Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-06-07

COON. AIsO f~tIl'u WIN q ~ 80
one finger aud a general shaking up:
Wilson, the porter, must have received
a pretty severe shock about the stomach
as he became very sick during the day.
Both the colored men were questioned
about the accident, but they knew moth
ing more than that the car had gone
over, andthey were mighty glad they
came ont alive.
ATAIK WITH ENGlNEE BNEi>.
Engineer ByerS was seen yesterday
and when asked a. 10 the cause oil the
accident. he said:
1t IS impossible To say. 1t was not on
account Of the treStle because the
wheels of the ear left the track at least
forty feet south of the trestlc. | think
the car wheels must have left the track
first, and pulled of the hind trucks oil
the tender, for we noticed nothing
wrong on the engine until the sudden
Jerk caused by the car striking the ties.
| When the truck of the car left the track
| il must have made quite a jump out
ward. for the first indication OF the
wheels striking was out close to the
guard, some six or seven inches.
"Icannot think it was the fault Of the
/ track. because the train ahead OF MS had
passed over all right, and | went back
/ with the track Inspector after the accl-
dent and examined it closely, but there
was no indication of 4 defect and he
said no repairs or changes had been
made for some time. 1t was also a
/ straight piece of road, which makes the
cause additionally uneXplicablc we
were not running more than thirty miles
an hour. and it is my opinion that some
thing must have dropped and caught
under the VIII sels, causing them to Jump
| off in such manner.
HOW TIE WRECK LOOKED.
A visit to the scene OF the accident
Yesterday showed the once handsome
| West Virginia total wreck, lying on
her top at the bottom OF the ravine.
/ When You speak Of two trains running
/ into each other aud crushing the cars
one against the other, it is called teleS-
COPING. The top of the ear struck fiat on
/ the ground and the heavy weight oil the
/ trucks and other undergoing caused IL
| To telescope until the bottom had almost
touched the top, the inmates being
forced into what little space there re-
manned between the two. What could
their escape then be called but mlracu-
/ louS. Only the very stout manner III
which the car was built saved those IN
side from being crushed TO death As
il was. one of the trucks crushed through
the bottom of the ear. The only thing
that even then saved them was the fact
that the wreck struck against a lot OF
willows. which held it in the position In
which ii lanked. Had the willows not
been there the car would have rolled
over down the bank and all
WOULD HAVE persisted.
Another very fortunate thing was that
all the lights went out and the
fire in the range had been eNtin-
cuishcd, thus preventing fire.
such an accident might occur
five thousand times and those IN
the car would not have escaped so luck
lily. in the opinion of railroad men.
The track was badly torn up, and the
morning trains were compelled to trans
fer. A wrccking crew. however, was
nut To work. rcpairerS were At work.
and the afternoon train due here at 3:''
came straight through on time. SeN-
cral railroad men came up, and they
were interviewed on the question OF
what caused the accident, but no one
had discovered
Yesterday afternoon the sleeping car
..Escalus" was prepared for the reccp-
ton of several OF the injured men who
wanted to Immediately proceed East.
1t was necessary to carry Major John
son 10 the depot on Il stretcher, Maj.
Walters was able to walk, aS was Con-
ductor .Shafcr and Wilson, the porter.
The train pulled out about $50 o'clock
for the East. The other gentlemen Will
remain at the Mcclure House for some
days.
All the injured men had many callers
during the day yesterday, aud kilograms
from all over the country came noodinS
I'm asking after their condition.