Montgomery County sentinel., 1877-06-15
DEATH ON THE RAIL.


one mile east OF Point of Rocks, by which four
highly esteemed citizens of this county were
killed outright and several others were either
mortally wounded or crippled and MANNED for
life. The details of the accident as far as
they have been ascertained arc substantially
as follows:
At GAS this morning an excursion train,
! consisting Of twelve cars, freighted with six
hundred men, women and children, left this
town for Mount Vernon, via Washington
The train moved from the depot TO the music
of the band which accompanied the excursion,
and sped away followed by the cheers and
farowells Of the many friends left behind. .
Frederick Junction was reached eight minutes
late, but Captain Cooper, who was in charge
of the train, was ordered to proceed toward
the Point Of Rocks. The engineer, George
Buckley, thought he saw danger ahead, as the
Winchester train was due; but he obeyed
orders, opened the throttle and on sped the
train at rs miles anahour. The Winchester
train, coming eastward in charge of Captain
Burton and Engineer John Stevens, had left
the Point Of Rocks some minutes late, and,
although they had received orders to proceed,
they did SO very cautiously They felt that
something was wrong, and they went along
so slowly towards the point at which the fatal
collision occurred that Captain Burton walked
nearing the curve where the two trains met
Burton imagined he heard the approach OF the
coming train, and no sooner had he eommu-
nicated bis belief TO tbs engineer than the
excursion train burst upon them with fright
ful velocity and force The engineer and fire.
man on the Winchester train jumped down
the embankment from thor engine, and the
locomotives met with a frghtful crash. The
baggage car, with two coaches OF the Win
chester train, was badly smashed and Knocked
from the track, while both engines had reared
:nio tae air and come down shapeless masses
Of broken machinery.
Pieces OF the boiler were blown for some
distance into the fields The only two pas
sengers on the Winchester train with the train
hands escaped with few bruises. The bag
gage car Of the excursion train was badly
wrecked, while the smoking car, in which
every available seat was occupied, telcscoped
with the car in the rear, both being jammed
into o mass OF broken timhers, iron stays
lamps, stoves steam pipes and mangled human
beings by the awful weight and momentum
of the ten cars in the rear, which crowded so
mercilessly upon them. In the smoking car
were seated the members of the band and the
committee from the Agricultural Society, com
posed OF Colonel Charles g. Trail, Charles
Keefer editor Of the Examiner, and several
others, who were on their way to Washington
to extend an invitation TO President Hayes to
attend our next fair.
The second car was filed with ladies and
gentlemen. The crash WAS heralded with
screams Of men, women and children, and the
Kissing o, the escaping steam. In few seconds
the train was emptied of its hundreds, when
the extent OF the accident was seen The two
cars mentioned were crushed into each other,
while those in them who had escaped injury
were struggling to get out of the wreck. Then
began the search for friends who were in the
wreck, and one BY one the dead aud wounded
were removed and laid upon the ground Axes
were required to cut away the broken imbers
before some of the victims could be extricated
hole was cut through a car in which Mr..
Louis Schley had occupied a seat, and he was
taken out from between the floors OF the two
cars The side was knocked from the front
car and several more were rescued, ami finally
all the bodies were recovered.
A telegram was at once sent to Frederick tor
physicians and relatives. AT nine o'clock a
special train, in charge Of Captain Walling,
carrying Drs. Smith, Johnson, Charles Smith,
Criso, Magill and McSherry, and many friends
aHd relatives Of the wounded and dying, left
for the scene of the accident Upon arriving
there, Drs. Wootton, Mullinix and West were
found busy alleviating the pain Of the suf-
ferers. For three hours or more the surgeons
were buslly engaged in attending the suffering
ones and trying to save the lives of the dying
AT II o clock the FIRST train left for Frederick,
bearing those who had been killed and others
who were wounded. Many sickening sights
were witnessed Among the piles Of debris
could be seen men lying about in their agony,
while in some places the sod was covered with
blood. The narrow escapes were so numerous
that it is impossible 10 mention them in detail
AT O'Clock the last train had left the wreck,
bearing the body Of Louis Schley, who, after
suffering agonies, had expired on the ground.
The names Of the killed are as follows:
Dorsey walker, thirty five years old a resi-
dent Mount Carmel, Frederick county, he
leaves family; Richard Dutrow, forty years
old, resident Of Adamstown, Frederick
county, who leaves family; Chas. II Keefer,
editor and proprietor Of the E1amiRty, also a
man of family; Louis Sehley, aged twenty
three, an unmarried man. He was son Of
DR.. Fairfax Schley, Of Frederick Howard
Dixon, aged tweny-three His neck was
broken, his skull fractured and his legs mashed.
The following are the names Of those serious
ly injured
Col. Charles q. Trail, of Frederick inter
nally hurt; Enoch Green, left leg broken
Leonard G. Mullinix, leg broken William
Bartgis leg broken; John Dennis, eleven years
old and son OF Colonel George R. Dennis, of
Frederick, left arm broken and terribly
bruised; Clinton Mobegly, son of the Mayor
OF Frederick. Among others who were in
Jnred, but not seriously, are Adam Notnagle,
W. II. Harrison, John PATTERSON and some
few whose cuts and bruises are not dangerous.