Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1864-09-28
FP.I5.sTrUL RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
d large number Of Persons killed an their
Bodies consumed, =.

East on the Pennsylvania Central Rail Road
ran into a coal train at Thompsontown, IS
miles west of Harrisburg, causing fright
ful loss Of life, besides severly injuring a
large number of other passengers. The re-
sponsibility of the accident seems to rest
with those having charge of the coal train,
which had stopped at the Station for water,
for the usual precaution was neglected of
sending signal-man othe rear to warn the
approaching train. Whether he was run
ming under orders, or was ignorant of the
fast line train S time is question not yet
decided.
The passenger train consisted of one bag
gage and seven passenger cars Owing 10 a
| short curve, the engineer did not discover
the coal train until he was within fifty yards
/ Of it. He Immediately reversed the engine
and applied the patent breakers, but the
| check came to late to check the momentum
! of the heavy train.
! Scarcely more than second elapsed be-
fore the locomotive had leaped entirely
through the coal car, and halt the next,
shlvenng them to fragments, and dashing
| their contents In every direction and turn
| ing over almost bottom up. The engine was
badly shattered in the encounter, and the
top of the steam chest having been broken
OFT, the steam and water rushed out with
| great violence. tearing an irregular Jagged
hole in the ground from which the earth
rose like vast geyscr, and settled in show
! ers Of mud upon the tops OF the highest
| trees within radius of sixty or seventy
feet. The tender did not leave the track,
and was but littl. injured. ..
The baggage car was elevated at the rear
end from the truck, when the whole monien-
tum OF the rest of the train was instantly
expended in driving the baggage car SO com
pletely through the first passenger car that
the frame work Of one fitted closely and en-
tirely within the other Mr. McGreggor,
the baggage master. was the only person III
this car. escaping with but few slight brui-
seS. The first passenger car was however,
quite full, containing at least fitty persons,
, many of whom were women and children.
These were, from the nature Of the collision,
either crushed under the baggage car, or
| driven IN mass 10 the rear o the car, the
doors of which were locked, as it to make
dea doubly sure, and escape, So TO speak,
the more impossible. But most horrible to
tell the crash Of wood, iron and glass were
scarcely over when flames were discovered in
the rear Of the car, and within four minutes
had enveiOped this holocaust Of dead dying
and mangled human beings in one common
funeral pile.
1t is not known whether tlse fire origina-
ted from the stove or from the gasometer
the latter being most probable. However,
| 1t started so quickly, and spread so rapidly,
! chat the passengers, who Immediately on the
collision hurried from the rear cars to the
front, only reached it in time to find the
flames already under headway, and be COM
| PEELED to listen to the holrid chorus Of the
| cracking flame Of the cars, the agoniZing
grOans Of men, and the rending shrIehs and
screams Of women and children. p0werless
alike either to quench the flames or Y scue
| the hapleSs victims from their prison OF
! fire. But one axe could be obtained, al
| though little or nothing was accomplished
even with that, one or two openings being
cut through only to find an inner wall made
! by the side OF the transdx5d baggage car.
| Six persons, in all were rescued from the
car, the remainder, being estimated at
! least forty persons, were either crashed
| to death, or having Deeu wounded were
| burned alive
| One young lady, some sixteen or seven
teen years of age, they Struggled to drag
from window, but being fast under the
| baggage car, she at last drew herself back "a
gain and perished within. A man who had
dragged himself partly through "a window,
found himself fast also, and laying himself
on the side OF window. was consumed be-
fore the eyes of the Mortified spectators.
| On the left side of the train soldier with
one leg succeeded III getting it through the
window but was unable to force his way
farther, and perished as he was his charred
remains, after the wood work ha sufficiently
| burnt away, falling headless, armiess mass
upon the other track. One woman, with
| four children, are known to have been IL
mOng the number OF victims
Conductor John Muliiooh and first brake
man Emory, were last seen sitting in this
car by the stove, and as they have not been
since, no hope is entertained OF their escape.
How many and what persons were buried In
that fiery tomb may never be told, as every
thing was literally consumed to ashes and
utterly beyond recognition; the only tell-tale
10 waiting hearthstones being the unbroken
absence of looked-for footsteps, and the
voiceless, endless vacancy of missed faces
and remembered voices.
Meantime some Of the passengers sue
ceeded in getting out some dozen trunks
| from the forward part of the baggage car,
whilst others uncoupled the rear three pass
euger cars and pushed them back cut OF the
reach of the fire The forward platform of
the third passenger car having been driven
| into the rear one of the second, it was made
impossible to detach them they according
| ~ took fire, and were ragidly con umed.
There were number o wounded In these
| cars, but none XII led All were gotten out,
although it was by almost herculean efforts
that the doors, which as the first passenger
had been locked, were broken open, and the
inmates rescued
The scenes which now ensued beggar
words and defy description in the sickening
aud narrowing character of their details.
The dense mass OF baggage matter and hu-
man remains which the wreck OF the two
forward cars contained caused them to burn
a couple of hours longer than the two follow