The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-05-15
A, Collision Between q Freight
and Gravel Train.
Gar Filled with Laborers Catches
Fire from a Stove,
And Fifteen Of the Number Burned
to Crisps.
The GhastIy Sightof Grinniug and
Charrcd Skeletons.
Twelve Persons Badly II not Ser.
Ously Injured. as

tiiisbuRdn, Ia, May l4-A weat.boUnu
freight colllded with tho gravel train n
tho Baltimore & Ohio road, one mile east
Of Connellsvillo, between o and 10 o'clock
This morning. A number OF laborers, vari-
oualy estimated at from twelve to twenty,
were killed and many were einjured. The
scene OF the disaster is on a sharp curve
Just west Of the Speer Sand Works The
irelght train was heavily laden with ore.
The camp train consisted OF ak cars and
contained about fifty men. who had just
heen transferred from the Pittsburgh
Southern road and were on their way TO
Ohio PyleFalls to work On The grading Tor
4 uoubio track on the east end OF this divi-
sion. Both .traina were. running fast and
came together with a. terrible crasli.s Tha :
engines remained on the track and tele.
scoped each other into the smoke stacks.
but the heavy tendcrs jumped into the air
and fell, the freight tender upon the en-.
glne: and the gravel train tender back upon
the first car in the rear OF II. ffss '-D--oa
.H tE A SCENE OF DEATH.
Here was scene OF death, tho car catch /,
ing fire from the overturned steye and
burning up before the stupe led survivore
could comprehend the awful situation Of
their shrieking companions.
Ihree men escaped from tho car and one
81 them assured reporter that tha fire
could nave been extiuguished had water
been applied in time. The wreck itself was
ghoStly sight. The tender OF the freight
engine stood thirty feet in the air ct the
side OF the iron car that was burned, and
there could be ecen sitting amid the glow
ing embors, twisted iron rods and dead
ashes, the grinning skeletons, one
aittng bolt upright apparently peer
ing into the flames that had
smothered out his lie, rs we'll as those of
hls companions: 1t is impossible at this
writing to set lis! OF the dead and wound
ed, but it Is known that John Neville, John
Ward, John Carey and John Hughes were
burned. Pat Cassady, who was in Vie sec
ond car, was Instantly killed. Another,
named Shay, who wa1 injured, has just
died. at noon large force Of shop hands
we're on the ground extipguiahing the
flames, and the Treck-train was at work
pulling the debris away and removing the
cnarred remalng. . '.nT ~.
iiEADLEss, LEGLFss AND AR,lLE:s TRUNKS.
The burned trunks OF four OF the victims
have just been taken out. Acrcss the
breast Of one tho white .unsinged flesh
contrasts strangely with the blacliened sur
roundings: That spot wgs where the
heavy timbera caught him and held hold
OF him in the grip Of fate until the flames
lett nothing but the hesdless, armlegs and
legess trunk. The remeins were reyerently
placed on board, carried aside
and laid down upon the green
graas spotted with purple forest flowers,
A lean and hungry looking mountain dog
shifted tho roasted flesh and licking his
chopa descended upon the remains. For
tunately he waH discovered and driven
away. ltis expected that the wreck will
be cleared up this evening. Tho officials
decline to say who is to blame, but popu-
lar opinion puts it on one Of the train run.
ners. 1t may have been mistaken un.
derstanding OF orders. The trus cause will
not be known for day or two. In tho
meantime a thorough investigation has
been ordered. .--... -. I'LL
When the wreck WIS cleared away it
Was discovered that twelve persons had
been injured, and fourteen more missing.
Tho bodies OF ten OF these were recovered.
The others ere supposed to: have. been en-
entirely consumed. OF those recovered
only two, Cassiday and Dermott could be
positively identified. The others were
burned into shapelees mass. One OF the
injured, J. T. Oshea, died on the way to
the hospital, making fifteen desthH, as fol.