The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-12
Particulars of the Holocaust on the
Allegheny Valley Railroad.
THE KILLED AND WOUNDED.
A River Of Burning Oil Cutting OF
~ Escape from the Wreck.
STATEMENTS OF VVORS.

The accident that occurred last night near Scrub
| Grass station. ON the Allegheny Valley Railroad.
! was the most Sc yious that had happened on that
| road for many year. The accident occurred to
| Che Oil City accoi 0modatiOn train. The cause IL
unknown One spe, stator attributes 1t to broken
rail, others TO brake dropping the track. Five
oil cars and coaches ent down q steep bank In
mass OF ruins. The Goa. III made revolution and
half landing the trucks ny ten or fifteen feet from
the shore IN about five feet OF water.
Oil from the broken tank.N Immediately covered
the stream and ran down arc Und the coaches pen
etrated through the broken windows and doors
ana took fire from the stoves. The coach WIS an
iron one. and passengers not ytss escaped found
themselves
ENCLOSED IN WROUGHT IRON OVEN.
heated outside and inside with burning petroleum.
The surface of the water was afiame, and the al
Tentative Of staying within the car Orswmming
In the burning stream was presented to phem. The
heat was so intense from the volume Of Tame that
no person could stand on the track above the
wreck, so all attempts at rescue were impossible.
| All who did escape alive got themselves out, and
all were burned more or less. Those who escaped
| got out of the Car before the Oil took fire. The
| killed are:-
THE NAMES OF THR KILLED.
Willie Scott. newsbOy
william Casey, well-knOwn sporting man,
| whose acquaintance Is extensive throughout the
| country.
One dead 80 fearfully burned that he cannot be
identified; at least person has claimed him far.
THE WOUNDED.
The wounded are U. w. Kidder, slightly burnt on
head.
p. O. George, ROuseve burned slightly.
Matthew Collins, Hamilton, Canada; head and
| hand burned.
r. G. Coulter, Petersburg; burned on head.
+. H. Hoover. Franklin. head and handg burne
Alfred l.. Hamilton, Greensburg Pa. head
burned.
Henry Miller, boy, Lawrenceburg; head and
hand brned.
John M. Hanna. SO Wood street. Pittsburg; badly
burned.
George p Riddle, Emlenton; lips cut slightly.
a. Knox, Antwerp; slightly hurt.
g. PRINCETON, Parkers; slightly injured.
John Whitcomb, Toxburg; slightly injured.
John Delaparty Tidioute; burned in head and
YOUNG SCOTT, THE NEwsBOY
lived in OH City. He was half brother OF the fore
man on the engine. He was bright little fellow,
and the passengers seem to have taken liking to
and Mr.. Casey also, trying to save the
boy. Accounts are very unsatisfactory and con-
nicting as to the details The catastrophe was so
sudden and terrible and the time for escape so
brief that seemed to have collected an i'm
preston of the scene. Mr.. Hoover who had mar
row escape from death. says:-
sitting alone reading when felt the car
jumping and saw a brakeman, Bishop, spring to
the door, seize seat and brace himself against
sensers kicked out a window. The car rolled
its side, halted an instant.and then rolled
again. How far it rolled or how it landed cannot
| say Inside all was wreck; saw newsbOy trying to
| get out, and some one from outside trying to help
HIM. Water and oil were coming into the car so
| suddenly that the car became
A BLAZE OF FLAME.
| / had to leave the boy at the front door and
scramble toward the rear, over the ruins or
seats. l climbed over one man entangled IN
the wreck; got out by the rear door and
ashore. When reached the track l lay down
exhausted and became unconscious; When came
to 1t was so hot on the track could not face the
heat long. l started down the track, running a
short distance and then lying down in the snow to
Hoover resides in Titusville. He is burned about
the head, face and hands, and somewhat injured
internally by concussion or possibly by inhaling
P. q. George, of Housewife, says that car rolled
down an embankment into the river, and was sub
the bottom upwards. In moment a stream OF
oil came pouring in at the forward windows
which communicated with the red hot stove and
instantly enveloped the coach in flames. He
kicked out window and crawled through and
climbed up bank with some difficulty. In the
confusion and excitement OF the scene 1t was
IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHO HAD persisted.
the car, OF whom probably one-haif contrived to
save themselves. Others got out with assistance.
over or the wch Ms
high at this point and very precipitous
The fire ragged so hercely that the uninlured pas
the wounded, whose shrieks OF agony were heart
rendng. The blazing Oil Moved down the river
| and the whole scene was terrible in the extreme
In getting out OF the car found the water up to
| my waist
Mr.. Whitcomb, another passenger, says the
| names ragged furiously, and the shrieks OF poor
victims were terrible. Some OF the passengers
must have been buried under the wreck, and
BURNED TO DEATH OR DROWNED.
Six oil and coach went over. II was very diff
cult to ascend the bank on account OF the Ice In
| the hurry l lost my pocketbeok and sat
| chel with over two hundred dollars in
money and some valuable papers On reaching
| the track attempted to walk, but my strength
! failed, and had to crawl away from the heat In
company with two others afterwards walked to
| Rockland and was taken from there to Scrubgrass
on engine, where received
KINDNESS FROM THE RAILWAY OFFICIALS,
prOprietors OF hotels and ladies OF the place. The
accident likely resulted from broken brake, which
threw the train Off 1t was found several rods
from the car to which it belonged.
Reports from the wounded at late hour to-
night state that most OF them are doing as well as
could be expected under the circumstances.