Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-09-07
HORROR /!
A Bad Collision on the Baltimore
and Ohio Road.
Two Passenger Trains, Heavily
Loaded, Collide.
Four Of the Passengers Burne'
and Scalded to Death.
Criminal Negligence the Cause OF
the Accident.
A Story of Horror and Scenes
Terrible to Depict.

tOt t9tS -
One of the most terrible accidents
that has happened in this section IN
many years, took place at Thor11on' an
i~nconsiderable station on the b. q ".
railroad yesterday morning abont 4
O'Clock, in the shape of collision be-
tween the the Chicago express, due IN
this city at 2:S0 P. NJ, and the Cumber-
land accommodation due at 4:55 p. NJ
The first information that was received
arrived shortly after noon, and was sent
to Col. w. NJ. Clements, Master Of
Transportation, who was in this city at
the time. This dispatch did not
20 into details, but stated that
a collision had taken place, with
very serious results. Shortly after this
Col. Robert White received a telegram
announcing the very serious injury OF
his daughter. Miss Nellie, who was on
her wsy to this city, together with her
little brother and sister. Col. White
and wife left on the 8 P. NJ. train for
Grafton, in company with Col. Glenn
ents, who afforded them every facility
possible for rapid transit. Once the in
formation became public that a collision
had taken place there was the In
tense excitement in the city, from the
circumstance that both the trains In
yolyed in the accident were largely used
by Wheeling people, and just now, when
summer tourists are returning on almost
every train, it was thought that perhal s
many OF our people might have been n
iured in the catastrophe.
No definite information could be
ascertained in regard TO the matter until
the arrival OF the Chicago express in
this city about Sis p. NJ, when a
REGISTER reporter obtained the follow
ing information from a passenger on
this train at the time OF the accident:
"Our train was about an hour and
forty minutes behind time, and we were
rushing along at the rate OF forty-hye or
fifty miles an hour. We had not been
warned to be on the look out for any
other train, having passed Rowlesburg
and Newburg without instructions.
We were l say bowling along
at the rate OF l think fully fifty miles an
hour, when suddenly / felt myself
thrown forward. l recovered myself ard
was again pitched around the car |
again got on my feet and looked out Of
the window to see what was the matter,
and to my horror saw little children,
men and women tumbling down the
.Lo..n,a.k ao un HaU al0nU PFBS-
entity we stopped and there arose some
OF the most h~earfrending screams ever
heard. At first | could not tell the rea'
son OF the confusion, out soon found
that our train bad run into the rear car
of the accommodation and the engine
of our train had exploded her boiler,
and scalding and burning the passengers
in a terrible manner. My God, preserve
me from witnessing sucn another specta-
Gle! Passengers gathered themselves out
of the wreck with the flesh dropping
rom their steamed faces. Mothers
screamed for their children and children
for their parents. Strong men, brave
under ordinary circumstances, shrieked
in their agony for some one to kill them
and end their sufferings. 1t was some
moments before ! could tell in the cloud
OF dust and steam the extent OF the acct
dent. but when | had time to look abou.
me, | found that the engine OF the
Chicago express had run into the rear
car of the other train, which was filled
with men, women and children. Every
seat In the car was crowded into the
forward part, and the rea OF the car
itself was crushed like an egg shell. So
great was the momentum OF the collld-
ing engine that no stop was pos
sible for almost a half mile.
Meanwhile the passengers were drop
ping out OF the broken car and
scattered along the side Of the road.
One man picked up his child and threw
it out OF the window, and then Jumped
himself. The child was cut and bruised
in a terrible manner by the fall, but the
father escaped injury. The car was also
set on fire in some manner, and we
turned our attention to its ex~tinguish-
ment, and after that was accom-
plished both ladies and gentlemen
on our train gave their attention
to the sufferers. Brandy, camphor,
sheets, pillows and whatever was
at hand, were produced and the scalded
and wounded passengers tenderly cared
for by the ladies OF our train, who forgot
in their humanity that they were strang-
err. Meantime the engine OF the Cum.
berland accommodation had been sent
to Grafton for assistance, and it soon re-
turned with physicians, ban lagos, bed
ding and all that was necessary for the
comfort OF the sufferers. 1t was deter
mined to place them all in the train and
take them to Grafton, where they could
be much more readily and comfortably
handled"
What was the cause OF the accident
asked our reporter.
"Well both trains were behind time
and the Chicago train was running very
fast, and coming up with the other with
out warning, the collision occurred"
what was the damage to the trains?"
"The engine OF No. s or the Chicago
express is a total wreck and also the
rear car OF the Cumberland accommo.
dation."
A WHEELING MANS STORY
Mr.. o. G. Genther, OF this city, a pas.
senger on the express train, said:
"We we're more than an hour late be-
cause the trains had been delayed to
allow the train carrying General Gar
field the road east OF Baltimore, even
and We were running to make up the
lost time. i think We were running at
the rate of nearly a mile a minute. |
was sitting with my knees jammed hard
against the seat in front OF me when |
felt something jar me, and this was fol-
lowed by another shock. ! thought that
We had run off tie track and jumped to
my feet. l looked out OF a window and
saw the babies and people falling down
the bank when all at once it struck me
We had struck the Cumberland train.
When our train stopped We found that
the rear q OF the wrecked
train "a afre, and We set to work
to put out the blaze. This done we
helped those inside out of the windows
and turned to those Who had been in.
,nral Tall ahork vnnr oa,ao Tlo,a