The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-07-30


Terrihfe Railroad Accident--Thret
Men Killed and Three others In
Jared.
From the Cumberland News, Monday.
Probably the most fearful and des.
truetive run in" ever known on the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and GER
tainly one attended by greater destruc-
ton OF life and property than any for
years past, occurred about six o'clock
yesterday morning on the seventeen
| mile grade OF the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad, about two miles east of Alta
mont and forty-three miles west of this
city. A convoy" of trains ofcars load.
ed with stock, grain, cotton, tobacco,
and miscellaneous merchandise, were
on their way east, when shortly after
leaving Altamont, engine No. All, Of
which Luke Conway was engineer,
from some accidental,cause became I'M
manageable and ran away. OF course. as
the grade at that point is very consid-
cradle, the train in few minutes had
attained a very high speed, stated by
some OF our iDformants to have been
at the rate of fifty miles an hour. The
engineer blew his whistle for brakes,
but the speed Of the train was not slack
ened. In another instant he heard
the engineer OF the train ahead OF his
blowing for brakes, denoting that his
train, too, was running too fast. Know
ing that the forward train would de-
crease it's speed or stop altogether, en-
gineer Conway saw that terrible co.,
lision was inevitable, and calling to
his fireman to follow him, he Chamber
ed over the tender on to the cars and
ran towards the rear Of the train, The
fireman, whose name we have been un.
able to learn, threw himself on his face
on the running board" on top
the car next the locomotive, and
braced himself for the coming
crash, entreating the engineer too
follow his example. Coraway, how1
ever, paid no attention to his remon-
strances, but ran on till he reached the
middle of the train when he attempted
to put on brake. At this moment
the locomotive struck the forward train
crashing with terrific force through
twelve or fourteen cara and throwing
the remainder of the train off the track.
The cars in the rear train piled up on
one another and ran off the track, iu-
iuring some of them considerably. The
track for halfa mile was scattered with
the broken cars and their contents.
Several cattle were killed, while corn,
cotton and tobacco were strewn all over
the road bed.
When the locomotive struck, engi-
neer Conway was thrown into the air,
hurled head foremost to the ground and
instantly killed. lie resided in West
ernport, where be leaves wife and
family. The car to which the fireman
had chung ran up and followed l.:
through the forward train, getting
badly broken in the general crash, but
the man escaped uninjured. In the
''caboose" car of the forward train were
T. Burke, conductor; Ed. Cornery.
brakeman, and three drovers-Mr.
Martina, OF Barbour county; Mr.. Ell
lott, of Harrison county; and Mr..
Reynolds, of Mineral county, West
Virginia. Messrs. Martina and Elliott
were instantly killed, brakeman Corn
ery had his leg broken and received
other injuries, and conductor Burke and
Mr.. Reynolds each received severe cuts
and bruises. Mr.. Burke resides in
Piedmont and has a family; Mr.. Corn
cry is q young man and unmarried; he,
also resides at Piedmont.
1t i, reported that the reason why
Mr.. Conaway's signal for brakes was
not responded to was that the brakes
men were asleep. We believe they es-
capped unhurt, and if the Iumor above
alluded to is correct, their feelings on
hearing that engineer Conway lost his
life in q desperate attempt to supply
their places must have teen anything
but pleasant.
Both tracks were blocked for long
distance for several hours, but the only
trains considerably delayed were the
St. Louis Express west which left here
at $40 A. NJ, and the Fast Line east,
due at this city at CAT A. NJ. The lat
ter was delayed about five hours, ar
irving here at hslf-past eleven o'clock.
The other track will not be wholly
cleared for day or two, but there will
ha M further delay to the trains,