Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-05
MANGLED HUMANITY.
ANOTHER FRIGHTFUL RAILROAD
DISASTER.
ing Trestle-A Dozen Persons Instantly
Killed and Scores of Others Injured.

CHARLESTON, W. Va, July A. The
worst wreck ever known in this part of
the state occurred about O'Clock this
morning on the Kanawha and Michigan
railway, eight miles west of here. A
passenger train for Columbus pulled out
from here with two carloads of excur-
sionists. The wreck occurred on a
high trestle. The cross ties had caught
fire during the night and burned SO that
the rails spread under the train. The
engine and baggage and mail cars
passed over safely, but the two coaches
were thrown from the track. After run
ming forty feet on the ties the forward
car toppled to the left and the rear one
to the right. The forward car turned
completely over and landed right side
up. The other fell twenty feet, turning
upside down, and one set of trucks fell
on top of it, crushing the car to splin-
ters. Under this place most of the
dead were found. Surgeons and relief
train were sent at once to the scene.
AMONG THE DEAD AND DYING
were heartrending scenes. One little
baby lost its father and mother. One
mans head was severed at the mouth,
and the remainder of his head was
fished out from under the wreck several
hours after his body was found. 1t is
feared there are one or two bodies yet
under the wreck. Following is
LIST OF THE DEAD
so far as known: Colonel w. E.
Fife, Buffalo, W. Va; 7. N. Wilson,
Gallipolis, o.. Charles Huffman, Blue
Creek, W. Va; Jasper Dougherty, New
Martinsville, w. Va; Walter Welcher,
Charleston; Mrs. Walter Welcher,
Charleston Ella O'Leary, Charleston,
Amos Coulter, Redhouse, w. Va; Or
vile Robinson, Midway, W. Va;
Thomas Thornton, conductor, Middle
port, o.; Polly Sullivan, Mason City
James White, Middleport, O.
Fifty-eight persons were counted who
are injured, and number walked away
before they could be seen. OF the entire
number OF persons but one, John Nor
veil, of this city, escaped without
a scratch. He was in the mail car.
IhOoE fAIALL1 INJURED
are: w. B. Reed, Elk City; James
Blackwood, Athens, o.; Mrs. R. l.
Truslow, Charleston; Will Ford, Elk
City.
Following is partial list of other
injured, many of whom are danger
ously hurt: Leon E. Bligh, Red House,
w. Va. j. D. Jones, Charleston w. H.
Saunders, Peter Simpson, Charleston
&c. Martin, Leon, W. Va; ]. B. Cor
den, Leon, w. Va; Mary Shirley,
Charleston; Miss Jennie Jackson,
Charleston Miss Cora Carl, Charleston;
Miss Maggie Carl, Charleston; John
Welcher, the two-year-old child of Wal
ter Welcher and wife, who were killed
outright; P. E. Mullins, Clendennin, W.
Va; g. G. Gillespie, Elk City; John
Whitaker, James Copely, Mollie Win
free, Elk City; E. A. Price, White Car
ter, Null Grove, N. c.; Miss Minnie
Davis, Charleston; Y. Hayburn, Elk
City; sallie Coulter, Miss Eva Coulter,
Red House, w. Va; R. J. Satterth-
wait, James H. Goddard, Jr., Charles
tom Charles Robinson, conductor, Mid
way, w. Va; w. T. Kiger and son,
Charleston; Postal Clerk Hayes, Ath-
ems, o.; George W. Stribling, Point
Pleasant, w. Va; Samuel Shue,
Midway, W. Va; H. T. Calhoun,
Gallipolis, o.; Ross, Elk City; George
Mckee, Poca, w. Va; Eliza Mckee,
Poca, W. Va. :: Rayburn Blackburn, Elk
City; F. W. Jennings, Columbus, o.;
Geo. Eisele, Charleston Clarence Eisele,
Charleston; A. G. Wall, Elk City,
Lucinda Jones, Elk City; Allie Sprad-
ling, Elk City; G. Long, Point Pleasant,
W. Va. Charles Conker, Poca, w. Va;
Ed Conker, Poca; A. Archibald, Poca
Samuel Carpenter, Poca; VIM. Jones,
Elk City; Ella Henson, Elk City.
James Nicely, of Charleston, was
known to have. .been on the train, but he
has not been seen or heard from since
the wreck. 1t is believed he is under
the wrecked cars.
DISASTER ADDED TO DISASTER.
When the crash came the front coach
toppled over to the left, on the side
toward the river, and the rear car
jumped off the trestle on the right side.
1t fell twenty feet and turned completely
over. This was bad enough, and many
were killed by the fall, but to make the
destruction more complete, the truck on
which the end of the car had rested
crashed down on top of the car, smash
ing it to splinters and killing almost
every person in range.
INDEsCRIBABLE HORRORS.
What caused the burning of the trestle
is not known, but it is supposed to have
caught by cinders dropped by an engine.
The engineer OF the excursion train saw
the smoke, but thinking it fog arising
from the creek, went on. Persons liv-