Evening star., 1951-08-11
Troop Train Collision
Fatal 10 8 Blamed on
Neglect Of Orders
BY the Associated Press

SIMMESPORT, La, Aug. Ill
Plans were made today for an
official Investigation into the
cause of high-speed, head-on
train crash in which eight men
died in flaming wreckage, about
so other persons were injured and
one Marine is missing.
Two of the injured are Marines
from the Washington area.
DR.. J. C, Roberts, coroner OF
Pointe Coupee Parish. said he
would conduct hearing soon to
establish verdict on where the
fault lies"
He said the crash was caused
by "garbled, forgotten or ig-
nored message" received by the
crew of a Marine troop train with
almost 300 aboard that plowed
into the oncoming Kansas City
Southern streamliner, the South
ern Belle. The crash occurred
about 7 am. (CST) yesterday
about go miles northwest OF Baton
Rouge. La.
Says Order Was Ignored.
r. r. Sutter, superintendent of
transportation OF the Kansas Cit!
Southern, that operated botf
trains, said the troop trains crew
ignored an order to side track
their train for the streamliner.
"Just why the crew Of the troop
train failed to switch it to the side
track is something we may never
know since most Of those who
might be able to give some reason
are already dead" Mr.. Sutter said
Seven of those dead were men,
Ibers of the train crews. They in
cluded the engineers and flremen
of both trains, a trainmaster, a
conductor and a brakeman. One
passenger on the Southern Belle
died of a heart attack after the
crash and fire.
Marine corps headquarters ir
Washington listed Corpl. Chester
Louis Lipa, 81, of Detroit, as deac
in the crash but Mr.. Sutter saio
workmen who made a thorough
search of the wreckage could fine
mo trace of his body.
/ so in Hospitals.
l Maj. Fred Dunkle, commanding
officer of the Marine outfit, re.
ported earlier that one Marine wal
dead but later refused to say
whether Corpl. Lipa was dead Of
missing.
More than so persons, 26 oi
them Marines, were hospitaliZeC
; at Morganza, New Roads, Baton
Rouge. Marksville and Camp
Polk, La, and one Marine was
flown to Brooke Army Hospital
at Fort Sam Houston, Tex.
Among five Marines listed as
. seriously injured is Sergt. Will
liam Leonidas Jurney, jr., Is, son
of Mrs. Minnie o. Jurney. 4313
Royal street, Suitland, Md. The
other injured Marine from the
washington area is Pfc. Charles
Williams, Is. of Russell road,
Arlington, Va.
! Sergt. Jurney was the Marine
flown to Brooke Army Hospital
He lost a leg and his left arm was
Iamputated.
Pvt. Williams was taken to the
hospital at Camp Polk, La. The
nature of his injuries was not
ANNOUNCED.
Traffic Rerouted.
i Two hundred crewmen worked
through the night to clear the
tracks for traffic which had been
Irerouted over Texas & Pacific
rails between Baton Rouge and
Alexandria, La.
Huge searchlights illuminated
the scene as wreckers lifted the
ripped. charred engines and steel
cars from the right of way after
they had been cooled with water
hauled to the scene in a tank car
Welders cut into the twisted
wreckage with acetylene torches
in search of other possible dead
or injured.
The crash occurred on a double
bend in the fiat cotton and timber
country northwest of Baton
Rouge, a bend so sharp that
neither train crew could have
seen the other train until almost
the moment of the collision. DR..
Roberts said one engineer leaped
from his cab but was killed when
his careening engine toppled over
on him.
Curve Was Future Project.
/ Railroad officials said the right
of way has been purchased to
eliminate the dangerous curve
but work has not yet begun on
the project. The tracks on which
the accident occurred are owned
by the Louisiana g. Arkansas
Railroad, which allows the Kansas
City Southern to use them.
/ So terrific was the force of the
collision that witnesses expressed
surprise any one escaped alive.
IF it had not been for the
Marines, I don't know what the
(civilian) passengers would have
done" said Ray ]. Marian, execu-
tive secretary of the Kansas City
Fire Department. He and his wife
were passengers aboard the
Southern Belle.