Cleveland, OH Trains Collide, Oct 1930

ENGINE'S CREW KILLED WHEN TRAINS CRASH.

THREE MEN ON WEST-BOUND SHUTTLE MAIL TRAIN MEET INSTANT DEATH TODAY.

COLLIDE HEAD-ON.

FOUR OTHRS ARE INJURED IN CLEVELAND WRECK.

Cleveland, Oct. 17. -- Three men composing the crew of a westbound locomotive to Linndale, were killed and four others were injured here early today when two shuttle mail trains crashed head-on on the New York Central right-of-way beneath the Fulton Road bridge.
The dead are:
HENRY SPROUSE, 74, engineer.
CHARLES GRAF, fireman.
JERRY DICKSON, 43, conductor.
The injured are:
FRANK McCARTHY, 58, engineer of the eastbound locomotive.
CLARENCE SHEFFIELD, 35, a fireman of the eastbound engine.
WILLIAM F. DEE, flagman of the westbound train.
THOMAS HENAHAN, flagman of the eastbound train.
The accident occurred, according to HENAHAN, just after the eastbound train had rounded the curve at the Leisy Brewery.
"We saw the headlight of the approaching train," HENAHAN said.
"But it looked like it was on the next track. It wasn't until we straightened out that we found out that the approaching train was on our track too. It was too late then."
The two locomotives crashed with a terrific impact.
Railroad officials arrived at the scene shortly after the accident to conduct an investigation to determine the responsibility for the crash. DICKSON was preparing to leap when the engines crashed, it was said. His body was caught between the wall of the cab and the bulkhead of the tender. Rescuers worked for more than two hours before they were able to extricate it from the tangled wreckage of iron.
SPROUSE and GRAF were instantly killed. Their bodies were found lying on the floor of their engine cab.
McCARTHY was badly burned by a hevy spray of scalding water wich gushed forth as the boiler of his locomotive burst. His condition was reported as critical this morning. SHEFFIELD was also seriously scalded.
Two operators, who handled the messages for the operations of the two locomotives, were being grilled closely, it was learned. A confusion of messages between the two operators, it was believed, may have been responsible for the fact that both tains were running on the "lead" switch track.
Official report of the accident will be made to the Big Four Divisional headquarters at Cincinnai by J. S. Bell, Union Terminal area superintendent. All employees who may have been connected with the accident in any way were being questioned.
Death of the three members of the west bound shuttle train, according to Coroner A. J. Pearse who examined the bodies, was due to scalding. Formal inquest into the deaths will not be made, Coroner Pearse said.
The official list of dead follows:
HENRY A. SPROUSE, 64, fireman on the westbound train.
JERRY DIRON, 43, conductor on the westbound train.
CHARLES GRAF, 65, brakeman on the westbound train.
The injured are:
FRANK McCARTHY, 42, engineer of the westbound train.
CLARENCE SHEFFIELD, 25, fireman on the eastbound train.
WILLIAM F. DEE, 43, brakeman on the eastbound train.
THOMAS HENAHAN, 59, engineer of the eastbound train.

Circleville Herald Ohio 1930-10-17
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!