The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-07-16
8g Geleetaph
TO TRE RKGIsTkR.--y eel
RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
Disaster on the Erie Road.
Passenger Train Destroyed.
Loss OF LIFE, &C., &e.

kNhN 4oRht 1OsE711
A dispatch to the New York Democrat
from Middletown, In this State, states
that the night express train on the Erie
railroad from New York, Wednesday
mig hit, ran into freight train which
had been left partially on The track in
stead of side track, about thirty miles
from Cars Rock. The engine, tender,
baggage car, express car, smoking car,
one passenger car and o sleeping car
were thrown off the track and smashed
out of all shape. The splintered oars
and fragments of timbers came in con-
tact with the scattered FIRE from the
locomotive and a confiagration ensued,
in which timbers, baggage and the
wounded passengers all went TO feed the
flames. Seven cars were destroyed, and
six passengers burned to death; two of
the passengers are from New York, and
one is supposed to be Rev. BeDj amin b.
Halleck. Another dispatch says that
all the through mail was burned in the
postoffice ear
NEW YORK, July l5.-Further ac-
counts of the disaster on the Erie road
state that Rev. Mr.. Hallack Fas not
hurt by the collision, but was damned
in by the broken timbers and was
slowly burned TO death. A passenger
states that the freight train which
should have waited on a side track on
the left of the road, this side of the sta
ton, had started on before the arrival
of the express. The engine of the for
mer had not reached the main track |
when it was struck by the locomotive of
the express train, which was running at
the rate of forty miles an honr. The
engine Of the freight train was standing
on frog, so firmly fixed that it was
not misplaced. The engine of the ex-
press train struck the station house, to
which it set fire, and then turned round
and went off the track to the left head
ed east; the tender went to the right
headed west; the express car went
down hill toward the river; the first |
passenger car telescoped into the bag |
gage car; the whole train was burnt |
except the three sleeping cars; only q |
few pieces of baggage were saved; the |
freight engine stood locked into pas
senger car. After vain effort to put
out the flames with water carried from
the river, the passengers meved the
freight cars east; two cars were moved
at time. Many of them were loaded
with oil.
At half.past l o'clock this morning
there was no engine at the scene of the
accident. Some were suffering terribly
from their injuries and some. were past
all pain. AT o'clock this morning, 9
bodies were counted. Some distressing
scenes occurred and there were some re-
escapes. The engineer of the
express stood bravely at his post and
4 81 |
CINE but fortunately escaped injury.
Rev. Mr.. Hallack told his brother-in-
law that he was not hurt at all but was
wedged id, his fellow passengers used
every effort TO save him, but he died |,
slow and agonizing death in the pres. !
ence of sympathizing friends, who were ,
unable to help him.
young German said his father was
burned. When the ruins Of the smok-
ing car were removed he recognized the
of his father by his watch and
some coins.
Tho fault of the disaster is attributed
to the engineer Of the freight train,
who started cut before the express train
passed him. He has disappeared.
A German lost his wife and three
children. He escaped without injury.
The through mail and registered let
tiers for Cleveland were destroyed. The
way mail was saved through the eXer-
tions of the two agents, Messrs. Spencer
and Nicholson.
Mount Hope, the scene of the catas-
trophe, is in Pike county, PennSylva-
MIA, about seven miles west of Cars
Rock. About ten rods from the Della
ware river, at the right of the track
going west, there is rocky declivity1
OF about fifty feet.
New YORK, July l5.-The officers of
the Erie Railway furnish the following
account of the accident at Mount Hope
The through freight bound West backed
on the switch to get out of the way of
the night express, $50 p. IN, from New
York, but did not clear the main track
before the latter struck The two en-
gines cOlIided, upsetting the engine,
mail, express, baggage and smoking
cars of the train, all of. which were
burned. There were some emigrants in
the smoking car, five or six of whom
were killed aud three bodies burned.
Rev. b. b. Hallack, of 800 East l4th
street, New York, was in the car and
was burned To death. So far as known
six or seven were killed. The passen-
gers were transferred to another train
and sent forward ut a. III.