The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-10-08
Tao Postal Clerks and II Brake.
man are Instantly Killed,
AND SEVERAL ARE INJURED.
The st. Louis Express Runs
into Il Freight, with
Frlghful Results. =
Caused by the Gross CareIesSness
Oh the Part Of Somebody.

WASHINGTON, u. u, OCt. line Cln'
cinpati and st. Louis express which left
,bc Baltimore * Ohio Station in this city
n nI0:i0 last night, collided with an East
hound freight train from Martinsburg,
", Va. near Dickerson, killing three
men and injuring six others.
Gg almost a miracle the passengers all
escaped uninjurcd. A mile west Of
Dickeron station the road makes sharp
turn and then goes down steep grade
iaadccp cut, the bank being twenty feet
Or more above the level OF the tracks.
Around this curve the train dashed
ss. before midnight and began its de-
rent, gathering gmomentum each second.
The freight train which had orders to
remain on switch at Tuscarara, one
mile beyond, until the express passed,
bala lev bnutes mefore left the switch
and was toiIing up grade. Suddenly
there was flash OF headlights and the
tnnmen on the two engines were ap.
pallci at the coming disaster, which
they immediately saw could not be
avoided The two engines were almost
upon each other, and the engineers saw
tia, nothing could be done and that it
was useless to apply the brakes.
"Iunp, bows shouted Engineer j,
f. Wclch, OF the freight train, as he
sprans from his cab to the side OF the
track, but his fireman, J. II. Virts, had
no time to get from his place at the fur
nlcc, and George Ridenbaugh, brake
man, who was also on the engine, was
50 oplraIyzcd with fear that he was un-
able to heed the engineers admonition.
J. W. c. Hand, fireman OF the passenger
train, jumped and escaped uninjured.
10 an instant the two engines came TO-
gctLcrwith such velocity that they stood
locked together on the track and formed
base upon which was piled in con-
fusion pyramid twenty feet high, con-
siS.ing OF three wrecked freight cars,
two express cars, the mail car and bag
gage ear. These cars acted rs buffer
Tor the passenger coaches attached to
the western bound express, and though
tile passengers were
VIOLENTLY THROWN FORWARD
they all escaped uninjured. The pas
SINGERS Immediately set to work to ex-
triratcthe trainmen from the debris, and
awrccking train arriving few hours
later assisted in the work. At 3 o'clock
this afternoon the track was not yet free
IRON debris although all the men had
been gotten out.
THE VICTIMS.
The killed are:
WILLIAM II. WILEY, n postal clerk, OF
Grafton, W. Va.
JoHS CASEY, postal clerk, OF Wash
iaron, D. c.
GE2RGE l!lDESnAUGH, brakeman, OF
Berlin, Nd.
The I'M jurcd are:
ENGINEER JosErH JEFFERIEs, Of the
express train.
J. II. NIRTS, fireman OF the freight.
THOMAS LANDoN, conductor OF the ex-
press train.
AC. C0OoE, postal clerk.
l.. W. GORDON, express messenger.
S.N. Jackson, postal clerk, OF Fair
mont, W. Va.
Tie bodies of the killed were brought
to this city and those Of Wiley and Rid
cnbaueh were subsequently shipped to
their late homes. Itis not thought that
any Of the wounded are badly injured
cxcem Nirts, who WAS much bruised,
and Engineer Jeileries, who was severe
y scaIdcd about the head and neck and
'nay die. Jelleries was found in his cab
underneath the wreck, and strange to
Sly, would have escaped uninjured but
Ior the escaping steam.
The accident was due TO u mistake on
The part ot the freight train. They say
lhey had orders to lay on the switch at
iascarara and wait for two sections OF
Tue Pittsburgh express, and the express
Tram, which caused the collision, to pass.
ihcy had been on duty continually for
lhlrty.SiX hours, they say, and after see
Shg the first section OF the Pitts
purSh express pass had gone
10 sleep at their posts to Sc
cure little sleep. They awoke us
thc second section Numbered by, and
Us It was running on the schedule time
Of the Cincinnati & st. Louis express,
They thought it was the train which had
!ast passed, and therefore pulled out Of
lhe siding and down the single track.
senator Voorhees, and Postmaster Dal-
ION, Of the House Of Representatives,
were On the train on their way to indi-