Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-08

VI dlIlo hlllCO az ICdoI % pei SOIlS
here today and piled wooden
coaches so feet high in a mass Of
Wreckage. Some of the dead were
in the coaches; others were moved
down as they waited on a station
platform.
Of1cialS Of the government
operated railways said the death
-~~~-~~--
Eyewitness Account ond Pictures Of
British Troin Wreck. Pose A-3
toll may top 100. More than 1870
persons were treated at hospitals
and hundreds received first aid.
The wreck came just after 8
a m, at the height of the morning
committing rush. The scene was
the station in this Middlesex viii
lage 10 miles northwest Of London.
Still Digging in Debris.
Eight hours later. rescue workers
still were digging through the
debris in search of additional VIC
Tins.
The collisions involved two fast
expresses and packed suburban
train.
First an express running IS
minutes late from Perth, Scotland,
to London rocketed into the rear
OF a stationary suburban train.
The express locomotive sheared
through the wooden coaches,
damned with 600 passengers
seated and standing and blocked
both main lines.
Seconds later another express.
bound from London to Man.
chester. plowed into the wreckage.
It's two locomotives leaped from
the tracks and skittered along a
platform full Of commuters watt
ing for other trains, moving them
down like giant scythe.
Crosswalk Smashed.
Derailed coaches rode up on
each other until the topmost
smashed into a crosswalk As feet
above the tracks, knocking huge
segment out Of it and plummet.
ing pedestrians into the wreckage.
The terrific double impact threw
chunks Of debris clear through
one wall Of the Harrow station
and into Q shopping center $50
feet away.
When the known dead passed
80, about eight hours after the
wreck. a railways official said:
IF our worst fears prove right
there will be about another 40
dead in the wreckage we haven't
been able to reach yet"
American Airman Killed.
One American serviceman was
on the first death list issued by
the British Railways. His name
was given as Donald G. Woodvale,
serial No. 19372075. stationed at
an Air Force maintenance depot.
The crash occurred only 3 miles
from headquarters of the United
States 9th Air Force at South Ruiz
slip. Few airmen living there
normally use the trains involved.
"Just the same setup as the
Long Island Railroad" comment
ed Col. Alexander r. Mcmillan Of
the Sd Air Force on surveying the
wreckage. He said the layout of
the tracks on the approach to
London was remarkably similar to
approaches to New York which
have been the scene of Long Is
land Railroad disasters.
Americans Send Doctors.
Col. Mcmillan came to Harrow
to watch about 20 American staff
surgeons and medical technicians
who were rushed to the scene and
were credited with saving many
lives by being the first to arrive
with blood plasma. The Ameri-
cans are attached to the 7th Air
Division and the Bird Air Force.
American Air Force stations at
West Drayton and Bushey Park
sent all their available personnel
and equipment to join eight doc
tors and IS orderlies from South
Ruislip at the scene.
A giant railway crane was
brought in to lift the coaches
apart. A rescue official said it
would be hours before the full ex-
tent Of the casualties was known.