Evening star., 1943-08-31
II Die, $50 Injured
As Collision DeraiIs
Train in New York
By the Associated Press.

. Coudy-llldIly ol Cnem from IN
! haling live steam-after the
crack Lackawanna Limited pas
senger train and a switch engine
crashed head-on near this
Southwestern New York commu-
nifty late yesterday afternoon.
Approximately $50 others of the
{ 500 passengers on the Delaware.
4 Lackawanna & Westerns New York
to-Buffalo express were injured, sew
T eral of them seriously, in New
y York's worst train disaster in more
Z than three years.
! Means of the injured mingled with
I the escaping steam from the switch
engine as scores of volunteers dug
I into the tangled debris to effect res
: cues and remove the dead. The toll
: was the States highest on a rails
/ road since April 10, 1910, when the
& Lake Shore Limited of the New
1 York Central Lines crashed on a
sharp curve at Little Falls. killing
l 81 and injuring 1876.
/ The engineer of the limited, James
/ e. Leroy of Buffalo, said the train
was speeding through Wayland
when he saw the switch engine on
/ a siding paralleling the main line
/ westbound track.
] The engineer of the local freight
locomotive apparently was confused
and thought the limited had gone
through and started to pull out on
the main line to continue switch
Ing" he said. when I saw the
other engine pulling out I slammed
on the limited's emergency brakes
but 1t was going too fast to avert
collision. The two locomotives met
at the switch"
The limited, 13-car train
sheared off the front end of the
switch engine and cracked the driy-
ing cylinder. The switch engine re-
ma1ned upright on the spur track.
The limited locomotive hurtled
down the track and toppled broad
side across two main tracks and two
spurs. Three coaches, the diner. a
baggage car and mail car, were de-
rallied.
DSSCEIpLIOIkS.
Eyewitnesses described the horror
scene. B. j. Shields of Buffalo said
1T was a seething furnace. Some
OF the persons were in such pain
they begged to die"
Staff Sergt. Richard L. Franz of
Marshfleld, Greg, who suffered
burns and cuts, declared:
"A11
slammed the brakes on and the train
stopped We didn't realize the train
was wrecked. Then the steam pipe
broke and everybody started scream
ing and began to pile out. The
steam was so dense you couldn't see
where you were going"
Robert Kaiser, Kenmore, said,
'"The odor of burning flesh was ter
rible."
Mrs. Harriet Gibson, Corning, who
was injured, recalled, There was
terrific jolting-people were scream
ing, trying to get out of the coach.
Some broke the windows and went
out that way. ="
Blood plasma was flown from
Rochester, Buffalo and Oswego and
administered to the injured in sew
eral hospitals in the Wayland area.
Rail Officials Open Probe.
Meanwhile crew of 300 att
tempted to clear the wreckage while
railroad authorities began formal
investigation. Passenger traffic was
rerouted over the Erie line and
freight over the Lehigh.
Several soldiers on the Lacka-
wanna Limited helped rescue the
passengers and broke windows to
permit steam to escape.
Railroad officials said % persons
died instantly and four died today.
OF the dead, IA were identified. At
three undertaking establishments
were bodies of 18 women, three men
and two small girls.
Some of them were scalded and
burned so severely identification
was reported extremely difficult to
establish.
The wreck scene is about so miles
south of Rochester.
AL Driscoll, engineer on the switch
engine, was reported to have es-
capped injury. He could not be
reached for comment.
Rail Officials Issue Statement.
Officials at the Lackawanna Office
IN New York said the cause of the
accident was known, but the reason
would not be known until a formal
investigation had been completed.
THE reason for the local freight
engine pulling out TO foul the main
track is not known" q statement
said.
The local freight train had been
cleared of the main track to await
the passage of train No. 3 and the
crew of the local freight proceeded
to do its switching.
With the main track switch closed
the engine of the local freight. for
some reason, was moved ahead too
Tar and it fouled the main track
right in face of train No. 3.
Signal in Clear Position.
Both automatic wayside signals
and cab signals are in use in this
territory. An automatic wayside
signal about 1900 feet east of the
point OF the accident was in clear
position when train No. 3 passed
1t at about 10 miles an hour"
Offclals said F. H. Meincke.
Lackawanna superintendent of To-
connective operations, who was among
the dead, was riding in the pas
senger trains locomotive
Several of the dead were mem
bers OF a party of 18 women from
the Federal Farm Employment
Service en- route to engage in crop
gathering work in Western New
York. The Lackawanna said the
accident was its first involving
fatality to passenger since 1925.
A tentative list of the dead and
injured was issued as follows:
THE DEAD.
Fred H. Meincke, Scranton. Pa,
.f