The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-09-15
TERRIBLE RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
Two Trains Collide and Thirteen Per-
sons Killed
And Many Others Seriously Wound
ed-One of the Cars TeIescoped.

SILVER CREEK, N. Y, Sept. 14.-Thirteer
persons were killed and as many more hur
by collision of the Niagara Falls excur
sion train, and local freight train ON the
| Nickel Plate railroad near here at IL O'Clock
| this forenoon. The trains came together iI
| cut on curve. Engineer Lewis Brewer
| of the excursion, and William Harris Of the
| freight and their firemen saved themselves
| by jumping. The excursion train consisted
| of baggage car, smoker and eleven coaches
| No passengers were hurt but those in the
| smoking car, which was completely tele-
scoped by the baggage car. The killed are
John Myers, W. w. Loomis, David Sharp,
w. w. Rostatter, Chas. Hirsch, and Mr..
Lyphire Of Erie; Henry Goddard and son,
j. +. Gedhard of PiItsburg; Stephen Cam
eron, mayor of Waterford, Penn, John So
der of Pittsburg; William Reynolds of Dun
kirk; Aaron Parkhurst OF Maysvllle; and
one person not identified, thought to be a son
of Mr.. Loomis of Erie.
The wounded are: Henry Huyck of Steri-
tina, Pa, seriously, both legs being crushed !;
Samuel Tracy of Erie, head and shoulders
seriously injured; William Zimmerly of
Erie, badly injured; Louis Llnse OF Erie,
badly hurt; Martin Rostatter OF Erie, shoul.
der and leg injured; Archie Campbell Of
Erie, seriously injured; Edwin w. Marble of
Erie legs broken; Charles Schendler of
Erie, head and shoulders seriously injured; ;
Charles Diller of Erie, right leg broken and
head cut; j. p. Harrington of Erie, badly
badly bruised; Philo Linter, legs crushed;
Mr.. Coburn of Titusville, injured slightly.
Various causes are given for the collision.
Engineer Harris of the freight train is
blamed. 1t is said he had ordered to meet
the excursion train at Irving. He failed to
OhaU in CtrnptiOnS and rnnnlnQ at tnll
speed when the crash occurred. A gentle
man who was on the train says the freight
train had orders to go to Silver Creek and
the passenger train to Irving, and 1t Was
these orders that caused the collision. The
excitement among the survivors was intense,
The scenes in the smoking car were most
narrowing The first warning that was
given was a slight jar caused by heavy pres
sure of the brakers. Some OF the passengers
braced themselves in their seats, seemingly
apprehensive of danger. Then came terri
bic shock, followed by smashing of WIN
dOws and the roof of the car, and then all
was mass of bleeding and struggling hu-
manity. Men, covered with blood, were
locked in each others arms, While unQer-
meath them and on all sides lay those who
were instantly killed, crushed out of all hu-
man resemblance. The wounded crawled
out of the debris, and were assisted to
neighboring houses, The people brought
dying, and did all they could to relieve the
s1fferings Of the wounded until the arrival
of medical AID. ~ .
AS the smoker was filled with men, the re-
suit can be imagined. The people in the
other cars crowded and jostled to get away,
while the escaping steam, mingled with the
cries of the wounded and dying, made
scene that was at once awful and horrible.
Engineer Brewer of the passenger train was
not to be found, while Engineer Harris Of
the freight train at once made the claim that
he had orders to run to Silver Creek to allow
the excursion train to pass; and Brewer, 1t
is thought tearing arrest, made good his
escape.
soon after the disaster crowds came flock
ing from Silver Greek, half mile away, and
at once began the work of releasing the i'm
prisoned passengers, dying and deac. The
sides of the smoker were soon laid open
with axes and bars, disclosing the bruised
and mangled bodies lying doubled up in
every conceivable shape. Wreckers soon
arrived, accompanied by Superintendent
Kimball in a special car. With the aid Oh
jackscrews the baggage car was lifted, when
the work of removing the bodies was begun.
The correct list of the killed is as follows:
Henry Huyck, aged 20, of Starrittonla
Penn. Stephen Cuthbertson Burgess Of Wa
terford, Pa, a prominent merchant; Henry
Gebhardt of Pittsbnrg, Pa, and his son
John; David Sharp of Erie, Pa., a cripple
and his little SON. William W. Loomis. of
Erie, Pa, a we'll known shipbnilder;
of Pittsburg; w. F. Reynolds, of Dunkirk,
N. Y; Aaron Parkhurst, of Mayville, NY;
Adriel Hiedler, John Siefert and John My
ers, of Erie, Pa.
The conductor of the freight train says he
had an order to pass the excursion train at
Silver Creek. Fourteen persons were killed
in the disaster and twelve were injured.