Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-05-15
FIFTBEN MEN KILLED.
Collision OF Trains ON tho baltimore
Ohio RatIronn.


On Wednesday morning west bound
Baltimore and Ohio freight train, round.
ing q short curve near tho Speer Sand
works, a mile east Of Conncllsvillo, crush
ed into an east bound construction train,
killing fifteen OF the occupants and
wounding many others.
The construction train consisted of six
camp cars, containing forty six laborers,
who had just been transferred from the
Pittsburg Southern road to work on the
east end. They had left Conuellsville
fifteen minutes before, with orders from
the train runner to run wild to Ohio Pyle
falls, their destination, eighteen miles dis
tant.
When tho operator issued the order he
forgot that the second section of train No.
so, the east bound freight, had the right
of way, and was even then speeding west
ward. Scarce had the train left than ho
realized his awful error and fastened to
repair 1t, If possible. Seizjng the key Of
the instrument he fcverishly called Gibson,
the nearest telegraph station, but the camp
train had just passed that point.
He then called Indian Creek, the station
| still beyond, and asked the operator to
stop second section No. so Again no was
| too late, and as the enormity OF his error
dawned upon him he sank white, limp aud
helpless to the floor. The ill-fated trains
| approached each other at q moderate rate
| of speed, but by somo pcrverse freak of
fortune they met not where they could
have seen each other for some distance
and, perhaps, have averted the full measure
of the horror that involved them, but on q
short curve wherc neither train could be
seen until they were literally on top of
| each other.
The Trains Telescope
| The locomotives held the track and
telescoped each other into tho stacks. The
| tender OF the freight engine, impelled by
| the tremendous momentum Of the train,
which contained q cars Of iron ore, was
thrown up in the air, and alightcd on top
of the engine. The engineer escaped, but
| the fireman, Thomas . Shea, was caught
beneath the tank and held upon the heated
boiler, amid the escaping steam, until he
was horribly burned. He subsequently
| died while being taken to tho hospital NJ
| Pittsburg. The tender of the camp train
took the opposite direction, alightinS upon
the roof of the first car, which was filled
up with hunks aud used by the men as
| dorrlltory.
AS near as can be learned fifteen men
! were in this car when the accident occur
! red-three of whom escaped. The car took
fire from an overturned stove, and of the
remainder, those who were not killed out
right were burned to death Iu the second
coach, also dormitory, Pat Cassidy was
struck by beam aud killed instantly.
| The entire top of his skull was torn OF.
In this car also, Scott DermOtt received
internal wounds that caused his death q
few hours after.
The wounded were carried out and ten
iarly plrpi Two rbvgirinvs hagtiIy
summoned from Counellsyille, bouGd up
their wounds AMI set their broken bones.
UnrecognIEADle Romans.
The remains Of Cassidy and Dermott
| are the only ones recognizable. Cassidy
was In the second car from the engine and
was killed outright. . portion Of the skull
being knocked OFT. OF the twelve others
the charred and blackened trunks Of but
| eight were recognized, and mono Of them
| can be Identified. With the exception of
Burns and Clay all tho above were sent to
the West Pennsylvania hospital, together
with four Swedes, whose names could not
be learned aud whose Injuries aTo not CON
sidered dangerous. Quite large number
Of those who escaped bear the marks of
the disaster, in the shape Of scratches and
bruises, but with the exceptions named
none are severely hurt.
| The scene at the wreck just before noon
was horrible. In the centre of q pile OF
glowing embers, sitting upright, was tho
grinuing features of partial skeleton.
At its feet lay number OF oharred and
blackened trunks. By 3 o'clock the
wreck was cleared away, and the half
cooked stumps of eight bodies were drawn
from the ashes. These were carefully
laid together and taken TO Connellsville.
The wreckers, in clearing away the debris,
found upwards Of s200 in gold and the
remains OF gold watch. 1t is known
that many of the men held the savings OF
years Of toll in leather belts which they
wore about their waists, and it Ia suspect
not been recovered.