Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-08-15
A Harvest of Death.
The Wholesale Slaughter on the
Panhandle.
Pittsburgh Dispatch. Sth inst.

The Panhandle Railroad, which il
its early years gained the reputation by
their very frequent occurrence of being
the most prolific of horrible accidents
of any line in the country, has for ma
ny months been so free Of serious casu-
alties as to have come to be regarded
among the safest. Yesterday the first
frig ghtful disaster that has for more than
three years happened upon the line,
and the most terrible in its history,
occurred in this locality, transpired.
The Fast Line which left this city at
11:47 Tuesday night, left Steubenville
at lbs, three minutes behind time.
Four miles further west, quarter OF a
mile beyond Mingo junction, it COLI
ded with freight train, and several OF
| the cars were thrown down an en-
bankment thirty feet In height, rem
deriDg the train a total wreck and
causing frightful sacrifice of life and
injury to limb. Fourteen people are
dead as this article Is written, and of
more than a score who are dangerous
ly injured, there is no doubt but sever
al cases will terminate fatally.
Mingo junction is only little ham
let, scarcely deserving the name OF
town, where Cross Creek enters the
Ohio, and the railroad leaves it to
make the overland direct trip to CO.
lumbus. 1t is wild spot: narrow
valley whose bounds are the highest
peaks along the river, with lower
farm crowned hills between them.
The forests which clothe the hills for
the most part down to the banks
OF the creek are dense fields of
hickory, oak and sycamore, and on the
most rugged hills laurel thickets cover
the jutting rocks and uneven surface as
garment. The railroad follows the
creek for some distance before crossing
it, running into compound curve, or
letter s shape, around the foot of the
peaks, and thirty feet above the wa
ter. On the inner or larger curve OF
the three the accident occurred. Had
the night been clear, the headlights of
the engines could have been perceived
here by the opposite engineers when
they were fully half a mile apart. In
that Case, fortune would have averted
the terrible fatality that recklessness, or
carelessness, or both CccasiOned.
But the morning was not clear. Upon
the contrary a dense fog had risen from
the little creek, and hung in the valley
as though the forest trees had caught 1t
In their embrace and failed to yield its
refreshing moisture to the heaven.
The darkness could almost be felt, and
in the semi-total obscurity, as the
two trains neared each other, ,opproach-
ing, under ordinary circumstances, in
full view for half a mile at least, the
glaring lights at their heads were not
distinguished by the engineers until
scarcely hundred feet of track inter-
vened between them. And in a mo-
ment more there was terrible crash
as the mighty engines with swift
impetus dashed together, and with
that crash Death came in his most ter
rible form to the sleeping, unsuspect-
ing passengers and busy officers.
THE WAY THAT DEATH CAME TO THE
STOPPED WATCH'S VICTIMS.
The engineer of the passenger train
was James Dugan, of Burgettstown, a
man of not above thirty years of age,
but one OF the experienced and trust
worthy employees OF the company. His
fireman was ]. C. Fulton, of the same
place. On the other engine Charles
Graham, of this city, was at the throt-
tie. He was new man, running his
first trip, having been promoted from
the position of fireman only the pre-
vious day. Each engineer at once re-
versed his engine, and Dugan applied
the Westinghouse air brake without
moments delay. The result was
that before the collision the speed of
the passenger train was noticeably di-
minished, but the heavy freight train
scarcely lessened It's velocity. The
trains were both running at very
high rate OF speed, the Fast Line in or
der to make up the few minutes 1t was
behind schedule time, and the freight
because even the conductors silent
watch told him that the time in which
to make Mingo Junction, which was
the first passing point, was very short.
The engineers and firemen
STUCK TO THEIR POSTS
almost until the great shock came, then
leaped, all getting clear Of the wreck,
but all receiving injuries except the
fireman of the freight. In the case of
poor Dugan the result was fatal.
No two of the passengers on the ILL
fated Fast Line tell the same story of
their terrible sensations. The train
consisted of Cincinnati postal ear, bag
gage car, two passenger coaches, chief !
ly occupied by emigrants, Pullman
sleeper, and hotel car. Of these, the |
postal car, the baggage car, and the
forward coach, with the engines of
both trains, went over the embank- |
ment, distance of thirty feet. The |
engines rolled clear to the foot, and lay |
complete wrecks upon the narrow bot
tom between the hillside and the creek; |
close to them was a great pile of deb
ris, nothing else, which had been the |
Cincinnati postal Car. The st. Louis |
car and the baggage car were both
badly broken, while the coach that |
went over with them stood, with one |
end at the foot of the embankment, al
most upright. 1t was unrOofed and its
sides broken in numerous places, so
that passengers crawled or were thrown
out of it.
NIGHT HIDES THE HORRID PICTURE.
That the sight was not one too hor-
rible to contemplate WAS only because
Of the obscurity that existed. The
dark valley, shut in by hill and forest,
and covered by the fog-pall, hid the
work of slaughter from the eyes of the
fortunate uninjured. There was no
light but the wierd glimmer of the two
or three lanterns In the hands of train
men. These discerned, rs they fitted
about, the condition of the wreck, and
the bodies OF the killed and injured,
and as well, it may be added, those
prostrated by fright and terror. In
many instances the sufferers and the
corpses were wedged tightly in the
pile of debris, and it was not without
great difficulty that they were eXtrica-
led. The shrieks and cries of the suf-
fering victims of the wreck, of the wo-
men and children, and even men who
had safely escaped from the catastro-
phe, and of friends seeking friends
rom whom they had become separa-
led, was sufficient to move the stOutest
heart.
"Help" This was the cry of the
sufferers and the first thought Of those