Evening star., 1947-01-12

table in the dining car when he
heard something hit the bottom o1
the car. ....
1.-THE train was listing to the right
but there was no curve, and all ol
a sudden we started to plow into 8
bank" he recalled. There was
lot of shock"
"I heard heavy grinding noise
and the car began to sway" said j.
B. Powell of Burnsville, Tenn. 81
knew we had jumped the track anc
I thought we were going over.
grasped the seat ahead of me tightly
and thought, Here we CO.
Cuts Into Leave.
Mr.. Powell and his wife, going
home after a visit to Washington
decided to return to the Capital ano
start again after a rest.
Army Capt. D. F. Fochtun Of Of
Wytheville, Va, sat ruefully on MS
baggage. waiting for the relief train
"This delay is cutting into my 80
day leave, and had wanted to
make the most of it" he said.
Capt. Fochtun said he had
reached Washington by plane from
the West Coast and was heading
home. pa~s.
The train was proceeding at mod
crate speed, having just passed a
curve with a 25-mph limit, trainmen
said. Despite this, rails were twisted
easily when the coaches jumped 10
the passing track and began digging
into the ties and ballast. One ran
came up through the floor OF car.
Another was jammed into the side
of second coach. Still another
rail was wrapped around a tele-
phone pole.
Housewives Bring Food.
The big Diesel-electric locomotive
and the first five cars of the train
remained on the main track. After
jumping, the sixth coach Wrencneo
loose from those behind and
ploughed furrow Of several nun
dred yards. The others stopped rel
atively quickly, their trucks I'M
bedded in the ballast.
Housewives of the small commu-
nifty provided coffee and food for
many of the passengers while they
were waiting to continue their jour
neys. Other passengers bought
sandwiches and ate in a field.
C. j. Ritenour, 119 East Maple
street. Alexandria, conductor OF the
train, reported the accident to Po-
tomac Yards from trackside rail-
road telephone.
Lee M. Watkins, also OF Alexan-
dria, was the engineer.
Despite his daughters death, Mr.
Breeden sought to help in track
clearing operations until relieved.
Home Overl0oks Track.
The six-room Breeden home, fur
nished by the railroad, overlooks
the tracks just few hundred yards
from where Miss Breeder was killed
Well-known to railroad workers in
the vicinity, she had watched the
Tennessean pass often as she waited
for the next train to get the days
work orders for her father or to
hand a letter to the baggageman
A letter her father had given her
to mail yesterday was found beside
her crumpled body. A neighbor
brought it back to the house.
Miss Breeder had attended school
in Somerset, Va, but when the
family moved to Burke few years
ago, she stayed at home to help her
mother with the other nine chill
dren. Mrs. Breeden said her oldest
daughter had decided to go to work
near her grandmother's home-ano
was taking the train for that pur-
pose-hecause the youngest child
now three months old and the
mother didn't need so much help.
Her mother said the girl was afraid
of trains and never stood very close
to them as they rushed through the
way station.
Miss Breeden's body was resting
last night in Fairfax funeral
home. Her father said she would
he buried in Somerset.