Evening star., 1941-03-17
Sabotage Is Blamed
As Train P|unges Into
Ohio River, Killing 4
Spikes Found Pulled
From Rails; Action
Called Deliberate
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BADEN, Pa, March 17.-Pennsyl-
vania Railroad officials today blamed
saboteurs for the derailing of a
Cleveland Pittsburgh passenger
train-three of whose cars plunged
into the freezing waters of the Ohio
River-killing four persons and in
juring ia last night.
E. w Smith, vice president Of the
railroad, said "all the spikes were
removed from one rail- and the
wreck was very definitely caused
by sabotage"
A formal statement by the rail-
road said in part:
THAT the train was deliberately
wrecked was established upon in
vestigation of the track. All spikes
on both sides had been pulled from
the outside rail next to the river.
One end of the rail, the end facing
the oncoming locomotive. was
moved % inches. The bolts had been
removed from the splice bars which
spllcec this section of rail to the
adjoining rails.
"Deliberate" Tampering.
THAT the derailment was the re-
suit of deliberate action was further
indicated by the fact that the end
OF the section of rail involved had
been moved only % inches from its
normal position, OF the length of the
benG wire, which connects the rail
sections and carries the electric
current operating the signals.
"The fact that the bend wire was
undiaturbed definitely indicates that
1t was intended that the train
should get clear signal and run
into the removed rail. If the bend
wire had been broken, the train
would have been stopped by signal
before running over the damaged
section"
The railroad promised a full in
vestigation into every angle of the
case"
(The Federal Bureau of Inves-
tigation also is making a routine
check of the circumstances con-
nected with the wreck.
ct was said here that F. B. 7.
agents are inQuiring whether any
Federal laws were broken in the
events leading up to the disaster.
Statutes against sabotage are in
cluded in those laws.
(The Interstate Commerce
Commission has assigned four in
spectorS to investigate the case
H. E. Mason, E. c. Horning, w.
r. PreeSe and Gordon Morris.)
The Manhattan Limited rolled
past the scene 20 minutes earlier
and railroad officials expressed
suspicion that it might have been
the object OF wreck plot.
Locomotive Jumps Tracks.
A railroad spokesman declared a
claw bar bright with recent use"
had been found near the tracks.
1T apparently had been used to
remove the spikes the official said.
The train, carrying 112 passengers
and a crew OF II, was roaring along
at 60 miles an hour through a
binding snowstorm when it met dis
aSter near this small town about
% miles northwest of Pittsburgh.
The locomotive jumped the tracks
and overturned with a terrific crash,
whipping its four coaches and bag
gage car over a 50-foot embank-
ment to the river. The baggage
ear and two coaches were partially
submerged. The other cars lay twist
I'D along the rivers edge.
Injured Submerged in Water.
Screams of the injured-men,
women and children-rang out in
an atmosphere made eerie by the
wind and snow and orange-red glare
of steel furnaces at mills on the
opposite side of the river.
The least hurt passengers and
erewmen quickly scrambled to the
aid of the; seriously injured, some OF
whom lay submerged in the icy water
that flooded the cars.
Authorities learned Of the tragedy
when an injured passenger, his
clothes sopping wet and blood
streaming from his head and arms
ran to a Baden residence and had
. woman telephone police.
Ambulances rushed to the scene
from a dozen nearby industrial COM
munities, and a relief train soon ar
rived to take many of the injured
to Pittsburgh hospitals. The total
of injured was reported as ia.
The casualty list grew rapidly as
the night went on, but many persons
were only slightly hurt and were
released after hospital treatment.
Fireman Proves a Hero.
Engineer A. R. Weigle of Cleveland
was killed at his post, crushed by
a mountain of coal flung forward
from the fuel tender as the loco
motive lurched to a stop.
His buddy" Fireman c. H Mill
burn of Alliance, Ohio, who escaped
with cuts and bruises, remembered
that a freight train was scheduled
to pass the wreck in a short time
and might plow through scores OF
injured and dazed passengers wan
dering about the tracks. He quickly
ran back and tagged the freight
to safe stop.
Other dead were Mrs Rose Jagiel-
ski, 81, Pittsburgh; Donald McDon-
aid, 9-month-old son of Mrs. Eliza
beth Mcdonald of Altoona, who was
In a critical condition herself at a
Rochester PaO hospital, and Harry
Kennedy, As, Pennsylvania Rail-
road clerk, whose body was taken
from the smoker about five hours
after the wreck, which occurred at
s:03 pm.
Victims Trapped In Car.
Rescue crews donned hip boots
and Waded into the submerged cars
in search of casualties. The near
est ambulances could approach the
scene was a muddy road a mile
away. Injured who could not walk
were carried there on Stretchers
amid the blustery snowfall.
Police Chief r. w. Compton OF
Baden, among the first at the scene,
told this story: