South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1875-04-30
Disaster Near Washington.


occurred on the Baltimore and Potomac
railroad about o'clock this afternoon.
just outside or the tunnel near the east
ern branch, between the 4.55 train from
this city and the New York train due
here at 5.l3 p. II. Eight or ten persons
were severely injured and both trains
badly wrecked.
SCENE OF TIE ACCIDENT.
A visit to the scene OF the accident
tonight shows that the catastrophe was
OF a most serious character. Laborers
with the light of torches were engaged
in removing the wreck from the road.
| and expected to have the track cleared
before morning. The trains departing
and arriving transferred passengers and
baggage to either end of the wreck, thus
causing but slight detention to travel
between Washington and the North. Ii
was remarked generally, rs fortunate
that the colliding cars did not run off the
track, rs in such case they would have
! been precipitated over the embanl1ment
which Is fifteen or twenty feet high az
that place. The accident occurred a
short distance from the northern end of
the tunnel, not more than 200 or 800
yards from the bridge crossing the east
ern branch of the Potomac. Had the
collision occurred one minute earlier.
on the bridge, the loss OF life would have
I been fearful. e..
From information obtained at The
scepe of disaster il is supposed that the
engineer on the northern bound train did
not stop sufficiently long on the switch
near the mouth of the tunnel TO allow
the southern bound train to pass. but
! proceeded on his way, and met the lat
ter train just around curve. cominr ut
full speed, that train being entitled to
! the right OF way.
EFFECTS OF TIE CRASH.
The crash of the collision was fearful
both engines and four cars being com
| pletely demolished, the tender of an eli.
CINE being thrown on the top of the
| wreck, and the baggage car on the north
bound train on the top Of its engine ::
| Three of the cars wrecked were attached
to the north bound train, and the fourth
one to the south bound train. The fol.
lowing namedpcgsons were injured =
Geo. McAree, engineer of the north
| bound train. chin cut open and other
wise injured about the face: Jacob Fry.
leg broken by jumping from the train :;
Henry Bechto fireman, injured inter-
! nally; Geo. Baker, of Wilmington
| Del, passenger, injured internally :;
| Thos. Collins; of Baltimore. Md. severe.
! ~ bruised; Geo. Durity, Western I'm
ion Telegraph operator, cut and bruis-
ed Albert Redmeyer, passenger. wrist
broken; Buchanan. conductor, cut about
the head and face; Charles Mccarthy
! of Washington, ID. c.. n passenger.
slightly bruised. Several other passen.
gers, whose names could not be ascer-
tanned! "were slightly injured, but were
able TO proceed on their journey or re-
turn to their homes in this city. McA-
| fee, Baker, Collins, Fry, Bechtel and
! Durity were taken to Providence Hos
pital and received proper medical aid.
STATEMENT OF AN ENGINEER
Jacob Fry, engineer of the incoming
/ train, says the north bound train should
have remained on the switch ut the
mouth Of the tunnel Mt least fifteen min
utes. even if he had been behind time.
but he was on time, and looked ut his
watch Just after crossing the eastern
/ branch bridge. when he found he bad
one minute to reach the switch Jast
then he sighted the north bound train
! coming around the curve He immedi-
ately put on air brakes. reversed his en-
/ CINE and jumped. breaking his leg.
The company will Immediately make
IN examination into the circumstances
attending the disaster with view of as
ccrtaining where the responsibility rests.
TIE CARS PILED UP
The baggage car Of the express train
moving south was run on top ofthe en-
/ gine, and rested upon the ground only
I upon the rear truck, thcother trucks be-
/ ing upon the engine and the car. thus
/ forming en- angle oflj degrees. No one
/ was seriously hurt in the car I occupied.
which was the rear car. the only Injuries
/ resulting from very heavy jar. There
were four passenger cars, including The
. smoking and palace cars. The passen-
/ gers MI Immediately left the cars 10 as
/ certain the amount Of damage. and the
/ first objects that met my view were two
men imprisoned between the 1oor OF the
/ baggage car ofthc outgoing train and the
first passenger car ofthc same train. tho
former car having completely moved
I down the passenger car. The men were
/ i'm space of about sixteen inches. and
the great wonder is that they were not
/ crushed 90 death. They were. however.
b released in the course Of half An hour.
+ and both found TO he injured. though one
. Of them. who was underneath the other.
wos able 20 walk No ladies were in.
+ iurcd. One OF the engineers. though TO
which engine ne belonged do not know.
was hauic ont orthc rubbish ina fright
. lul condition. being terribly cut about
the head There was not great deal
+ ofou'crr. and generally the passengers
seemed 81 be calm The ladies' ON The
train were much frightened. The ma.
iori'y 81 Che Injured were on the outzo-
iag train II We hal b,nn fifteen sec.
ou37 further bao,, whom .lc travis came
into collision we should probably hive