Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1871-10-28

Connelisville Railroad.

| Saturday morning last To learn that
a serious accident had occu red the
day before on the line nf the Pits
b,trgh and Connellsville Railroad at 4
Point near Eidwell station, about
sixty-nine miles west of Cumberland
which. had resulted in the death of
very worthy man, Mr. Moses Collins.
| (mail agent on the Pittsburgh and
Cornrllsvillc road, between Cumbrr-
land and Pittsburgh, J and the injury
of several other persons and the de-
struction Of considerable property.
Although the disaster occurred 1T
l o'clock, =. NJ. on Friday, it W IS
not permitted to become generally
known, and it was 9 o'clock on Sat
urday morning before the pcop'e in
this city began to h ar of it from
passengers over the road who had
Just arrived The railroad officials,
as usual in such cases, endeavored
to keep the affair as secret as possi
BILE, but it is an old saying that
murder will OUT and at last some
account of the horrible disaster was
detailed by persons not connected
with the road, to the following ei,
feet:
The mail train which left Cumber-
land for Pittsburgh at $40 a. NJ. on
Friday, consisting Of one oyster car.
one mail, baggage and express car,
| two passenger coaches, coilided
with freight train coming east at
point about sixty-nine miles west of
Cumberland, Ly which both engines
and a number of cars were badly
wrecked, and the oyster car, AMI
the mail, baggage and express car,
together with nearly all their con-
tents, We're consumed by fire.
But the most terrible, hcart,ickcn-
ing part Of the account was that Mr..
| Moses Collins, United States mail
agent on the train, has been crushed
to death, and his body almost wholly
consumed in the fire which followed
the disaster.
The trains were running at full
speed, and as they nearcd each 9th
er the alarm was sounded, but too
late to avoid II hcai'ong and terrific
collision. The engines reared up
against each other like living ami
mails in conflict; the oyster car telc-
scopcd with the mail car, crushing
and SCATTERING it to splintcrs, and
the stove in the mail department
setting the fragments on fire, the
wreck of both cars, together with
the mail, baggage and express
freight, were totally consumed,
The safe only of the Adams Express
Company was dragged by hooks
from the burning pile, and the con
tents were found to be almost wholly
uninjurcd. Not even the body Of
poor Collins could he rescued. al
though efforts were made to reach
it, and his comrades were compelled
to stand by and see it consumed by
the flames. Miraculous, indeed was
the escape of Mr.. Cooke, (the bag
gage and express man, and news
boy who were in the il!fatcd Car ut
the time They were both knocked
to the rear end of the car, from
whence they made their escape,
slightly injured, by crawling out at
the top, the roof having been torn
off by the force of the collision.
One brakcsman had his leg broken.
and some of the other employees on
| the trains were more or less hurt,
but no passengers were Injured.
The engineers and firemen on both
locomotives jumped from them in
time to save their lives.
The cause of the accident, it is
said, is attributable to the freight
conductor, a very young man, wh"
states that his watch was out Of or
der, or had stopped. He was out Of
his time some forty minutes, 50 we
have heard it said.
Be it as it may, somebody has
been guilty of the grossest ncgli-
gence, and we hope the matter will
be brought to light, and the culpa-
bic parties held to accountability
! and thus prove a warning, and there
by avert similar catastrophes in fu-
ture.
Mr.. Collins had been recently ap-
pointed postmaster at Conncllsville,
and Fridays trip was to have been
his last as mail agent. Poor fellow,
how fearfully was it indeed his last
trip. We learn that he leaves a
wife and family residing in Fayettc
county, Pa. He was about fifty
four years old, and is spoken of as
having been good citizen and trust
worthy official - Daily Ne,Us.
PRosEcuTlNG TEE New YORK NUM-
| cIpAL RING.-Mr. Charles O'Conor
having accepted the trust rendered
him by the New York States Attor-
ney, General Champlain, of prosecu-
ting the members of the New York
city ring, has associated with him
self as counsel Hon. VIM. M. Evarts,
democrat, and Wheeler FL. Peckham,
Esq, and ex-Judge Ernott. republic
ans. 10 the intervicwcrs Mr.. O'CoE-