The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-10-07
COLLISION OF: TRAINS.
4 FIREMAN KILLED,
Explosion Of a Locomo tive
-FOUR NJ EN- KILLE D
Fatal Explosion of a Blast.
A Mans Head Nearly Blown OFF.

On last Saturday morning about
seven o'clock a collision occurred on
the Parkersburg branch of the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad about half
a mile east of Bridgeport, in Harrison
county, between a freight train going
E asst and an empty coal train going
West. The eastward hound train was
drawn by engine No. 81, OF which Dan
Hartman was engineer and John
Walker, of Pottsville, Pa, fireman.
Through some misunderstanding of Or
ders they had pulled out in advance Of
the proper time and met the coal train
drawn by No. l73, John Devine engi-
neer, about halt mile east of Bridge.
port. The trains being in curve were
not observed until too near to prevent a
collision. Deyiue reversed his engine
and told bis men tojump, an order they
were not slow in obeying. He staid on
the engine until the two locomotives
were not more than rod apart, when
he too jumped, and, as well as the other
men on the train, escaped without IN.
jury. Those on the freight train were
not 80 fortunate. The engineer and other
hands escaped, but the fireman was
caught between the tender and the fire.
box Of the locomotive. His legs were
both crushed to mere jelly and be was
wedged up against the hot wall of the
furnace. Nearly half an hour elapsed
before he could be extricated from the
wreck, during all of which lime he re-
tanned consciousness, although suffering
mortal agony. The active efforts of the
men of both trains, as well as those Of
numerous citizens of Bridgeport, at
eogth released him from the ruin. He
was carried to Bridgeport and tenderly
cared for, but lived only a few hours
after the accident. At his request his
father, in Pottsville, Pa, was tele.
graphed to concerning the circum-
stances OF his death.
The wood work of Engine No. 173
took fire from the collision and was
entirely consumed. The empty coal
boppers, being lighter than the freight
cars with which they collided, were
tossed into the shape of letter S across
the track, the freight train, beyond the
breaking Of bumpers and the displace-
ment of two or three cars from the rails,
being comparatively uninjured. Both
locomotives were badly smashed up,
though both remained on the track
and nearly a whole day was consumed
by a large gang Of workmen in so clear
ing the track as to permit the passage
Of the regular trains. During the OBJ
struction passengers and baggage were
transferred from one train to another
around the wreck, though with much
detention and consequent failure OF
connections.
About eleven o'clock last Saturday
morning Engine Number 10 burst her
boiler when one mile west Of Frank
vile, on the seventeen mile grade" in
stautly killing Joseph Lackey, engiu-
eer, and John Duckworth, fireman, and
fatally ipjuring Hugh Lynch, a brake
man, besides seriously scalding one o.
the watcbmen on the road. The engine
was "helper" used on the grade and
had Just come from the shop at Pied
mont, where it had been undergoing re.
pairs. The engineer, Lackey, was one
Of the oldest and most competent in the
employ of the company. He had COM
planned that the engine was working
badly and seemed to lack steam, and he
was about to enter switch, Lynch, the
brakeman, being at the switch ball, and
the Waterman standing near BY, when
the EXPLOSION occurred with the result
above stated. The engine was reduced
to a total wreck, the bulk OF it being
thrown $50 feet from the place Of eI-
plosion. The engineer and fireman
were mangled almost beyond recogni-
ton and their bodies thrown some dis
lance from the wreck.
On last Saturday one Of Mr.. Ke'lys
gang of laborers, employed in making
the roadbed for the double track Of the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad, was killed
near Piedmont by a fragment Of rock
thrown by q blast. Two or three
charges of powder had been put in the
rock and it was thought that all had
exploded. One of the workmen re-
turned too quickly to the place and an
explosion took place while he was stand
ing near. he was struck IN the neck
BY . piece of the flying stone and In
staptly killed, his head being almost
severed from bis body.