The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-07-23
RAILROAD SMASH lP.
A COLLISION AT ELKTON DEPOT.
A Freight Train Runs Into a Construction
TraIn-Three Men Hurt. but
no Lives Lost.

|
no Lives Lost.
! Although the tact has been plainly dem
| onstrated over and over again. that it is a
| dangerous business for one railroad train
| to attempt to pass another upon the same
track, yet in spite of all precautions of
telegraph. flagmen, and the block sys-
TEN now adopted by all we'll regulated
railroads, with the most experienced en-
ployes, fast trains will occasionally run
down slow ones. Such was the case on
Thursday afternoon ut the EIkton depot.
when the shrek of the engine and the
that one of those periodic transactions,
popularity called accidents, had occurred.
About 4. 80 clock, Il construction train.
consisting of dozen or more platform
cars, loaded with old cross-ties, crept
slowly up to the depot on the south
bound track to take water. When the
train stopped, the riding car at its rear
end stood but few feet below the North
street crossing, which is at the foot of
one of the heaviest grades on the road
to which point from Iron Hill, a distance
of four miles. train will run by the
force of its own momentum. Before this
train had come to a stand-still, a flag
man had been dispatched up the track
to warn approaching trains of its pres
L.
the road makes bold curve rPrthwards,
the whstling- posi- for this crossing, not
over four hundred yards distant, being
invisible from the tlagman'S box. lay
lor Boyd. the train i!agman. had gone
but very short distance around this
curve--exactly how far is, of course a
point about which there is much dispute
when an approaching freight train. run
ming at a rate of fifteen to eighteen miles
an hour, was seen roundin. the curve,
and which. in a tw mixing, had crashed
into the rear of the construction train.
The force of the blow was. however, much
lessened by the presence of mind of Will
liam Roberts, the engineer of engine No.
~ hauling the collding train. who. re-
versing his engine and giving her all the
sand possible to hold the track, stood by
her until within ears length of the
train, when he jumped for his life. hav-
ing seen his fireman land safely at the
crossing For an instant everybody lost
his head and confusion reigned Across
the track at an angle of iorty-tivc de-
grees, but still on her legs. STOOL the
freight engine. around which lay the
debris of the shattered tool car. the col
lidng engine not having run more than
a cars length after the collision. damned
close down upon the engine, but still on
the track, stood the first six of the heavily
freighted cars of the train. The seventh
and eighth cars, however, partially tele-
scoped, were thrown nearly upon their
beam ends by the pressure of those in
the rear. The first impression was that
TO one had been hurt, the train hands
having all seemingly escaped. Soon, how
ever. sroans and cries were heard from
the rampant freight cars, when two men
were discovered hemmed in between
them. Sheriff Logan. T. Bond Brown,
and other citizens lent efficient aid in
cutting through the cars with axes, when
the men were eNtricated They proved
to be two tramps from Baltimore, and
were stealing a ride from Philadelphia
to their home. One of them, named
King, had his ear badly lacerated. and
was bruised about the body: the other
man, Atwater, being more frightened
than hurt. On the construction train
only one man was injured-Iohn Lowe.
a colored man from Port Deposit. He
was sitting on one end of a car, the jar
of the collision throwing down on him
the cross-ties of the next car, by which
he received fracture of the ankle.
All the wounded men were kindly cared
for by Drs. Mitchell and lamar. Soon
after the collision, the wrecking train
was telegraphed for, and which arrived
from Wilmington at SO, under the di-
Denial. by S p. NJ. the track was clear
the loss To the company involving three
badly wrecked house freight cars. and
two engines with battered fronts, the re-
versed position of the engine drawing the
construction train involving the loss of
it's COW catcher.
As usual in such eases, the stories of
the employees of the two trains are con-
tiicting.
THE ENGINEERS STATEMENT.
William Roberts, the engineer of the
freight train, says, and i'll which statement
he is cOrroborated by Samuel Miller, the
conductor, and Samuel Lowman, the brake
man of the train, both of whom are from
this town, that they left Gray's Ferry ut
l.25 i. NJ, with through orders for Balti-
more and with instruction to look for two
construction trains pp the road, one nj them
somewhere between lasGhal and Chester.
and the other between stanton and Perry
Vile That he passed the first construction
train at Moors's Station, and knew nothing
of the whereabouts Of the second train,--
having made but one stop, at Wilmington
until he was close upon it. That as he was
approaching Flktou Station he saw no flag
man until after he hal blown his whistle at
the whisting hoard lpr the North street
crossing. When lie did soc the hagman, rs
he thinks, at u point on the track near the
colored church, he blew continuously for
brakes and reversed his engine but his sig
nal was too late to avoid the collision. That
he was not running at high rate Of speed,
and that had the tiagman signaled him at a
proper distance from the crossing the COLI
sion would have been avoided. This state
ment is supported by the testimony of the
regular tlagman at the crossing, " no when
he last say Boyd, the hagmap, be vas at
the point on the track INDICATED by Roberts.
TAYLOR HoYR's STATEMENT.
Taylor Boyd, the train tiagman, however,
makes Il different statement, in which he is
sustained by those i'll charge of the con-
strpetion traip: He says that he left the
train as i, vas .aatins the statiln at Fl kton
as sGon rs it had slowed down sufficiently
to allow him to jump from it with safety.
That he proceeded up the track to a point
at least one hundred yards above the whiS-
Ting post, and that at that point he waved
his flag to the on coming train, shouting to
! its engineer as he passed.
We have no ouiniOn to EXPRESS rs TO