The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1876-08-26

ACCIDENT ON THE PHILADELPHIA, WILMINGTON
BALTIMORE r. Ran accident of rather a
starting character occurred about one mile
above Stemmers Run, on the P. W. & B. r. R.,
early on Wednesday morning last. Two freight
trains and the engine of passenger train were
wrecked a number Of cars took fire and were
destroyed with their contents, and several per-
sons, principally employees of the company,
were injured, some severely. No one was kill
ed. the escape being almost miraculous when
the character and extent of the smash ups are
understood. The facts are as follows AT the
time mentioned, as an extra through south
bound freight with twenty six cars, was pass
ing the above locality, an axle under one of
the cars broke and threw the train from the
track. In the train--placed upon platform cars
were two narrow gauge passenger coaches
from Wilmington, consigned to the Royal land
company at Fredericksburg, Virginia. These
were in charge of James A. Schoen, who occu-
pied seat in one of them. When the crash
came these two cars were thrown from the
track and coal oil lamp in one fell to the
floor, setting fire to the woodwork. Before the
flames were extinguished, eight cars, including
the two coaches, were totally destroyed. The
occupant of the latter was considerably bruised
by the conclusion, but did not receive any Sc
rious injury. Four hours later, or about 7.30
o'clock, the way freight going north reached
the scene of the wreck, and was about to pass,
having been engaged in clearing away the
wreck, when the express and mail train from
Baltimore, rounded the curve at full speed and
ran into the former with tremendous crash
Four empty cars in the freight were totally
wrecked, as we'll as the engine of the mail.
The fireman on the latter, Glenn Beacon, was
severely injured about the head by jumping
from his engine, and the Adams express mes
senger, named Thos. Street, and VIM. Aber-
crombie, agent of the Baltimore News Compa-
ny, also received slight injuries. A large force
of wreckers were at once dispatched to the
scene, and in a few hours afterward both tracks
were clear and trains passing as usual. All
trains during the morning arrived and depart
ed from the wreck several hours behind the
schedule time. For several hours after the
smash-ups a scence of great confusion was pre-
sented. Piled on either side of the road for
some distance was a confused mass of iron, wood,
&C., while to the right of the south track, about
the centre, was large heap of smouldering
ashes, the remnants of a carload of dry goods and
other miscellaneous merchandise. On the OPP
posite side of the road was collection of large
cases and barrels of merchandise and boxes of
clothing and tobacco, which had been removed
from the freight train. Strong iron bars, car
trucks and portions of cars were splintered,
broken and bent into every conceivable shape,
while high embankment to the right of the
south track was furrowed and plowed for sew
eral yards by the cars, and in some cases the
trucks were still embedded in the bank.
The entire damage, including the expense of
rebuilding the cars destroyed, repairing the en-
gines and replacing the freight, is estimated at
900 and will be sustained by the company.