Cruiser Wreck Halts Journey

LIMA, O., Oct. 30--A giant snow cruiser, built for an Antarctic expedition but trapped in a small county ditch, was brought to an even keel today and workmen continued their slow job of jacking it to a level from which the monster could move forward onto an adjoining pasture. The 75,000-pound machine, constructed in Chicago for Admiral Richard E. Byrd, tumbled from a bridge into Pine Run at nearby Gomer Saturday, landing on its side in mud and water after an eight-foot fall. The cruiser was being taken from Chicago to Boston. While an estimated 50,000 persons jammed into the little village yesterday to see the wreck, workmen managed to set the machine upright. The tedious task of raising it gradually on cribbing so that it can move on under its own power was expected to last through today. The complicated steering mechanism in the cruiser was broken by the impact, said Dr. Thomas Poulter, scientist of Armour Institute in Chicago.