Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-05-02
Staunton vindicator.
FRIDAY MORNING. MAY 2. 1890.
LOCAL.

IL DuuHgU llulll Uuu
Accident.
All Opera Troupe Wrecked While Running
Into StauntOn Station.
A TRAIN BUSHES INTO THE STATION AT
SEVENTY MILES AN HOUR-A YOUNG
OPERA SINGER KILLED AND SEVERAL
WOUNDED-ACCOUNTs BY THE PAssEN-
GERs-A BROKEN BRAKE ROD THF
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT-INCIDENT
&C., &C., &C.
On Sunday night, the Cincinnati Express
train on the Chesapeake 4 Ohio Railway
composed Of a baggage car, smoking car
day car, and two sleepers, the rear sleeper
being the ''Auterlitz,' y was very full Of pas
sengers. When the train arrived at Goshe1
there was not a vacant seat in the smoker
OF day coach, and the sleepers were als(
full. In the Austerlitz there were fifteel
members of the 'Pearl of Pekin" Opera
Troupe on its way to Baltimore, where il
was to appear on Monday night. The othel
members OF the company, which numbers
forty-two. were distributed through thu
other coaches. West of Staunton there is {
aheavy grade four miles long and eighty feet
iall to the mile, the bottom of which is al
the Staunton depot. The Staunton depot is
a handsome series Of three new buildings
the central one being ticket AMI waiting
rooms and the other two being baggage
rooms. All these are connected with she6
upheld by iron pillars and projecting tt
within few inches of the track, for thu
purpose of shelter. In front of this tn,
track is straight nearly the whole length O.
the shed, but the straight line is entered OF
from the west by a sharp curve. On thu
train of Sunday night were U. S. Distric
Attorney w. e. Craig, and Philip T. Allen
a well known business man of Staunton
The crew of the train was composed O.
Conductor Geo. W. Wright, Engineer Jno
Chalkley, and N. F. Bryan, brakeman. Thu
train was due here at 1856 A. M. and wa
an hour behind.
A BROKEN BRAKE ROD.
Coming down the S0-foot four-m1le grad
the brake rod of the engine broke and fel
to the track. 1t threw up the ballast will
great force, some of the rock sticking
half inch deep in the trucks of the cars
These rocks struck the handles of the valve
of the air brakes and closed them. Whel
the engineer tried to put on the all brake il
of course wouldn't work. The momentum
OF the train became fearful, and the engin
eer did what was left him to do-reversed hi
engine. Conductor Wright knew from thu
speed that the train was running wild. II,
tried to work the hand brakes but the,
could not save the train. He then wen
through the cars requesting the passenger
to keep their seats.
A PASSENGERS ACCOUNT AT THIS
POINT.
District Attorney VIM. E. Craig, gives
the following account Of the accident. "Ths
cars were full and no seats were vacant fol
several stations West of Staunton. W.
were behind time and going at a tremend
GUS rate. About a mile and half west Of
Staunton l first knew that the train was
wild. was in the smoker and the colored
porter came in and called out the station
"Staunton." He passed on through the
next Cal and by the time he got back to ours
the motion of the train was such that hi
could not keep his feet Men became alarmed
and tried to get up out Of their seats. Al
soon as man rose from the cushion thu
swaying of the train would throw hin
against the side of the car. / knew thu
track well and knew the cars would have
to leave it going at that speed. I expected
them to go off at the short curve just at
the depot, and before we got there braced
myself against the seat for the shock
When it reached the short curve the cal
did careen over, but righted itself on the
track again. At that moment the shed OF
the depot which the baggage car in front
of us had ripped off as it went along, was
falling and the tin roof swept along the side
of the smoker breaking the windows. The
train rushed right on and | saw the Valley
that point there was an up grade, and that
might save the train. The train ran on
up grade until it got opposite the furniture
factory, mile from the depot, and there it
stopped. Just as the train stopped we heard
the fire alarm of Staunton tolling out ''24 q. ,
1 then knew nothing of the loss Of the
sleeper, but had a vague idea that the peril
of the flying train had induced the people
at the depot to send out the alarm for aid tt
help us in case Of an accident. The trair
backed to the depot and there we saw the
wrecked sleeper. Some say that the shed
of the depot saved the whole train from
going off, but I think that but for it not 8
life would have been lost. The cars haG
righted and were running on the straight
track in front Of the depot-the sleeper as
well as the others-when the falling tim
bers of the shed, which had been torn up by
the baggage car, fell under the sleeper and
threw it off.
THE FLYING TRAIN AT THE DEPOT.
A good many passengers were standing
at the depot waiting to get on the train an(
90 East. Messrs. r. r. Andrews and Franz
Eakle were near the building. Mr.. Andrews
says the moment he heard the speed of thu
train he knew it was wild, and started tt