Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-02-22
Railroad Accident ii Franklin fHllIsell.
SIS
One Man Killed and Two Others Sc
gzH5 = rieasl y Injured,
Sixteen Loaded Freight Cars and
Two Engines Crushed into
Kiuiifiny'Wood ~

j Al 5 80 clock ON Sa1kiay ;morninl
enc :Of the worst accidents that evel
3happened on the C. o. Division of the B
u o. road, occurred in the tunnel ~
Franklin station about seven mile.
west of Bellaire, which resulted in the
taimest total destruction of sixteen load
led cars and two engines, filiing the tun'
/ mel from end to end, from track to roof
Fortunately the two trains which came
| in collision were both freights, and
therefore the loss of life is small,
man killed outright, and two more in
jured so badly that they will either die
or be crippled for life. The manner OF
the accident is about as follows: The
regular freight left Benwood at 4:30
o'clock, and at Bellaire got orders THAT
they had clear track to Glencoe, thir-
teen miles west. The freight with
which it collided was running .wild'
and had left Newark the night before
and expected orders at Bellaire. An the
train hands on the west bound freight
on seeing the headlight of the approach
ing train jumped of, and were none OF
them injured to any extent. Engineer
E. j. Rutherford, OF tbs wild train was
asked by his fireman. shall we jump
and answeredsstand to our posts. and
these are probably the last words he
ever uttered, for the next moment came
laundering crash, and the two trains
were wreck The entire length of the
tunnel was filled with debris, and. SO
great was the momentum. that the
heavy cars climbed over each other and
telescoped in such manner that beggars
sfs
THE INJURED.
: VIM. Graham, brakeman, of Salesville.
Ohio, Was near the rear end of the train
and was first found, with his right leg
mashed into jelly between the bump
ers.
j. n. Hines, fireman, of Martins
burg, West Va. was next found, fright
fully scalded by steam.
The body of E. J. Rutherford, the en-
ginser, whose home is at FOstOria, Ohio,
was not found until Monday about noon,
when it was discovered beneath the
grain, with which the cars were loaded.
at the side of the pit. The debris bad
all been cleared away by wrecking
trains from, Newark and Bellaire, and
while some men were shOveling up the
grain, they came across his body, lying
face downward On taking him out it
was discovered that there was not
bruise ON his body, so he had evidently
been smothered. His body was immedi
ately sent to F0storia. .ae r,s-e
At first there was thought to be no
hopes for the lives of the other injured
men, but Drs. KurZ and Anderson, of
Bellaire, who are attending them, have
strong hopes for the recovery Of both.
WHO Is TO BLAME?
Charles Baird, the night operator at
Bellaire. was Immediately suspended,
and with the train dispatcher Dunlap at
Newark, are to blame. The wild train
was given right of way to Bellaire, and
orders to hold the other train were sent
to operator Baird about two hours be-
fore the train crossed the river. These
orders he put in a pigeon hOle to give
the conductor when he come. When
The train came across the river, the op
orator asked Newark for orders, and
was told to let the train pass 40. Is. an
other regular train at Glencoe, bat not
a word was said about the wild train,
nor did the operator show the order he
had received earlier to hold the train
until the wild train passed. Thus, fifty
late, the train was started out
to its destruction. without any knowl-
edge of wild train being on the road.