New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-08
DOWN GRADE TO DEATH.
THE ST. LOUIS EXPRESS DASHES INTO AN
EASTBOUND FREIGHT TRAIN.
THREE TRAINMEN KILLED AND SIX OTHERS IN
JURED-NOT A SINGLE PASSENGER HURT
THE DISASTER INVITED BY THE
FREIGHT TRAINMEN. WHO

THE DISASTER INVITED Df LIE
FREIGHT TRAINMEN. WHO
SLEPT AT THEIR POSTS
WASHINGTON Oct THE Cincinnati and ST.
Louis express train which left the Baltimore ana
Ohio station in this city at 10:45 o'clock last
night whircd past Dckerson Station, twenty
seven miles from here on the metropolitan branch
Of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad shortly be-
fore midnight at high speed, ran sharply around q
curve about mile west OF the station, ana WIN
accelerated speed ran down heavy grade ana
dashed, with hardly a moments warning and with
fearful force. into an eastbound freight Train from
Martinsburg, w. Va, Three trainmen were killed
and six others were injured. BY almost miracle
the passengers all escaped uninjured.
The express left Washington on time but lost
time owing to trouble with the engine short
distance out of the city, and then ran ahead at q
speed Of forty miles an hour to catch up. mile
west of Dickerson Station the road makes q sharp
turn and then goes down a heavy grade in deep
cut the banks being twenty feet or more above
the level of the tracks. Around this curve the
train sped Just before midnight and began its
descent, gathering momentum each second The
freight train, which had orders to remain on q
switch at Tuscarora, one mile beyond, until the
express passed, had few minutes before left
the switch, and was slowly toiling up
grade. Suddenly there was fash of
were appalled, at the coming disaster, which they
at once saw could not be avoided. The two en-
gIncs were almost upon each other and the en-
gineers saw that nothing could be done and that
it was useless to apply the brakes.
"Jump. boys!" shouted J. Il. Wech, engineer
OF the freight train, as he sprans from his CAP
to the side of the track; but his fireman, D. L.
Virts, had no time to get from his place at the
furnace, and George Rhdenbaugh, brakeman,
who was also on the engine, was 50 paralyzcd WIN
fear that he was unable to heed the engineers
warning j. w c. Hand fireman Of the passen-
ger train, Jumped and escaped uninjured In an
instant the two engines came together with such
fearful velocity that they stood locked together
on the track and formed "a base upon when was
piled in confusion a pyramid twenty 1eet high'
consisting of three wrecked freight cars, TWO
express cars the NAL car and baggage car
These cars acted a buffer for the passenger
coaches attached to the western-bound express,
and thourh the passengers were violently thrown
forward. they all escaped unnured. The pasSen-
GERS Immediately set to work to cXtricate the
trainmen from the ruins, and a wrecklng train
arriving few hours later assisted in the work AT
o'clock this afternoon the track was not yet free
althoup Oh all the men had been gotten out.
The killed are:
| CASEY JOHN postal clerk, Washington.
RIDENBAUGH, GEORGE. brakeman, Berlin Nd.
| WILEY WILLIAM H., postal clerk, Fairmouns, W. va
The injured men are:
| CROOK A. c., postal clerk washington
| GORDON. L. w, express messenger, Baltimore.
| JACKSON ii. NJ. postal clerk, Baltimore
JEFFRIEs. JOSEPH engineer OF the express tran'
Baltimore.
LANDON, THOMAS conductor of the express train.
Baltimore. ,,
yIRrs, j. d. fireman Of the freight train, Baltimore
The bodies of the men who were killed were
brought to this city, and those OF whey anu
Ridenbaugh were subsequently sent to their homes
| in Baltimore, with the exception OF A =. CrooH'
who lives in Washington. 1t is not thought that
any of them are badly injured except Vlrts' VINO
was much bruised and shaken up. and Jerries' the
| engineer who was severely scalded about the
head and neck and may die Jeffries was found
in bis cab underneath the wreck, and, strange to
say. would have escaped totally uninjured but for
the escaping steam.
Tho accident was due TO a mistake on the part
of the freight tranmen. They say they had orders
70 Law of on the switch at Tuscarora, and wall
for the two sections Of the Pttsburg express
train. and the Cincinnati and St Louis express 10
pass. The trainmen had been on duty continu-
ouslv for thirty-six hours they say and after
| seeing the first section Of the Pittsourg express
pass bv had gone to sleep at their posts to secure
a little rest. They awolSc as the second section
! thundered bv and as it was running on the
| schedule time of the Cincinnati and 81 Louis
express. they thought it was the tram whcn ma nau
just passed and therefore pulled ouo Oh 'lo si'ne
| and came down the single track . .
| Senator Voorhees, and Mr.. Dalton, postmaster OF
the House of Representatives were on the tram on
their way to Indiana.