Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-22
PERILS OF THE RAIL.
Five Lives Lost by a Collision in a
Tunnel.
BEHEADED BY CAR WHEELS.
A Washington Man Seeking His
Father-in-Law's Grave.
,.n,,z1,., - -.-
BEHEADED BY CAR WHEELS
WINDOW GLASS TRUST ORGANIZING.
SnhSH IN n IONNEL
Five Lives Lost In a Collision on the
Cincinnati Southern.

CINCINNATI, Oct pa disastrous collision
occurred at AS this morning on the Cincinnati
Southern railway in a tunnel q quarter OF a
mile north of Sloan's Valley Station. The
trains involved we're freight No. %, north
bound, and passenger No. s. south bound. No.
5 leaves Cincinnati at p. m. Another passenger
train leaves Cincinnati an hour earlier Both
these were held at Somerset, Ky., two hours or
more on account of O freight wreck which
occurred south of that place last night When
the track was clear the foremost Cincinnati
train started out from Somerset first and met
and passed safely north-bound train. Then
at safe distance behind it the fated No. 5
started out. Freight train No %, north bound,
was sidetracked at Sloans Valley.
FATAL OVERSIGHT.
When the first Cincinnati train passed south
the crew Of tho freight appear to have over
looked the fact that No. was to follow and
they pulled out and started northward. Less
than quarter OF mile away they entered
tunnel, which is one-sixth of a mile long. In
the most hopeless place that trainmen ever
met death the engines Of the two trains dashed
into each other and the cars following jammed
INTO each other i'll mass. Then came the
added horror Of conhagration.
THE KILLED AND INJURED.
No description Of the scene has been yet re-
ceived. Only the bare result has been tele-
graphed to the Office of the road. 1t is
that Firemen Gould and Welch, brakeman
John E. Montgomery, Express Messenger Ed
ward Ruffner and q mail agent were killed.
Engineers Taylor of the passenger train and
Pimm Lott of the freight train were badly
burned. The baggage master was injured. No
passengers were killed. The burning of the
trains in a tunnel renders it impossible to
clear the track as readsly it could be done
on open ground, the smoke and heat pre-
Transfers will be made until the tunnel can
be cleared There were two mail agents on
the train, j. L. Gayle and C. F. Doegan. Which
one of them is killed is not vet known. Ed.
Kuffner, the messenger OF the United States
Express Company, who was killed, was a mar
ried man, living at Bond Hill. near this city.
CAUSE OF THE COLLISION.
The initial cause Of the collision was a wreck
which occurred last night at Ellhu Station,
stopping to leave a car and had not yet got
into motion when freight came up
in the rear and struck the rear car,
causing a serious wreck. Young W. Payne,
commercial traveller for the firm of
Pierson Clark, Lexington, Ky, had both legs
crushed and has since died. The delay to the
passenger trains by this wreck caused the mis-
take Of the engineer and conductor of the
freight train, No. %, by which the collision
occurred.
THE sLEEPERs ESCAPED.
The passenger train hadn't entirely gone
into the tunnel when the crash came and SO tho
three sleepers which did not leave the track
served as a means OF escape for the passengers.
These sleepers were detached and drawn away
from the Durnin, train, but the baggage car,
mail car and two coaches we're burned. At IL
o'clock today the heat and smoke prevented any
thing being done to clear the tunnel.
General Manager Carroll left by this morn
ing's train for the scene and will personally di-
rect whatever is necessary to be done. The
railroad officials have heard Of but one passen-
ger injured. His name is not given. but he
has been removed to Somerset. The two en-
gineers, Taylor and Pinlott, are reported as not
fatally injured.