THE MORNING OREGOXUN, MONDAY, MAY 10, 1920
EIGHT DIE; 38 HURT
WRECK SCENES SNAPPED BY THE OREGOMAN PHOTOGRAPHER SHORTLY AFTER HEAD-ON COLLISION OF SOUTHERN PACIFIC ELECTRIC TRAINS.
INQUEST TONIGHT, PUN
BODIES REMOVED TO MORGUE
FOLIyOAVIXG WRECK.
4 'rv
53 . JSCT'-S ,
IG
WHENTRAINSCRASH
Electric Cars Hit Head-on
Near Bertha Station.
3 WOMEN, 2 CHILDREN DIE
Injuries of Five Others May Prove
Fatal; Erring Engineer Is
Killed in Collision.
(Continued From First Page.)
tructlon, the list of killed and in
jured would Inevitably, have been
much greater. But the cars did not
telescope, the heavy steel construc
tion taking up the Impact after they
had plowed a short distance into each
other.
Accounts of survivors placed the
speed of the Inbound Hillsboro train
at between 35 and 45 miles an hour,
and that of the outbound train from
Portland at 20 to 95 miles an hour.
The two cars were so tightly lnterr
locked in a. mass of crumpled steel,
splintered wood from the platforms
and shattered glass and other debris
that it was with difficulty that many
of the dead and injured were removed
from the wreck.
Engineer Caught in Wreck.
One of the horrors of the wreck
was the manner in which the body of
Engineer Willetts was caught- and
held in plain view In the wreckage.
Although dead, his body could not be
removed until after the wrecking
train arrived and pulled the two cars
apart.
Mercifully the horror of fire was
not added to the other horrors of the
wreck.
Two of the women killed in the
forward end or the inbound Hills
boro train lived for a few moments
after the collision. They were so
tangled in wreckage that it was dif
ficult to remove them. They died
there as survivors were working to
take them out.
A little child, 6-year-old Fleurot
Dosch, nephew of Miss Camllje Doscta.
society editor of The Oregonian and
daughter of Colonel Henry Dosch,
was killed instantly in his seat be
side her when the trains met. Miss
Dosch sustained a broken leg, in
ternal injuries and perhaps a frac
tured skull. It was feared last night
that she, too, would die.
The wife and 4-year-old son of
C R. Arundell were crushed before
hie eyes. He himself was injured
about the head, but not seriously.
Every ambulance in Portland re
sponded to the wreck call. Many
nurses and doctors went out with
them. Among the first to arrive was
Dr. George Parrish, city health of
ficer of Portland. But "for nearly
an hour there were not enough doc
tors or nurses to care for the piti
fully injured survivors, some with
broken limbs, some with mangled
arms or legs, others with internal
injuries.
Those survivors who were not In
jured or only slightly hurt im
mediately devoted themselves t get--ting
the badly hurt ones out of the
wrecked coaches.
Most 8 offerers Silent.
With infinite tenderness they lifted
out the victims and laid them on the
grassy bank beside the wrecked cars.
Some were moaning in pain, but for
the most part they suffered in white
faced silence.
One injured woman Vas crying in
little anguished screams. They wiped
her face with handkerchiefs and
women who had not been hurt
soothed her until the nurses and doc
tors came.
Some of the injured Trie carried
into the rear cars of the twt trains
and cared for there. But nrast of
them were laid on the grass, where
their huddled, bandaged forms were
infinitely pathetic.
The dead were laid side by side in
rows of twos on the railroad grade be
eide the track. Their bodies were
concealed by cloaks thrown over them.
As the ambulances arrived from the
city with nurses and doctors, the
worst Injured were placed on stretch
ers, some of them still unconscious or
faintly moaning, and gently borne
across a long wooden footbridge and
up a hill to the ambulances ' in the
road.
Ambulances Barry Away.
As each ambulance received .its
load, it would clang its way back' to
the main Capital highway at Bertha
station and hurry to town. Most of
the injured were taken to the Good
Samaritan hospital .
A long line of slightly injured per
sons, after the first half hour, hob
bled their way down the railroad
track to Bertha station where they
caught passing automobiles into Port-
' land.
It. A. ' Bland, engineer of train 107
from Portland, escaped serious in
Jury. His nose was broken and he
was badly bruised but he was able to
walk from the ambulance into the
hospital.
His escape from death and the fact
fact that no persons were killed in
the leading car of his train, and com
paratively few seriously injured was
due probably to the fact that the two
trains met at a slight angle, train 107
being just at the finish of the curve
while the leading car of train 124 had
not quite started to turn the curve.
Car Lifted Into Air.
This outbound car was raised and
slid along the floor of the other, the
lives of its occupants, being saved by
this fact.
After the collision, this car, tilted
at air angle, rested against a trolley
wire pole, which was bent over but
did not break. This saved the car
from falling on its side. About an
hour after the wreck, about the time
the wrecking train arrived, this pole
began to creak and. settle outwards.
There was grave danger that the
post would break and the car topple
over on throngs of people who by this
time had flocked to the wreck. An
effort was made to get them away,
but regardless pt the danger they still
crowded around. There also were
men still working to get the body of
the aead engineer out of the debris,
so a guy wire was fastened to the
pole and fastened on the bank above.
A pathetic feature of several of the
deaths and injuries was1 that had
train 124 stopped at Bertha station,
as it was under orders to do, these
persons would have left the train
there to go to their homes.
This was the station for which Miss
Dutch, badly injured, and her little
nephew Fleurot Dosch, who was
killed, were bound. They live with
Miss Dosch's father, Colonel Henry E.
Dosch, near Bertha.
Mrs. C. R. Arundell and son, Robert.
aged 4, both killed, and the husband
and father, C. R. Arundell, who was
slightly injured, lived in Hillsdale,
They, too, would have left the train
at Bertha. Others of the injured also
lived in Hillsdale, which is near
Bertha.
One near-miraculous escape from
death in car 603, which headed the
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Crowds Hamper Work of Ambu
lances and Police Sent to
Scene After Crash.
Coroner Earl Smith announced late
yesterday that the inquest over the
bodies of those killed in the wreck
probably would be held tonight in
case the witnesses' could be assem
bled in so short a time. Ue said it
would mean a great deal of work on
the part of his office, but that he
and everyone concerned was anjCious
to have it as quickly as possible.
Coroner Smith was on the scene of
the wreck all day yesterday until the
wrecking train arrived and pulled the
two trains apart so that the body
of Motorman S. K. Willett could be
extricated from the wreckage. He
and Deputy Coroner Goetsch took
charge of the work of removing the
bodies to the morgue where they were
embalmed. Three additional men were
employed by the coroner's office. for
the day to assist in handling the
work.
Coroner Smith discovered a purse
which led to the identification of a
woman up until that time unidentified
as ina L. Hatch. Her name was dis
covered on a book of tickets in the
hand bag.
When the body of Motorman Wil
lett was pulled from the wreckage
it was found that his watch had
stopped at 10:32 o'clock.
Coroner Smith declared that the
accident, to his knowledge, was with
out parallel in the history of tne city,
judging from the number of dead. He
said he coud not remember of ari in
stance when the coroner's office was
asked to handle such a largeVnum
ber of dead.
When the news of the wreck was
first telephoned to Police Captain
Moore he immediately dispatched
Drs. Schuester and Blair of the
emergency hospital to the scene in
one of the fast police autotnobiles.
A large number of police officers also
were dispatched to handle the crowds
and render assistance. Policemen
sent were Patrolmen Kekdahl, Stiles.
Linton. Ingle, Wiles, Anderson, Frei
berg and Sergeant Gouldstone. The
sheriff's office also was represented
on the scene by Chief Deputy Christ
offerson and Deputies Bailey, Wilson,
Lamont, Rexford and Mullenhour.
The police officers and deputies
watched the crowds which had im
mediately gathered following the
news of the wreck and prevented any
looting of bodies and property. They
also assisted In collecting the various
personal belongings of passengers
which were scattered, about. This
personal property was later turned
over to the railroad officials to be
held for the owners.
The work of getting the ambu
lances to a point near the scene of
the wreck was assisted by the police
and deputies, who held back the
crowds and automobiles.
Owing to the large number of auto
mobiles which were driving out the'
Terwilliger boulevard to the scene
of the wreck the drive was almost
blockaded for a time and the work of
driving the ambulances to and from
the scene of the wreck was rendered
difficult. In order to put a etop to
this. Captain Moore drspatched Pa
trolmen Madden and Weber to Sixth
and Sheridan streets and thevtraffic
there was turned east on Sheridan
street.
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1 View of ivrecltea trains kowlag two tan telescoped. 3 Phynieinnn ciamialiiK drad and lnjurd ietimn. X
Aeroplane view of wreck scene. Pkotograpk taken n y O. K. Jef fry In nanehlne owned y OKgoa, Waaklactoa,
Idaho Aeroplane company, J. C. Harding, pilot.' 4 Reamteg dend frona vmckan. 6 Wrecked enrn ntter
wrecklns; erew bad pulled telescoped can apart. Dlasnua aknriac poaltton of txmlna hefora wreck; autd fea
eral nreographle view of wreck scene. t ,
'4
J Trszn from PorrZsrjnef
Z Trrxrf from JYj 2
J J erne o Wj-rcK
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7 V ' Kit."
' MiZf fram Curv Ss-'
outbound train from Portland, was
that, of Harold Johnson, 179 Morris
street, Portland. This car was the
smoker, hence no women were in it.
Mr. Johnson was sitting in the front
seat.
He was dug out of the debris nearly
an hour after the wreck, covered with
blood and still unconscious. It was
thought he was dead and he was laid
on the grass beside the badly injured.
Five minutes afterward he sat up
right, rubbed his head, and presently
rose to his feet. His only injury was
a broken nose, a severe blow on the
head, and a cut hand.
Olaaai- Kept at a Sonvenir.
In his hand he held tightly clenched
a piece of broken glass. "I'll keep
that glass as a souvenir," 'said Mr.
Johnson.
Mrs. Lee of Hillsboro. wife of an
assistant trainman of the Southern
Pacific, and her two children, were In
the forward car of the inbound train
The oldest boy was severely cut by
broken glass. The youngest, about
6 years old, was not scratched. The
mother was only slightly injured.
They were cared for at a nearby
house. Incidentally, it should be men
tloned that people liying nearby hur
ried to the wreck scene and did
valiant work in assisting the Injured
Heart-rending scenes were enacted
at Good Samaritan hospital through
out the afternoon and evening a
anxious friends and relatives searched
for loved ones who were among the
injured.
Every telephone line to the hos
pital was in constant use throughout
the day and additional operators were
pressed into service in order that all
relatives might receive information
concerning their injured.
Miss I.overid'ge In Charge.
Miss Emily Loveridge, superintend
ent of the hospital, took personal
charge of the emergency relief work
at the hospital and called to her as
slstance outside nurses in addition
to the hospital staff.
"It was almost an act of provi
dence that we had arranged to have
many rooms vacated Saturday after
noon which gave us adequate accom
modations for all who were brought
here for treatment," said Miss Love
ridge. "Had the tragedy occurred
Saturday morning we would not have
had an available bed or cot to care
for those brought here by the am
bulances.
The , following additional list of
slightly injursd was obtained from
Frederick Rasch of the public sefvice
commission, and were not to be found
at any Portland hospital: J. R. Car
ter, C. E. Webb, Claude Cole. 4312
Forty-sixth street Southeast; C. B.
Negstad, Portland; M. Wilson, J. E.
Welch. Paul Feldman. W. L Helmicks,
243 East Fiftieth street, Portland
and R. 9. Fording and wife, Rexford
apartments, Portland.
Curiously enough, the two leading
cars 01 tne two trains were Nos. 50
and 503. Car 502 was the front ca
of the inbound Hillsboro train and
car 503 led the outbound Portland !
train. It was in car 502 that ail the
deaths and most of the serious in
juries occurred.
Practically every undertaking es
tablishment in the city got into com
munication with Coroner Smith and
volunteered the services of themselves'
and employes in assisting in the work
at the morgue.
All the bodies, with the exception
of Miss Ina Hatch, had been removed
to private undertaking establish
ments by late last night, eaid Coroner
Smith.
Partial Service Resumed.
Partial service over the line was
continued during the afternoon by
detour-ing trains via Oswego. The
line was cleared by 9 o clock last
night and the regular schedule over
the west side lines will be resumed
today. -
WRECK EXTRA SOON OUT
The Oregonian Makes Speed De
spite Few Workers on Duty.
When . word of the wreck reached
members of the editorial staff of The
Oregonian none of the reportbrlal
force had reported for duty, nor eras
th,e mechanical department in better
condition owing te the fact that the
paper is of morning issue, - with its
creation confined to afternoon and
night. But its complete and detailed
extra of the railroad horror at Bertha
was on the street -for hours before
any other.
within a short time after the col
lision an Oregonian extra edition was
on the street, with the newsboys be
sieged by purchasers. Approximately
20.000 copies were sold containing
not only a complete list of the dead
and injured, but an actual photograph
01 the wrecked - trains, with the In
jured being aided to the side of the
track.
So tense was the interest of Port
land citizens, and in many Instances
the dread that some friend or rela
tive might be among the dead or in
jured, that the extra edition was de
pleted again and again, almost as
rapidly as the presses produced it.
Thousands of copies were sold at the
scene of the accident to the crowds
that lined the right-of-way by the
smashed coaches.
WRECK IS ONE OF WORST
DISASTER OF ELECTRIC LTXE
RECALLS OTHERS "IX STATE.
In Lake Labi&h Accident 30 Years
Ago 9 Killed anld 3 at For
est Grove in 1908.
The disastrous collision yesterday
on the Southern Pacific electric line,
which cost the lives of eight persons
and injufed two score more, stands as
one of the most feerlous accidents 01
the kind in the annals of Oregon-railroad
history, acording to "officials of
the various lines yesterday. Not in
years has a railroad accident of simi
lar proportions occurred upon the
roads in the general vicinity of Port
land.. "
the ' accident yesterday was the
second one of a serious nature to
occur upon that branch of the Southern
Pacific lines In its history, according
to officers of the 'claims department
of . the road, and the first to occur
si nee. the electrification of the
system.
It was 12 years ago when this line
sustained its first accident, three
people being killed and 18 Injured as
the result of a collision ocouring near
Forest Grove. At that time the line
was operated by steam.
Another disastrous wreck recalled
is the famous one of Lake Tabish
about 30 years ago when nine persons
were killed and 66 injured.
CAR TUMBLES INTO RIVER
Foreman at Paper Mill Narrowly
Escapes Fatality.
CAMAS, Wash., May 9. (Special.)
Ed Reed, foreman of the pipefitting
crew of the Crown Willamette Paper
company, narrowly escaped death
when an automobile backed off the
bank with him and plunged into the
Columbia river yesterday.
Mr. Reed was in a car driven by Ed
Tidland, master mechanic of the paper
mills, and they were leaving the Ca
mas dock when the engine stalled,
Mr. Tidland got out to crank the car
but left the clutch in and when the
the road and ran off the bank, turn
ing turtle several times before it
struck the water. ,
SEATTLE STRIKE LOOMS
Sixteen Employers Declare for
Open Shop Following Demand.
SEATTLE, Wash., May 9. (Spe
cial.) Threatened with a strike of
their mill carpenters who had de
manded a wage increase of $1 a day
from the present 16 scale, and noti
fied them that the demand must be
complied with not later than Tues
day, 16 Seattle wood-working firms.
engine started the car backed down acting through the Millwork and
Cabinet Manufacturers association of
Seattle, have declared for the open
shop and notified their employes that.
betrlnnintr tomorrow, their mills will
be conducted on the "American plan.
as indorsed by the Associated Indus
tries of Seattle. Between 250 and 300
workmen, members of Mill Carpen
ters" local union No. 338 of the United
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Join
ers of America, are affected.
Union leaders predicted last night
that the union mill carpenters would
refuse to enter the mills tomorrow,
regarding themselves as locked out by
the employers.
. The cost of building a house in
England is three times as much as
before the war.
Read The Oregonian classified ads.
HEnOSEHE !21EAM1
I - IT -o" P Tl I
Cowlitz Boat Completed.
CENTRALIA. Wash., May 9. (Spe
cial.) : Captain John C. Badger of
Toledo ' has just completed and
launched a boat for service in the
Cowlita river. - It will be equipped
with a high-powered engine and will
be capable of carrying 30 passengers
and a load of freight. The Interior Is
handsomely finished. Captain Badger
has received numerous flattering of
fers to build boats, but has been 'un
able to accept any of ahem owing
to the high prices of materials and
uncertainty as to the time of delivery I
KEROSENE KREAM
invigorates and- strengthens the hair
follicles, and also supplies a food to
impoverished cells. v
DIRECTIONS
The ointment should be applied just
before retiring, rubbing in well at the
roots of the hair, but care should
be taken not to Injure the scalD by
a too brisk massaging. In the
morning the KREAM should be re
moved, using warm water and as lit
tie soap as is necessary to clean the
scalp. This procedure should be fol
lowed every other night for three or
four treatments. . After this a very
small portion 01 tne ointment may
be applied to the scalp twice a week
Just to keep it moist and , stimulate
a natural hair growth. At all drug-1
gifts. and B f-nts AOv.
409000. for
A Policy Covering all Accidental Injuries with Maximum Pro
' tection in the More Serious Accidents of Travel
For injuries caused by the burning, wreck
ing or derailment of a railway passenger
car. including electric, steam, subway, ele
vated and street cars, or the burning or
wrecking of a vessel (common carrier)
upon which the Insured is riding as a
passenger; or caused by the burning of a
hotel If the Insured is therein at the
commencement of the fire, or by an acci
dent to a passenger elevator while the
Insured is therein.
Pays
for
loss of
Life.
Roth kiada e feet.
Both eyes.
Hand sad toet.
Kitkrr hand or
toot and one eye.
Band er foot.
One eye.
For accident other than those above
Payi
for .
loss of
I.ffe.
nth hand or feet.
Both eyes.
Hand and foot..
Either hand or
foot and one eye.
Hand or foot.
One ere..
$40,000
$20,000
$109000
$10,000
$5,000
$2,500
Weekly indemnity SSS a week no Ionic the Insnred lives nnd an f feral total disability.
910 n week partial disability, ap to 2d weeks. Elective benefits in Ilea of weekly indemnity.
Surgical Benefits for operational necessitated by accidental Injuries.
THE TRAVELERS INSURANCE COMPANY
Hartford, Connecticut
FMS
Main 702
Leading Casualty Company in the World
GFpssinnL3Ly3F (Co.
Sixth Floor Wilcox Bldg.
Victim Is Wife of Army Major.
SEATTLE. Wash., May 9. (Spe
cial.) Mrs. Edgar Hadley, who was
hurt in the train wreck near Bertha
station. Or., is the wife of Major
Edgar S. Hadley of the First infantry,
stationed in Seattle on recruiting
duty. He is a veteran of the world
war and recipient of many army deco
rations. Major Hadley was trans
ferred to temporary duty In Portland
last Monday.
8 H. groan stamps for cash.
Holman Fuel Co. Main S5S. E60-3L
Adv
See the Crowd
What's Happened?
How often you've said that.
Usually yoU find some one has
fallen, been run into, or other
wise injured.
What's your first thought?
How Badly
What's your next thought?
Wonder if he's got an ACCI
DENT POLICY?
Laudable interest, but
Have You?
If not, telephone Mar. 2391.
Protect Your Income, Protect
Yourself, Protect Your Family.
W. R. McDonald
General Insurance
All Claims Paid Direct From
My Office
- Agents Wanted.
YEON BUILDING
It's Better to Be Insured Thaji Sorry
The Comet
Coming
Is best visible
from Oak street,
opposite Benson
Hotel Tuesday 8
P. M. Watch for
it.