Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-29
RAILROAD DISASTER.
4 TRIPLE COLLISION ON THE PENN
SYLVANIA Road WEDNESDAY,.

At Least Thirty Cars Wrecked and Man.
Persons Killed and wounded-Ths
Wreck Takes Fire from the Stacking
of Lime, and Many Probably Burned
to Death.
PITrsBURG, June 25.-A triple collision o.
freight trains occurred near Latrobe, Pa.
on the Pennsylvania railroad this morning
Thirty cars were wrecked and seven persons
killed, four of them being unknown tramps
At the hour named the west-bound freight
train left Latrobe and had just reached q
bridge, 30 yards west, when it collided with
an extra freight coming in the opposite di'
rection.
Another east-bound freight train was
standing on the sidetrack on the bridge and
the wrecked trains dashed against it, caus.
ing one locomotive and number OF cars
to 60 over the embankment into the creek,
q distance OF fifty feet. Engineer Caldwell
and his fremen were instantly killed. Their
bodies are still in the creek. Brakeman
Miller was terribly crushed and will die.
The bodies OF four tramps were taken from
the wreck. The loss to the company will
be very heavy.
A dispatch from Greensburg, ten miles
from LaTrobe states that q party OF
thirty.five workmen from Johnstown were
stealing their way home on the train when
the accident occurred, and that
THE WRECK CAUGHT FIRE
from a lime bed and the men cremated.
The story is not credited here, and the
Pennsylvania railroad officials know moth.
ing OF it.
PITTsBURG,, June 26.-James Flanagan
and companion, whose name could not be
learned, were brought from the wreck to
this city this afternoon. Flanagan was
returning from Johnstown as . lahorer.
He says twelve persons were on the car
with him. He could not say whether they
escaped or not. Flanagan 10 seriously
bruised, and his companion is unconscious
and it is thought is fatally hurt.
GREENsBuRe, Pa, June 26.-Ths wreck
at Latrobe, this morning, was thrilling in
the extreme. It is probable 35 to 40 lives
we're lost. Only four or FIVE bodies have
been taken from the wreck. They were un.
known. Engineer Cardwell and his fireman
are still under the wreck, and the chances
are the bodies will not be reached to-day.
Thirty-one cars went down and are piled
one upon the other in the water. The con.
ductor OF the freight train states that in all
probability thirty or forty men are
STILL UNDER TEE WRECK,
as he put off at Derry station about forty.
five men coming from Johnstown. When
he moved out great many got on again.
A carload OF lime was in the center OF the
train. 1t was the last to 60 down, and was
scattered over the pile OF shattered cars.
Then the debris took fire and is still burn.
ing Arms aud legs OF victims can be seen
protruding from the debris. No member OF
the crew rem aiu to tell OF those who went |
down.
The killed, as far as known, are Elmer |
Caldwell, engineer, OF Mano, Pa.
Fralock, fireman.
Hugh Kelley OF Philadelphia.
Four unknown tranps.
The injured are John Brown, Thos. Mil |
Ier, James Flanagan, John Clarey, Peter /
Monday, John Mullen, John Howard, all /
OF Pittsburg; J ohm Thomas OF McKeesport; /
7. T. Miller, OF Pittsburg; and Lewis WILDE, /
OF eastern Indiana.
A later dispatch states that more than |
half OF the men on the train were rescued,
and the killed will not exceed twelve or i'll /
teen.
LATER PARTICULARs-MANY BODIES IN THE |
WRECK.
LArRoBR, June 26.-The debris OF the
wreck which occurred on the Pennsy lvania /!
railroad here, this morning, is being rapidly |
cleared away. At s O'Clock tonight ten |
dead bodies had been recovered. Those Of
engineer Caldwell and George Fralech, fire. |
man, have not yet been found, but it 10 ex- |
pected they will be reached before long. A |
dozen men were more or less injured, |
several of whom, it is expected, will not re. |
cover.
1t is almost certain that from twenty-five |
to thirty people were killed in the wreck.
The water in the creek at the point where |
the accident occurred is twelve feet deep, |
and it is expected that ten or twelve bodies
are in the bottom OF the creek, held there
by the wreckage.
John Miller, the iagman on the freight
train, stated that the
PROPER SIGNALS WE'RE GIVEN
when the position OF the shifter was dis
covered, and engineer Caldwell answered,
but his speed was too high.
When the ill-fated train left Bolivar
about forty workmen boarded her, but the
conductor put them off at Derry. When
the train left there a great many OF them
boarded it again. Four OF those injured
were taken from one car. and it is stated
that eleven others we're in the Car, and in
another box car, it was stated by one OF
the rescued, there were fifteen or twenty
men. One or two bodies were taken from
the way train terribly burned by the lime
with which they we're covered.
At O'Clock tonight the work OF clearing
the debris was stopped until tomorrow
morniDg.