The Washington times., 1936-11-25
BODIES TOSSED
FAR AS CARS
CRUMBLE
Express Crushed by
Rear-End Collision;
Victims MangIed
By WILLIAM L. COLLINS

By WILLIAM L. COLLINS
CHICAGO, Nov. Is G.N.S)
The worst railroad accident in
Chicago's history, with nine dead
and IS gravely injured, stunned
the city today.
Two men and a woman died
of injuries in hospitals early to-
day to bring the death toll to
nine, as numerous inquiries were
begun to determine the cause OF
the fatal crash of a North Shore
Line train into the rear end Of
an elevated express train last
night.
The wooden car on the end of
the elevated train, jammed with
passengers homeward bound from
the days work, shattered like an
egg shell as the 90,000-pound
steel coach of the speeding North
Shore train plowed it's way
through the screaming men and
women.
80
So terrific was the impact the
first car of the North Shore train
tore all the way through the
wooden coach to the rear end of
the next to the last car of the ele-
vated train, showering splinters
and bodies to the tracks and to
the street Is feet below.
Three women and six men were
killed, and at least 10 others are
not expected to live. The dead:
Joseph C. Diffendal, GA.
Roy Larson, 36.
Raymond Winberg, As.
Jacob J. BOrchardt, S..
Quinn L. Morrison, 81.
Samuel Schwartz, As.
Miss Vera LIE Febure, IS.
Miss Mary Mullen, Fl.
Miss Nell Wilson, IS.
No one in the North Shore train,
consisting of three all-steel cars,
was injured except Van R.
GroomS, the motorman, who suf
fered a wrenched back. He was
hysterical with grief.
Others Slightly Hurt
No one was injured in the steel
cars preceding the last coach of
the elevated train, even the pas
sengers in the next to the last
coach suffering only minor bruises.
Edward j. Blair, official engi-
neer of the Rapid Transit Com
pany, said it was "anybody'S
guess as to what would have
been the result of the crash if
the rear car on the elevated train
had been of steel construction.
The accident might have been less
serious, he said, or possibly one or
more cars might have been pushed
oft the elevated structure by the
impact.
Britton I. Budd, one of the re-
ceivers for both the North Shore
Line and the Rapid Transit Com
pany, declared today:
"ThiS is a terrible catastrophe.
We are trying to determine the
cause and who might have been
to blame"
GOING 40 M.P.H.
Deputy Coroner James ].
Whalen said he obtained brief
statement from Grooms, who told
him the North Shore train was
travelling about 40 miles an hour
at the time of the crash.
Whalen said:
"The lights on the rear end
of the Evanston express were
so dim, GrOOms told me, that
he could not see them until
after he had seen the rear car
itself standing on the track
Immediately in front Of him.
He applied his brakes, but it
was too late.
"GrOOms said there was no
signal ahead to inform him if
the train ahead had made the
switch. He refused to say any
thing further"
The elevated train was stand
ing at a switch awaiting a signal
to cross over from the express
track to the local track. The
North Shore train was scheduled
to continue north on the. express
track, passing the elevated train
at the next station. Just north
of the station is signal tower
which regulates the switch.