The McArthur enquirer. (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1873-1884, 1873-07-23
TERRIBLE COLLISION ON THE
NJ. & G. RAILROAD.
Two Men Crushed Beneath the
Wreck. 5r t spr

IA
community was shocked by the re-
port that a terrible collision had
taken place between two freight
trains, a few rods east of VintOn
Station, and two men crushed be-
meath the ruins. Vehicles of every
description were DON brought into
requisition, and a large number Of
our citizens fastened TO the scene
of disaster. The report proved too
true. I
1t appears that the Express
Freight from ParRersburg is gener-
ally made up in sections-a locomo
tive for each section-each train run
ming separately, and following each
other; leaving Parkersburg at 5 p.
M, and arriving at Vinton Station
(when on time at 1894. NJ.
On the night Of the accident the
train was made up in four sections;
and the first and second sections
passed over the road all right,
but the third and fourth sections
were delayed from some cause, and
collided at Vinton Station at 2:43
A. M.-the rear train or fourth sec
ton, striking the caboose of the
third section.
The front train--THoMAs Brown,
Conductor-ran from Zaleski
to Vinton, 3 9-10 miles, in twenty
one minutes, and at the time of the
collision was mo wing at the rate of
eight mhes an hour, and was pre-
pairing to swi tch off q number of
cars loaded with coke for Vinton
Furnace. The rear train-of
which JOHN CAMPBELL was Con-
ductor, and - GooDHUE, En-
gineer-came from Zaleski to
Vinton in s minutes, at the
rate of thirty-fivc to forty miles
per hour. 1t struck the ca
boose of the front train in a ter
rife manner, d~emolishing in it's
course three or four cars! The loco
motive leaped, as it were, up a bank
ten feet high, where it careened to
one side and fell back into the cut,
crushing beneath its ponderous
weight two human beings-one q
breakman named N. NJ. MCELwEE,
who, it is supposed stood at his post
signaling the danger with his lantern
until the shock came, and he was
hurled into eternity. His body lay
beneath the ruins for sixteen hours
or more, because of the seeming
neglect OF somebody. Loud and
bitter were the complaints made by
the citizens from the country for
miles around, numbering more
than two hundred, and, it is said,
that II superior officer who appear
ed in the early part of the morning
and ordered q subordinate but hui
name officer to let the dead body
lay until the following morning,
was threatened with vengeance, if
the terribly mangled body lof the
unfortunate young man was not re-
moved and properly cared for on
that evening. Some of the Rail
Road employees and citizens wish
ed to eXcavate the earth, which
could have been eXcavated very
easily, so hat the body could be
removed from under the engine,
but they were not allowed to do SO
for some reason, but a promise was
made that the body should be re-
moved that evening. There is no
doubt, but for the compliance Of the
officer to the earnest and determin-
ed demands Of the citizens, that
there would have been q struggle,
and perhaps bloodshed. The body
was removed at dark on that even
ing, The young man was the son.
Of q widow woman living in Phila-
delphia, and upon his person were
found sixty;seyen dollars and four
cents In money, a pocket knife, mem
orandum book, and some other ar
%ticles, which were placed in the
hands of railway official to besent
to his heartrstrlokeR mother. ..
EDWARD Brown, whose place of
residence is Columbus, Ohio, was
the name Of the other young man
who was killed, He had been en-
ployed as q fireman on theroad, and
was the fireman on the engine of
the Zaleski and Parkersblrg Ac-
commodation train that collided on
Monday, the l4th, spoken Of else
where In this paper. Having con
cluded to leave the road
he was on his way to Chill,
licothe for the purpose of
drawing the balance at, hls wages.
He was asleep In the caboose of the
front train at the time o fthe col.
lision. His body was recovered
soon after the collision,and was prop.
arlV nnrn1 FIR The vamaina wara