Evening star., 1942-09-26
Train Wreck Toll PuI
Al Is as Crews Dju
For More Bodies
Eight Are Identified,
Two Others Tentutive;
Engineer to Be Quizzed


Baltimore q Ohio wreck at Ddcker.
son, Md, early Thursday, today
stood at Is, and It was expected t<
be increased, as workmen struggled
to raise the charred remnants Of q
Pullman car beneath which it wa.
thought there might be other bodies
All the dead were from this sleeper
which was the last car on the Cleve-
land Night Express which was
rammed by the Ambassador, from
Detroit, after stopping for engine
repairs.
The B. & O. announced that /;
bodies, 8 definitely identified, anc
2 tentatively identified, were taker
from the Pullman, which was hurled
by the collision into passing
freight, buried under tons Of steel
pipe tossed from open, freight cars
and then converted into a flaming
pyre as oil poured from the engine
Of the Ambassador.
All Bodies Out Of Car.
The railroad said that all the
bodies were out of the car, but 1t
was thought others might be under
meath. The charred and mangled
remains of the victims were taken
to Pumphrey's undertaking estab-
lishment at Rockville.
Dead definitely identified were:
Harold Gadsden, Charleston, S. G
Adolf A. Blattner, 40, OF the Lam
day Co., Pittsburgh.
Clay P. Ameral, Brazilian en-
eineer from Sac Paula, temporarily
living in Pittsburgh.
Humphrey Morris, Sewickley Pa.
Donald Rodgers, jr., Pittsburgh,
who, with a brother, was on his way
to school in Warrenton, Va.
J. M. Gilhart, f1agman OF the
Cleveland Express.
G. H. Hill, Pullman porter, Cations
vile, Md.
George B. Garrett, of the Robert
Mckee Co., Cleveland.
Tentative identif1cations were
given by the Baltimore IL Ohio press
relations Office for:
c. D. Crockett, IS, Pittsburgh, dis
trict sales manager Of the Aetna
Life Insurance Co.
Carl H. Ehrhardt, AZ, Jones'
Laughlen Co., Pittsburgh.
Friends feared today that fur
ther search of the wreckage might
reveal the body of William w. Hag-
gard, so, an engineer in the railway
equipment branch of the War De-
partment, who left Cambridge,
Ohio, Wednesday afternoon to get
the Cleveland train for Washing
ton, and has not been heard from
since. Mr.. Haggard, whose home is
in Topeka, Kans., has been living
at 1924 Woodley place NV.
A search of the effects of wreck
victims disclosed nothing that could
be identified with Mr.. Haggard.
Hearing in Preparation.
In the meantime, States Attorney
Ben G. Wilkinson of Montgomery
County went forward with prepara-
tions for the preliminary hearing
October 16 of Raymond r. McClel-
land, veteran B. & o. engineer, who
Is charged with involuntary man
slaughter ein connection with the
triple collision.
Mr.. Wilkinson said the case would
be heard by Judge Albert E. Brault
Of Bethesda at an hour to be set
later, unless the engineman chose to
waive the preliminary hearing.
The Montgomery prosecutor COM
pleted his examination OF witnesses
for the present at least-late yes
terday, and said that he intended to
20 to Baltimore Monday. when the
railroad will launch its formal in
quiry into the wreck.
Mr.. McClelland, an engineer for
80 years, was in charge of the AM
bassador. He blamed the accident
on fog and smoke from the passing
freight which he said hid red
stop signal that warned Of the
Cleveland train.
Speed Tape Seized.
Mr.. McClellend, examined by
States Attorney Wilkinson, said he
thought he was going about 40 miles
an hour when he rammed the train
ahead. The speed tape from the
Ambassador engine which woulo
show the speed at the time Of
impact has been seized by Mr.. vii.
kinson but he said today he coulc
not comment on what it showed
The passenger trains were coming
to Washington, and operating or
q five-minute headway.
According to the engineers testl'
mony. when he entered block abou
2 miles from the scene OF the accl'
dent the signal was green, indlcat'
ing that the next block was clear
At that point, according to 1nvestl
gators, the authorized speed fol
trains is IS miles an hour, At thu
next block. about a mile and hal
farther on, the signal was yellow
denoting the presence Of a trair
In the block following.
Then, Mr.. McClelland said, HI
reduced his speed in response tt
InlS StSIldl dllQ was PioCCCSiiis
through the block when he sav
fuses and heard exploding tor
pedoes that had been put out b,
the train ahead, and applied tn
emergency brakes.
Applied Brakes.
It was not until IS or 40 second
after he saw the flagman's warnin
devices that the red signal of tn
next block became visible. he sale
but. despite the fact that his brake
were on, the heavy passenger trai
continued to drive forward an
struck the rear of the Clevelan
Express about $50 feet beyond tn
red signal.
The engineer said that he was i
the habit of following the Clevelan
express every other day under tn
same conditions, up that hill unde
a yellow (warning lightD" Mr.. VIII
kinson asked him if he was expect
ing the usual yellow signal in tn
block where he was confronted wit
the red.
''I have been on the railroad 4
years and an engineer 32," Mr.. Mo
Clelland replied graphically.
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