Evening star., 1947-01-28
4 Die in Train Wreck
Laid 10 Bale Of Wire
damned in Switch
BY the Associo,ed Press

WALTON, Ind, Jan. 28.-The
death toll of last nights wreck
of the Pennsylvania Railroads
Union passenger train was re-
vised TO four today after thor
ough examination of a battered
day coach of the eight-car train.
A bale of fencing wire jammed
into a switch caused the wreck,
Indiana State police said.
State police and wrecking crews
had reported seeing two bodies In
the coach in the darkness, but
shortly after daylight it was de-
termined the only dead were the To-
connective fireman and three pas
sengers whose bodies had been TAX
en- out in the night.
Nearly score of persons were In
jured, one Of them seriously.
DR.. M. B. Stewart, Cass County
coroner, said an inquest would be
held at am. Friday and that %
witnesses, including State police
and railroad officials, had been sum-
moned.
All but two cars of the train. bound
for Chicago from Cincinnati, were
smashed or left the rails, shortly
after pm.
State Police 1t. John r. Fisher
and A. F. Mcintyre. Pennsylvania
superintendent, both blamed the
wreck on the roll Of wire found
jammed into switch.
Wire Stored Along Tracks.
Several rolls of the wire were
stored in piles along the railroad
track at the scene OF the wreck,
1t. Fisher said.
Apparently one of these either
fell or was placed on the track and
we want to know which," he said.
at was either placed there deliber-
ately, perhaps the work of a prank
ster or a crank, or it was dropped
there by some one stealing the wire. y
The roll of wire was about 2-feet
across and weighed around 400
pounds.
w. w. Patchell of Chicago, gen.
eral manager of the western region
of the Pennsylvania, said that the
Federal Bureau of Investigation Is
working with State police.
The dead are: C. A. Wisler OF
Richmond, Ind, fireman, and Miss
Kathryn Marie Kingery, Is, Koko-
mo, Ind; Walter Pischke, Koko-
mo, and H. G. Perkinson, Anderson,
Ind, all passengers.
Engineer N. j. Lamartine, 81, OF
Richmond, said of the crash which
spread cars the length of this town
of 300:
Il could see the station and was
blowing the whistle when there was
a sudden bump. I Immediately
threw on the air brakes, then the
engine turned over"
Mr.. Lamartine, suffering a cut
over one eye and sprained back,
directed the work of rescuers in cut
ting pipes to free him. He was taken
to a Logansport hospital
Cars Crash Into Buildings.
The big locomotive was torn loose
from the train and reversed its di-
rection before coming to stop.
The other cars careened wildly,
some of them crashing into build
ings alongside the track. The bag
gage coach was smashed almost fiat
by the impact with the locomotive
tender.
Only a diner and a parlor car on
the rear of the eight-coach train
remained upright.
Pvt. Andre C. Kerinuk, 10, of New
port, KY, who suffered possible rib
fracture, was riding in one of the
coaches
Il saw sparks flying past the win
dow of the third car where I was
sitting" Pvt. Kerinuk said. Then
there was a bump and the car turned
sideways 1t didn't upset. I believe
there were two killed and good
many injured in that car
Walter Pischke is the father of
Vail w. Pischke. Washington attor-
ney. living at 1902 North Oak street,
Arlington.
A native of South Bend, Mr..
Pischke was a certified public ac-
tcountant. whose business headquar-
Jers were at Kokomo.
Mr.. Pischke is survived by his
widow. Mrs. Ruth Vail Pischke, and