Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-27
TWENTY-FIVE PERSONS KILLED.
Triple Collision of Freight Trains on
the PennsyIvania Road,

PITTsBuRa, June 26.-A triple collision Of
freight trains occurred near Latrobe, Pa,
forty miles east of this city, on the Pennsyl-
vania road, about $3.50 this morning. Thirty
cars were wrecked and seven persons killed.
four of them unknown tramps Engineer
Caldwell and his firemen are supposed to
have been killed Instantly. Their bodies
are still in the creek where the locomotive
fell. Brakeman Miller was fatally crushed
The cause of the accident Is not known. The
loss to the railroad company will be heavy.
A dispatch just received from Greensburg,
ten miles from Latrobe, states that party
of about thirty-fve workmen from Johns
town were stealing a ride on q freight train
when the accident occurred. The wreck
caught fire from lime bed and the men were
cremated. The story is not credited here
and the Pennsylvania railroad officials know
nothing of 1t. James Flanagan and COM
panion, who was fatally injured, were
brought from the wreck to this city this after
noon. Flanagan, who is returning Johns
town laborer, says twelve persons were on
the car with him at the time of the collision,
but he could say nothing whatever as to
their escape.
GREENsBURa, Pa, June 28.-It Is probable
that thirty-five or forty lives were lost in the
railroad wreck at Latrobe this morning.
Only four or five bodies have been taken
from the pile of cars yet. Thirty-one cars
went over the bridge and are piled one upon
another in the water. The conductor of the
lTelBuU StuleS JuuU III pTOUdUlllUN tDlFIy OF
forty men are still under the wreck. He put
off at Derry station about forty-tive men
who were coming from Johnstown. He
states that when he moved out a great many
OF them got on again, aud it is more than
likely the killed will reach the number
stated. A car load of lime in the center of
the train was the last to go down and it was
scattered over the pie of shattered cars.
Then the debris took fire, and notwithstand-
ing the efforts of the people.to put out the
flames, it is still burning. Arms and legs of
victims can be seen protruding from tn o
wreck.
LATRoBE, June 26.--The debris of the
wreck which occurrid on the Pennsylvania
railroad here this morning IS being rapidly
cleared away. At s o'cl3ck tonight ten dead
bodies had been recovered. Those of Engi-
neer Caldwell and George Frelich, fireman,
have not yet been found but it is expected
they will be reached before long. About
dozen men were more or less injured, several
of when, it Is expected, will not recover. 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 ac-
cident 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
II. Miller, hagman on the freight, states that
the proper signals were given when the posi-
tion of the shifter was. discovered, and En-
gineer Caldwell answered, but the speed
was too high. When tho ill-fated train left
Bofver about forty wo 'kmen boarded her,
but the conductor put them off at Derry.
Four injured men taken from one car stated
that eleven others were IN another box car
1t is stated by one OF the rescued that there
were fifteen or twenty men. One or two of
the bodies taken from the wreck were hor-
ribly burned by the lime which covered the
wreck. AT O'Clock tonight the work of
clearing the debris was stopped until to-
morrow morning