Evening star., 1949-01-11
Wreck Of Train
|njuriing Il in
Virginia Probed
Three Hurt Seriously;
Lost Of Passengers to
Leove Hospital Soon
~ Wallace Tl~,,3~
By WoIIoee E. cIoyton
Star Stoff Correspondent

FREDERICKSBURG. Va, Jan.
1.-Three persons were under
treatment today in the Mary WASH
ington Hospital here for serious
injuries received yesterday when the
Seaboard Air Lines crack Orangel
Blossom Special was derailed at
Milford, Va, about 20 miles south
Of here.
Nine other persons injured in the
wreck still were patients, but Thad
Connally, hospital administrator,
said they will be released today or
tomorrow. The hospital yesterday
treated ID other persons for minor
injuries.
Among the passengers pitched toI
the aisles or shaken up when the
16-car train tore up the roadbedI
about $50 am. were Paul White
man, orchestra leader, and his wife.
Mrs. Whiteman suffered cuts on her
hands. Most of the passengers in
the northbound express were re-
turning from Florida vacations.
8 Employees Critically Hurt.
The seriously injured persons, all
dining car employees, are:
Charles w. Simms. colored, of 814
Ninth street NV, Washington, thei
chief cook. He suffered first-degree
burns and lacerations.
Vanderbilt Isoms, colored, Jersey
City, who received body burns.
Thomas Constant. colored, Phila-
delphia, who also was burned Sc
verely.
The men were scalded when CAL
drons of boiling water in the diners
galley spilled on them. The diner
in which the injured men were rid
ing, one of two on the train, tilted
at q 45-degree angle but did not
overturn.
Mrs. Clarence J. O'Brien of Bala-
Cynwyd, Pa, who at first was be-
lieved seriously injured, was to be
released today, Mr.. Connally said.
Investigation Launched.
officials of the railway and the
Interstate Commerce Commission
Immediately launched an inveStiga-
ton to determine what derailed the
train. Railroad officials estimated
its speed at the time OF the wreck as
60 miles per hour.
Although only one car OF the all
Pullman express overturned COM
pletely, three others plunged down
a small ravire and came to rest IN
grotesque positions. Six more cars
left the rails, but remained up
right. A small shed was smashed
when a car came to rest against 1t.
Willie Riddle, As, colored, OF 2523
Thirteenth street NV, Washington,
a waiter in the damaged diner, told
this story:
It was just coming out Of the
pantry when I felt the emergency
brakes go on. Then there were
several loud bumps under the car
and a sudden crash.
"I ran out in the diner as the
car was twisting from the tracks.
Two or three persons were standing
in the aisle. I knocked them to the
floor and dropped down myself, my
tray falling on top of us.
Several persons were screaming.
I led two small children who were
crying very hard out of the train.
There didn't seem to be too
much panic and people were slow
in leaving the damaged cars.
Traffic Halted Three Hours.
Railroad traffic in both directions
was held up for three hours while
workers moved 200 yards of the
southbound track few feet to the
right. With the tracks clear Of
the wreckage, trains to the South
moved through, although slowly.
Northbound trains were detoured on
q small spur, which by-passed the
wreck. The approach to this had
to be cleared, too.
Seven ambulances from nearby
Bowling Green, Va, took the in
jured to the hospital. Some of the
uninjured summoned cabs from
Bowling Green for the trip to Wash
ington. The majority, however,
continued on the first train to pass
the wreck, which left Milford at
1890 pm.
Although railroad officials re-
fused to discuss the possible causes
of the crash, one observer said a
coupling on the forward car-the
first to leave the rails-was broken.
Railroad officials said broken
coupling would Immediately set the
brakes in an emergency stop"
position.