
| had been deluged with a maze of con-
| f1icting reports concerning the cause
! of the accident Excessive speed es-
Inmates were generally made. One
| report was that a switch mechanism
! had failed to operate properly. There
were other inconsequential reports.
Outstanding as the investigation
got under way was the definite aScer-
| tainment, according to officials of the
terminal company, that signal indi
Gators showed along the track in
plenty of time to keep speed of trains
on that track down to a maximum
| of Il miles an hour. Officials were
| comparing the silent testimony of 200
| feet of torn up trackage with the
reports of spectators and persons on
| the train to get a general estimate
of the speed of the train, and were
virtually convinced at the outset of
the investigation that the train must
| have been proceeding at q rate of
more than IL miles per hour. Rail-
road experts declared the wreck of
| the train is virtually unexplainabl"
! if the speed limit was observed.
! All are agreed on one point-good
| fortune played an important part in
! the wreck.
Engineer Praised.
From one person who was on the
train, in telephone call to The Star
today. came praise for the engineer.
| This person stated that had he not
acted efficiently and alertiy in putting
on the brakes as quickly as he did.
| the wreck probably would have been
much more serious, since the train
was heading for the side of the en-
bankment over Florida avenue. Had
the train run wild over this viaduct
great damage would probably have
followed.
| The wreck itself was so sudden that
| passengers did not have time or OPP
! portunity to fall into a panic. The
| train was breeding into the Washing
ton terminal yards when it simply
went off the track. The brakes were
iammed on. Passengers felt the
| bump bump bump of the wheels off
the rails striking and crashing the
railroad ties. And then everything
came to a stop.
| The baggage car and express car.
being closest to the engine, which
] topped on it's side, came in for the
most serious damage. The other
coaches stood the shock we'll and the
majority of the passengers expert
enced nothing more serious than
| shock.
Belief that the wreck would result
| in many injuries brought physicians
and nurses from the Washington Ter
| minal, the Sibley Hospital and the
| Casualty Hospital to the scene. After
! inspecting the situation and ascertain
| ing that injuries had fortunately not
| resulted, most of the nurses and ply
| sicianS left the scene.
In the investigation today the in
| curry is centefing about the point as
| to whether the brakes held when the
train crossed into the track on which
/ the wreck took place. Possibilities
that the service brakes did not func-
ton properly and that the stopping of
the train was not accomplished until
resort was had to the emergency air
brakes is taking up much of the at
tention of the investigators.
A report is expected later today.