The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-08-31
Blame Freight Train
 For 27 Death Wreck
(Continued from Page D

two coaches ahead of the diner Meincke was riding in the locomo tive of the passenger train. Th' railroad described the accident a. follows:
 Description of Accident
 The accident occurred at 5.3O D m. yesterday.
 "The way freight train had beer cleared off the main track to awai passenger train No. 3, and the crev of the way freight proceeded t, do its switching.
 With the main track switch closed, the engine of the way freigh for some reason was moved ahead too far, and fouled the main track right in the face of train No. 3.
 Both automatic wayside signal. and cab signals are in use on this territory. An automatic waysidt signal about 1,500 feet east of the point of the accident was in cleal position when No. passed 1t al about 70 miles per hour.
 Reason Not Known
 "The reason for the way freight pulling out to foul the main track is not yet known"
 A spokesman for the railroad ir New York said the freight locomo. tive engineer and fireman were be. ing questioned in 6 Wayland hospi. tai. They denied that the engine. men were being kept incommuni- cado, but said they were uninformec as to which hospital they were in
 Special agents of the Federal Blu. reau of Investigation were at the scene because a large number of sol. diers had been among the approxi- mately 500 passenger aboard the train.
 Nineteen of the 27 bodies were re. moved from the fifth coach which remained on the rails long enough te run up alongside the shattered freight locomotive and stop.
 A steam cylinder on the freight locomotive exploded, breaking the windows of the fifth coach and squirting the steam and scaldine water inside. An unidentified wo. man became heroine of the disaster when she wrapped her coat around her head and assisted the panic. stricken passengers to escape through the murk of the steam filled coach.
 300 Feet of Track
 More than 300 feet of track was torn up but repair men expected to have the line cleared by II a. m today. Passenger traffic was being rerouted over the Erie Line and freight over the Lehigh Railroad.
 Forty-six injured passengers and creWmen were in hospitals in Way land, Danville. Bath and Hornell Scores of others, less seriously hurt were treated and then released or sent to nearby tourist homes.
 Eighteen of the dead were found m the steam-filled coach. Several others who died later were reported to have been in that car.
 Doctors, aided by blood plasma flown from Rochester, N. Y. worked through the night in an effort to save the lives of the injured, many Of whom were trapped in the fifth passenger coach of the train.
 Side Swiped Engine
 Officials said the Limited all but 10 minutes of it's lost time already made up, sideswiped the freight engine which was believed to have been backing its train onto a siding to make way for the fast train oi l3 passenger cars and two mail cars
 As the fifth passenger coach came abreast of the wrecked freight en. zine a cylinder dropped off the To- comotive, shooting steam into the coach.
 The passengers, panic stricken jammed the doors. Others broke windows in attempts to flee. Their screams mingled with the hiss of escaping steam. Many were cut by flying glass.
 Passengers, including IS soldiers in other coaches to the rear of the train attempted to break the win dows to let the steam out and to free some of the victims.
 Wayland, small community in Steuben county, sent out calls for help to surrounding towns and cities. Ambulances, doctors and nurses from Dansville and Hornell responded.
 Working with the aid of hastily erected spotlights and the glare from automobile headlights, they smashed windows and brought out the injured from the steam filled cars.
 Only IS Beds
 The Wayland hospital, with only Is beds, was unable to care for the injured. Ambulances and private automobiles sped to nearby com- munities with the victims, ignoring a blackout which covered all of New York state except New York city.
 When the army was informed oS