Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-11-22
A SUDDEN DROP.
A BALTIMORE AND OHiO ENGINE GOES THROUGH
THE CREEK BRIDGE,
Dragging Tender and Baggage Car After 1t.
Three Men Co Down With the Wreck, but
al Escape Serious Injury.

All Escape Serious Injury.
Just at 12:37 yesterday afternoon,
people in the vicinity of the Baltimore
and Ohio depot heard tremendous
crash. followed instantly by an equally
tremendous splash, both coming from
the direction of the passenger station.
There was an immediate rush for that
part Of the premises, where Conductor
j. ]. Bradshaw, Baggage Master Ed.
.O'DOnnell. and one or two others were
found gazing at an impressive hole
about sixty by twenty feet, which oc-
cupied the place where the east plat
form Of the depot, the east track, and a
big consolidated engine, tender and bag
gage car ought to have been, and where
they all were but moment before.
Engine No. 737, Thomas Trice engi-
neer and John CarrotherS fireman, had
gone through the bridge, the engine
carrying down with il a baggage and
express car, containing several tons OF
miscellaneous freight. The crew OF the
engine were in the cab, and made the
drop along with the machine, as did
also George +. Fairbanks, OF Racc0on,
y. NJ, who was passing along the depot
platform. beside the engine, when the
bridge gave way. Engineer Trice and
Fireman CarrotherS escaped with slight
bruises and thorough ducking, but
Mr.. Fairbanks was less fortunate, Sus-
taing bad cut on his head, while his
left arm was severely bruised and his
left ankle slightly hurt. All three OF
the men were rescued promptly, and
taken into the depot, where the patrol
wagon was called, and Mr.. Fairbanks
was taken 20 the City Hall, while Engi-
neer Trice was taken to the residence
Of his fatherin-law, Mr.. Gordan, ut the
east end OF Eighteenth street. Mr..
CarrotherS procured dry clothing, and
then boarded the outgoing Pittsburg
train, which had been delayed about
half an hour by the accident, and after
the train had stopped in East Wheeling
TO pick up Engineer Trice, both men
were taken by 1t to their homes in
GlenwOod, near PittSburg. Mr.. Fair
banks remained at the City Hall until
about three O'Clock, when he was re-
moved to the Hospital.
Engine No. 737, which went TO the
bottom of the creek, was TO have taken
out the $40 p. IN. train on the PittSburg
division, and was run into the passenger
depot about the time of the accident,
pushing the baggage and express car
before il. The forward end of this car
had lust left the north end OF the north
span Of the bridge, being on the east
track, and the engine had just about
come TO a Standstill, about the centre OF
the span, when the bridge collapsed,
and the whole thing dropped like shot
to the bed of the creek, the engine and
tender completely disappearing from
view beneath the water, while but one
end of the express car was left
above the drink, resting against
the centre pier of the bridge. The
enormous pull exertcd by the engine
and tender in going down, literally tore
up the track by the roots in front OF
the baggage room, and even pulled out
the rails, which were held together by
the fish-bars. clear back to the end OF
the track, at the waiting room, giving
one n very vivid and realizing sense OF
the dead weight which was tugging at
the other end. The break In the bridge
was clean one, not fragment OF the
span being left Oh top Of the piers, while
the surface of the water under the
bridge was well covered with the wood
work. AT the time of the accident Mr.
Fairbanks, who is also railroad en-
gineer, was walking south along the
platform on the east side OF the bridge,
abreast of the engine, while Conductor
bradshaw was on his way in the same
direction, but had stopped for moment
to speak to some one. After he had
been fiShed out, Mr.. Fairbanks said:
Il am railroad engineer myself, hav-
ing worked on the Santa Fe and Las We
gas road for ten years past. In July
last | lost my right arm, just below the
elbow, i'm an accident. and am now on
my way TO Boston TO get an artificial
hand. | got off the train In the morn
ing, and went up town to get my din
ner. had just finished the meal, and
was returning through the depot to see
about train on East, when the acct
dent occurred. | think-in fact I'm
sure-I hit the bottom OF the creek when
| went down, but as soon rs reached
the top of the water struck out for the
bank with my left arm, and was getting
along all right when some men helped
me out. | think the engine was too
heavy for the bridge. I'm pretty well
bruised up. but guess I'll get along all
right. It's great wonder we were not
all killed, and especially the men in the
cab; how they got out | can't imagine.
Engineer Trice could not be seen, be-
fore he left the city, but he told friend
lac felt the track give way, and jumped
out of the cab while the engine was still
falling. alighting in the water.
In very short time after the acct
dent the local management had force
of men at work and the opening in the
bridge was fenced off with heavy wire,
while another force was put to work at
the hali-Submerged baggage car. The
roof was chopped of, and number OF
trunks, several rolls of carpet, couple
of barrels of dressed chickens, and lot
of cartridges, pheaSantS, etc, were
brought up TO the level Of the earth and
spread ont to dry. Some of the baggage
belonged to people who were in hurry
TO get 10 PittSburg, and one gentleman
who had trunk or something in IKE
wreck was in the depths of despair. and
made inquiries Mt intervals of two min
uteS, for an hour or more, about the
probabilities OF his getting his stuff ont,
There was little disarrangement OF
traffic, except to the 1880 Pittsburg
train. other trains starting during the
afternoon from the south side OF the
creek. II could not be aScertaincd, last
evening, what steps would be taken by
the Company to fix up the bridge, but it
is likely that temporary repairs, sutiici-
ent i'm extent to allow OF the depot be-
ing used as usual, will be undertaken at
once and pushed to completion as rapid
iy rs possible.
The news of the accident was rapidly
circulated about the city, in the exag-
gerated form peculiar to such things,
and there was large crowd at the de-
bot during most of the afternoon.
Engine 737 is big consolidated en-
CINE. which has been running on the
Conneilsville division, and has been but
lately put on the run betweeS PittSburg
and Wheeling. Engineer Trice has told
his friends he was little Shaky about
running his engine on the depot bridge,
ord his fears seem to have been we'll