Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-03-20
A RAILROAD SMASH UP
On the Pennsylvania Yesterday
Morning.
wITHueHTNINe SPEED DOWN GRADE
Dash Twenty Freight Cars and Pile
Up, Killing One and lniuring
Three Men.
ANOTHER WRECK NEAR PAoLL

PlTrsBURG, March ia most disas-
trous freight wreck occurred near Gallltzen
Station, los miles east of this city, on the
Pennsylvania railroad, at 2 o'clock
this morning. An unusually heavy
east-bound freight train had reach
ed the summit of the mountains at
Gallitzen. While the extra locomotive
called the "pusher" was being detached a
portion of the machinery of the forward To-
comotive is supposed to have become dis
arranged, and the train started
down the very heavy mountain
grade. The engineer was unable
to regain control over it, and it continued on
its runaway course, gradually increasing Its
speed. About mile from the Summit of the
mountain the train had attained the fearful
velocity of fifty miles an hour. For tbe next
two miles it continued down the steep grade
at its fearful velocity. The engineer and
trainmen realized that it would De almost
certain death if they jumped from the train.
and they clung to their posts IN the hope
that the cars would not jump the track be-
fore the end OF the grade was reached.
At Allegripus, three miles from Gsllit-
zen, the locomotive jumped the track. The
velocity of the train was then so great that
they literally piled up over the locomotive,
and the caboose and several other cars IN
the rear were swung over and ahead OF the
engine on the main track. There were
twenty cars in the train, every one OF which
was complete wreck. They were loaded
with grain and merchandise. The contents
were scattered along the road for fully two
hundred yards The engine was so COM
pletely demolished that pieces of it were
mixed sll through the debris Of the cars.
Those OF the crew who had miraculously
escaped being seriously injured, at once set
to work TO release their imprisoned com
panionions. Flagman j. Michaels, who
lives at Altoona, had been on the caboose
at the time CT the accident. The sides of
the car were crushed in, and had badly
mspsled him. After hard work he was
taken out, when it was found that in addi-
ton to being crushed about the arms and
legs he had been injured internally. He
died two hours later. Engineer Cox, Con-
OuCtOT nHICH anu Ilrcmdu DuLSlu nCLS
also seriously, though not fatally, injured,
The remains of Michaels and the injured
men were taken to Altoona as soon as a re-
lief train reached the scene of the acci-
dent.
The main track was 80 badly torn up, with
the debris of the freight piled upon it, that it
took the large relief gang over three hours
to clear even passage way for the through
passenger trains. The first section of the
Western express, due at sos am, did not
reach the city until after II o'clock. The
other two sections followed shortly afterward.
Several of the passengers who came in on
it stated to the writer that it was the most
complete wreck they had ever seen. The
locou olive had been completely stripped OF
all The woodwork on it, and the machinery
was scattered around and twisted into every
conceivable shape At Superintendent
Pitcairn's office it was learned that the
cause of the wreck had not been determined
as vet, but that the matter would be fully in
vestigated. 1t was generally attributed,
however, to break in the machinery OF the
engine attached to the train.