Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1875-03-25
Rum OFF en- the r. w. q b. n. n.

AN ExpREss TRAIN wREoKKD-THE LOCOMOTIVE
BADLY DAMAaKD-FOUR CARS sovERTURNRD-TnE
ACCIDENT OF UNACCouNTABLk ORIGIN.
A run OF occurred on the p. W. h b r. r.,
along the "Folly Woods" three-fourths Of .
mile this side of Newport, last Friday evening,
by which the Baltimore evening express was
wrecked.
The first intimation which y as had Of tie acc-
dent Was the
SUDDEN ovERTURNINa OF THE LOCOMOTIVE
and its fall across both tracks while the train
WAS running at about the speed Of twenty miles
per hour. After its fall. the locomotive slid
along for probably fifty feet tearing up
the track and bending the rails out Of shape.
some Of the rails were entirely displaced. The
locomotive WAS badly broken, and portions Of it
were scattered around in all directions. Tho
tender turned completely around, was broken
bed in the rear, and falling fiat upon the track
was jammed up against the bottom Of the en-
gine. Against the tender was piled the forward
trucks Of the baggage car which, overturning,
WAS partly buried in the bank, its forward end
being about even with the forward end OF the
locomotive The Pullman car, next in the train,
was also thrown upon its aide, the forward end
being
JAhNED INTO THE REAR END OF THE BAGGAGE CAR,
and also plowed into the ombankment. The
two following cars we're also overturned. The
trucks were wrenched from the baggage,
Pullman and first passenger CARS, and being
driven into one another were considerably bro.
ken. The fourth car did not leave it's trucks,
but was overturned. The I've other coach
on Of the train remained upright, although one
OF them was driven from the rails. The body
Of the cars were not much broken, and all the
passengers escaped unhurt, except one Balti-
morean, who was slightly cut aud bruised. The
WAa NM hat CI,ta ah ha
bruised about the body hut not seriously. The
escape without loss Of life In run on of such .
character is remarkable, and the passengers
were freely congratulating themselves that such
was the case as they viewed the wreck.
THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT Is UNKNOWN.
The engineer says he saw no obstruction upon
the track. The first he knew OF the accident was
the rolling over OF his engine and himself being
tumbled about in the runs. His escape was
miraculous. The locomotive wheels wsre all
perfect and there were no evidences of q brok-
eli rail, which were of steel. Some Of the pas.
sengers discovered = rail lying close beside
it's position, perfectly straight and without
defect, the bolts gone and fisiplates which cou-
pied it with the others nowhere to be found
This forced the conviction upon some of the
passengers that the fastenings of the rail had
been removed purposely TO produce the acci-
clusion fully, for the spikes were all either bro
ken or bent in the rail, although such thing
might be possible.
THE ExPERIENcE
Of the passengers was the sensation OF car OF
the track, then . crash was heard, an Overturn.
ing Of the cars, and sudden halt. The ladies
behaved themselves well, and only one faint
scream was heard in any Of the cars The pas
sengers were pulled out through the doors or
crswled out through the windows.
Supervisor of tracks Fuller happened to be on
q freight train coming north, and was near Ncw-
port when the accident happened, consequently
he Was early Oh the ground, and began to clear
wreck-train he overturned the locomotive into
the ditch, replaced the north bound tracks by
$780, freed all the trains going in that direction,
and switching OF all south-bound trains to the
north track at the junction, run them around
the wreck and upon their proper track at New
port, thus enabling an earlier resumption OF
travel than WAS expected. The wrecked cars are
still lying where they fell, but the trains are
making time to-day.
Chas. G.. Rumford, F. L. Gilpin, and Mr. Bid
die, Of Pusey. Jones Il Co., were in one Of the
overturned cars, but escaped injury.
THE TRACK ALL cLEAR-fRoBABILIrIEs STRENGTH
EN4Aaa u1l{H.44K THE nA"'-'A-'11'A"-
After almost incessant labor with large force
OF workmen. the wreck was finally removed from
beside the P. W. d B. Il. R., near Newport. on
Sunday afternoon, about 8 o'clock. The princi
pal damage done to the cars seems to be in theiI
running gear, though no doubt they were some
what weakened by the fall. The locomotive Wal
stripped Of almost all it's machinery, but the
boiler and running gear were not injured to an,
considerable extent. Both the cars and the en-
gine have been brought to this city, where they
will undergo repair.
The probability is strengthening that the acci
dent was the result OF the removal OF the raj
daylight revealed the fact that the inner spike
had been removed, while the outer ones were
either broken of or bent over. The fish plates
| and bolts have not been found yet, nor no par
Of them. although diligent search has been mad
for them. Had they been broken, there woult
have been some evidence Of strain upon the
rail, Of which there ia none. Such an acciden
| might have resulted from rotten ties, but in thi
instance the ties were all in very good condition
and new rails have been laid upon them. II th
fastenings were removed, it must have beel
| done IN the early evening, after the accommoda
ton train had passed. The section boss ha'
| gone over the track and made his usual careful
daily examination, and no evidence that tn
tracks had been tampered with was noticed b.
him.
Cured just where it did. 1t happened just in
little cut, where the cars were permitted to fa
upon their sides. Had 1t been q hundre
yards nearer Wilmington, loss Of life could nc
have been we'll avoided, for in that event til
cars would have tumbled down an embankmen
ten or twelve feet in height and landed in
pond Of water. The rear cars Of the wrecke
train were standing on this embankment, an
even had they been overturned the disaste
would not have been attended with such fortun
ate results ~ was the case.
ANOTHER BREAKDOWN ON THE P. W. Il B.-N
DAMAGE BUT TIREsoME DELAY.
The o'clock P. NJ. passenger train frol
Philadelphia met with an accident just this sid
of Claymont, on Saturday, which cause
. DELAY OF several hours One of til
wheels under the tender broke, lettin
the end of the axle down upon the tie
which fortunately skinned along on the top {
them until the train WAS stopped. Had it causl
in the ties serious accident night have bee
possible. A wreck train was sent up and broug
down the disabled engine, the traiu to which
WAS attached being pushed along by the follo'
ing train, which was due here at 6 80 but did n
arrive until little after o'clock. The del,
) was the most serious part OF the accident.