The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-13
A MISPLACED SWITCH.
A B. & 0. Passenger Train Derailed-Mrs. NJ
l., Wells Among the Injured.

PfTTsauRG, Pa, Nov. ia frightful wreck
occurred at the Bluestone quarry, on the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad at l o'clock this morning
Train No. IL, the through express from Balti-
more to Pittsburg, consisting of sleeper, two
coaches, two baggage and one express car, ran
into a misplaced switch and completely
wrecked The sleeper rolled over the embank
ment into the Youghioeheny river. The other
cars were upset, and the whole train was de,
tached from the engine Sixteen persons were
injured, but none were killed outright The
names Of the injured are
Hon. c. E. Boyle. member of Congress, from
the Fayette district Hon. John Bowling, col
lector of internal revenue for the Twenty
third district; j. N. McJiton, legal agent
OF the Baltimore & Ohio company; Hon.
q. b.. Bigler, collector of internal rev.
enue for the Twenty-second dis .rict:
j. Foy, Boston, foot hurt; John Sheridan, Pied
mont, Va, right arm cut; B. Shains, New York.
right hand and back hurt slightly; Mrs M. L.
Wells. Indianapolis leg sprained; Charles Hirsch,
New York, shoulder hurt and scalp wound; f.
w. Young, New York, back and leg sprained;
Joseph E. Dallan, Brooklyn, HANDS cut; Mrs.
Lucy Moffett Sewick.ey, Pa, hands burned; S.
II. WERNER. Garrett Pa, believed to be in
jured internally; Mrs. Dyer Pittsburg, back
sprained; c. F. Iddings, scalp wound and head
bruised F. McGraw, badly cut; unknown man.
hands burned.
None of the wounded are believed to be
dangerously injured. unless it is Congressman
Boyle, whose condition is not known, but is be-
lieved to be serious. j. N. McJiltons ankle was
badly sprained and Collectors Bowling and
Bgler were slightly bruised. The report of the
wreck reached this city about o'clock this
morning and caused great excitement, as it was
-.
were expected on the train. The accident dis
arranged the telegraph wires, and it was after
10 o'clock before the following particulars of the
accident were received:
The express was about fifteen minutes late
when it reached the place where the wreck
Cured. At Bluestone quarry the track makes
sharp turn around the river a short distance
back from the bank. There is a switch at the
commencement of the curve Whether some
one had left this switch open or not, is not yet
ascertained. The officials of the road say that
it was tempered with, evidently with the object
in view Of causing wreck. Had the switch
been open. the train would have gone into it all
right. and could have been stopped before any
damage had been done. AS it was the train
could go neither track. The result was that
the engine dashed along the ties, tearing up the
track, and causing the coaches and s!eepers to
break loose, and dash on over the embankment
in the widest confusion. The sleeper rolled
over and over, and stopped with its side lying in
the bed of the river thirty feet below The two
passenger coaches stopped at the waters edge.
The baggage went into the water. There
were many passengers on the train, and the
scene that followed was that beggars de-
scription. The cries of the injured and manned
were heard from every car; frightened passen-
gers sprang from windows and struggled with
each other to escape from the rolling cars; walls
| of pain were heard from some who had been
caught and held within the wreck. Those who
| escaped without injury were too startled, for
time, to render assistance. Then they began
the work of rescue. messenger was sent to
Connellsville for medical assistance and in
short time corps of physicians sent upon
special train. After dressing the wounds of the
injured they were removed to the hotels at Con-
nellsville. where they received every attention
that could be given them by the railroad com
pany.
The wreck caused great excitement in Con-
nellsvie, and for hours afterward people hur-
red to the scene of the accident. The track was
bockaded and torn up so badly that no trains
got through until this afternoon.
In addition to the sixteen before reported the
following persons were slightly injured in the
wreck near Connelsville this morning: J. A.
Kelly, Grin Van Meter. Pittsburg George Lane,
England; John Younker, Connellsville
Congressman Boyle is very seriously hurt but
will probably recover. He was taken to his
home at Uniontown. Grin Van Meter. by his
heroic action, saved the car from taking fire. and
perhaps some of the passengers from death.
When the train jumped the track he grabbed
the stove with a death-like grip, and held on
until the reached the foot of the embank-
ment, and let go to find the flesh burned off from
his hands and arms