Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-09-24
The Recent Terrible Accident ON the
PsnnSylvHnIA Central Rail Road
DIstFssIing scenes OF Horror.

Pennsylvania Central Rail Road
Distressing scenes OF Horror.
From the Pittsburgh Commercial, Of yesterday.
The fast express train which left Pitts.
burgh on Tuesday evening at s.46 consist.
ing of one baggage aud seven passenger
cars in charge OF conductor MuIlison, with
very full complement Of passengers, rau
into coal train Wednesday morning, caus.
ing great destruction Of property aud an
appalling loss Of lite. The acCident, which
Unopened Al A o'clock in the mornInE,
about two hundred yards WeSt Of Thomas.
town. (eleEeu miles east Of MiHalu, ! on the
bEink gf the JuniEta TtVSr, emu 10 tau same
place where, . few months ago, stock train
Collided, With q loss Of from seventy Eve
to one hundred horses, is not only equally
as great 10 the number Of lives lost, but
exceeds in the horrible and sickening na.
ture Of the circumstances any rail road
catastrophe that has happened within our
knowledge in this country.
The responsibility Of the sad event Is
laid upon the conductor Of the coal train,
which had stopped at the station for wa.
ter, as being guilty either Of the most in.
excusable ignorance in occupying the track
on the express trains time, or OF the most
culpable negligence in failing of the pre-.
caution of sending signal-man to the
rear to warn the approaching train, esps.
cially as the position OF the train was at
the end OF curve in the midst Of dense
tog. 1t has been said that the conductor
OF the coal train intended to. switch of on
the other track TO allow the Express to
pass east, but that sufficient time was not
allowed. Which Ofthese suppOsitions was
the true one we were unable definitely 10
learn, as neither the engineer nor the con
ductor were seen after the occurrence oil
the accident. At all events, the Express
approached atfull speed, the engineer mol
discovering until within fifty yards the ia.
tai obstruction. The engineer instantly
reversed the engine, and after whistliup
"down brakes" twice, applied the locomo
tive brakes, which are connected with all
the brakes On the train, he with the ERE
man remaining at their posts. both esca
ping with but slight injury. But the re-
version and check were too late, as the dis
tance was far too short for a check upoI
the speed under the most favorable circum
stances, with the additional disadvautag,
OF the wet condition Of the rails, whiCl
caused the wheels TO lock and slide witt
resistance to the momentum Of the train
Scarcely more than second elapsed be,
tore tho locomotive had leapsd entirely
through the coal car, and halt the next
shiVOriug them to fragments, aud dashiuI
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 beeu
broken of, the steam and water rushet
out with great violence, tearing an irregu
lar jagged hole in the ground, from whlCI
the earth rose like vast goyser, and set
tied in showers Of mad upon the tops
the highest trees with,u radius OF siHt
or seventy feet. The tender did not eAv
the track, and was but little injured.
The baggage car was elevated At th
rear end IRON the truck, when the Who'll
momentum Of the rest Of the train was in
StanIly expended in driving the baggag
car so completely through the first paSsen
, ger car that the frame work Of one 6tte
, closely and entirely Within the other. Nj
MCGreggor, tho baggage master, was th
J only person 10 this car, escaping with bu
few slight bruises. The FIRST passougg
car was, however, quite iull, containing d
, least .6tIy persons, many Of whom Wer
! women and children. These wore, frot
the nature Of the collision, either CruShe
, under the baggage car, or driven 10 mas
10 the rear OF the car, tho doors of whic
, were locked, As II to make death doubI
sure, and escape, 90 TO speak, the more i'm
D possible. But most horrible to tell, Ii
. crash Of wood, iron and glAsB was scare,
y over when flames were discovered 10 Il
rear Of the car, and within four minute
had enveloped this holocaust of dead, d,
D ing and mAngled human beings In one Con
, mon funeral pile.
. II Ia not known whether the are orig
I mated from the stove or from the gasom
. ter, the latter being most probable. How
d ever, It started 80 quickly, aud Sprcad
. rapidly, that the paSBehgsrS, who immed
d A,eIy on tbs collision hurried from tho rel
I cars 10 the front, ouly reached IL in tin
c 10 lind the aameS already under headwa
/ and bO compelled 10 listen to the hOrr