Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-21
THE WRECK IN VIRGINIA.
RUNNING FORTY MILES AN
HOUR ON A CURVE.

/
UniDjured.
| WASHINGTON. Feb. 20.-The north
| bound passenger train No. 81 of the Vir-
| ginia Midland Railroad, which cOllided
with the south bound freight train of the
Baltimore and Potomac Railroad at Four
Mile Run, about three miles north of AL
eXandria, about 10 O'Clock last night, was
| due here at 1903, and was on time.
1t had the right of way. The train was
made up of the engine, mail, express,
baggage, one passenger and two sleeping
cars. AS the passenger train emerged
| from the Viaduct at FOur-Mile Run it was
struck by the freight train. The latest re-
| port from the scene of the collision makes
| it certain that
! FOUR MEN WERE KILLED
in the accident, with the probability that
one other who is missing is burned under
the wreck. The killed are all train hands,
| and are: Thomas Darley, of Alexan dria.
| fireman on the Virginia Midland passen-
ger train; Andrew Augur, of Washing
| ton, conductor of the freight train; George
| Freer, OF Washington, engineer of the
| freight train, and Stewart, of Washing
ton, brakeman on the freight train.
The missing man is ThOs. Maloney, of
| W bOL3 uI6I1du Vi bue IIelRuB bTdlDs
who is supposed to be buried under his
engine.
The seriously injured are John Bruce,
of Alexandria, engineer of the passenger
train, who had one of his legs badly in
Jured, had finger cut off and is gener.
ally badly bruised; Richard o. Stone, of
| Baltimore, express messenger, seriously
injured about the body; Gaylord, mail
WeIgher; Jones, Stewart, McNeal and
| Franey, postal clerks; and a brakeman
on the freight train whose name could not
| be learned.
None of the passengers were seriously
| injured, though several were badly shaken
up and received slight bruises, among the
latter being Rev. DR.. Bliss, of Philadel-
| phla, who was cut ABOUT the face.
THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT
is not yet clear. 1t occurred just north of
the Viaduct which carries the Chesa-
| peake and Ohio canal across the Balti-
more and Potomac Railroad track. The
line has double track up to within 200
yard on either side of the Viaduct. but
only single track runs under the arch of
the viaduct. The trains leave a double
track on either side by automatic
switches, which work two sets of signal
blocks, one on each side of the Viaduct.
The rule upon which the trains are run at
| this point is that the train which first
strikes the signal block has the right of
way. When one train strikes the switch
red light is shown to any tram ap-
preaching from the opposite direction.
AS THE TRAINS CAME TOGETHER
on the single track, just about half way
between the blocks, it is supposed they
must have struck the termini of the
switch at about the same time. Engineer
Bruce, Of the passenger train, says thai
when he struck the switch the signal was
that the line was open. He says that as
his train passed on the single track he
saw the headlight of the freight, and that
the tram appeared to him to be at a stand
still. There is a dip in the track just
at the point where the accident occurred,
and railroad men who have been at the
scene express the opinion that, owing to
the light snow on the track, the engineer
of the freight was unable to check the
speed of his train in time to prevent the
collision.
THE PASSENGER TRAIN
was the through mail from Danville and
consisted of the engine, express car, mail
car, baggage car, smoking car, one day
passenger coach and two sleepers. 1t
was in charge of Pilot G. S. Bennett, of
Alexandria, and the passengers were in
charge of Conductor }. T.Wilkins, also of 4
Alexandria. There We're about 10 pas
sengers on board. The passenger train
was due in Washington at 0:25 D. m. 1t
left Lyncbburg an hour and half late,
but made up the time on the way, leaving
Alexandria, four miles south of the scene
OF the accident, 20 minutes late. 1t was
making up time when the collision Oc-
Cured and was
RUNNING 40 MILES AN HOUR.
The freight train consisted of about 90
cars, two of them laden with oil, and the
others with general merchandise. Within
few minutes from the time the collision
occurred, the wreck took fire from the
engines, and all the freight cars and
broken cars of the passenger train were
burned up. The passengers assisted the
train men to push the passenger coaches
back out Of danger. The contents of the
express car were totally destroyed, and
the , safes which it carried were so badly
injured by the fire it is supposed their
contents are destroyed. 1t is not known
what the express cOmpanY's loss will be,
but it is supposed to be heavy. The ex-
press company is now making inquiries
to ascertain what the car held.
When the collision occurred the en-
gines reared up and fell over, one on each
side of the track,
COMPLETELY SMASHED UP,
None of the freight cars were derailed
The postal car was telescOped on the ten
der of the engine and the express Car,
which was next to it, was smashed into
splinters under the baggage car, which
came behind it, and which ran up over it,
The smoker was badly wrecked, but neith-
er of the other three coaches was at all
damaged.
Bruce, the driver of the passenger en-
gine, was thrown clear of the wreck down
the embankment and was picked up in
an insensible condition by train hands
several feet away from the track. He
says he don't know how he got out of the
cab. Darley, the fireman of the passen-
ger train, seems to have been killed in
stantly. Only a portion of his body was
recovered, and that was taken from
UNDER THE BOILER OF HIS ENGINE.
There were two messengers in the ex-
press car. One of them, r. H. Dellett,
was thrown clear off the embankment and
ON to the ice-cOvered river, 20 feet distant |
He picked himself up, not seriously hurt,
and, coming back to the wreck, dragged
the other messenger, Il. o. Stone, out of
the ruins Of the express car. The postal |
clerks were jammed up in the wreck of |
their car, and Gaylord, mail weigher,
HAD TO BE CUT OUT,
he having been caught in the wreckage.
Lemuel RObey, baggage master, escaped |
uninjured, although ffty-odd trunks in
his car were broken to pieces. The con-
ductor of the freight, Aygur, was found |
lying in the wreck of the passenger |
train. 1t is thought that he was on top |
of one of the forward cars of his train |
and was thrown off by the force of the |
cOncussiOn. He died few minutes after |
he was picked up. Freer, the driver of |
the freight engine, seems to have
sTAID AT HIS POST
until the engines crashed together. His |
remains, scarcely recognizable, were |
drawn out from under his engine. The |
body of his fireman (Maloney) is sup |
posed to have been burnt UP in the wreck |
of the engine. Stewart. the brakeman on |
the freight, was picked up from beside |
the wreck of the passenger train, still |
living, but died in a few minutes. Another |
brakeman on the freight train had his |
toes cut off.
FEARFUL DESTRUCTION OF MAIL MATTER. |
The postal officials say the collision on |
the Virginia Midland Railroad last night |
caused the largest loss of mail matter of /
which there is any record in the depart
ment. The fire which resulted from the |
collision destroyed thirteen through regis |
tered mail pouches coming from New Or
leans, Mobile and other points in the /
South, and destined for Washington, New
York and Eastern cities. These pouches (
are known to have contained money and |
valuables, but to what amount cannot yet |
be ascertained. The fire also destroyed |
100 sacks of ordinary mail matter, a heavy |
miscellaneous mail, and 1S0 registered /
letters taken up for delivery along the
line and not enclosed in pouches. The |