The Critic and record., 1891-04-29
WRECK AND FIRE.
FATAL COLLISION OF AN EXPRESS
WITH A FREIGHT TRAIN

On the Metropolitan Branch Yesterday
Evening-lt Appears 90 BE Due to
the Disobcdicnce Of Orders ON the
Part of the Freight-Four Men Killed
and Several Wounded No Passengers
Injured.
Three men were killed and as many
seriously injured yesterday afternoon in
an accident on the Metropolitan Branch
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
The accident occurred at Warning,
station twenty.six miles from this city.
The Cincinnati and st. Louis express, n
vestibuled train left the station here at
$3.50 o'clock. The line was reported clear
but il proved not to be- and just before
Warning was reached Curtis Elliott, the
engineer of the express, saw on the track,
as the train rounded the curve, a freight
at a standstill. The express was running
at the rate of forty miles an hour, and
the air-brakes did not work sufficiently
quick to prevent collision. The express
crashed into the freight and the engine
cleared the other and then careered
against the bank and then back over the
tender. Dense clouds of steam poured
from both engines, and TO add to the
horror of the scene the timbers of the pile
of broken cars ignited and blazed up.
Into the very heart of this wreck Engi-
neer Elliott was dashed and pershed.
The killed and injured are:
CURTIS Il. ELLIOTT, engineer of express,
Baltimore, killed.
JoHN II. MURPHY, fireman of the
express, Baltimore, killed.
S. G. BuRDETT, postal clerk, Washing
| ton. killed.
HENRY GRoFF, engineer of freight, badly
| cut, and since died.
NJ. G. MILLER, fireman of freight in
ternal injuries and badly scalded.
HENRY PEACOCK, internal injuries and
| head cut.
The remains of Postal Clerk Burdett
were brought to this city and taken in
charge by Undertaken Lee. Fireman
Miller was also brought to this city and
carried to Providence Hospital. where his
injuries were attended to. Croft and Pea
cock were transferred to another train and
carried to Baltimore. The remains of
Engineer Elliott and Fireman Murphy
were consumed in the fire.
The cause of the accident, as given by
the company, is that Conductor j. II.
Amey of the freight dsobeyed orders in
| running past Wards to Warning, three
fourths of a mile farther OH, and then
letting his train stand on the main track
to take water when he knew that the ex-
press was due. He should have side
tracked at Wards as ordered until the
express had passed. He was not hurt be.
yond little shaking up.
None of the passengers were injured
and an hour after the accident, while the
fire was still burning, an engine arrived
from Rockville and brought the passen.
ger coaches back to this city. None oi
the passenger coaches left the track, only
the postal and baggage cars were thrown
Off and they caught fire. Both cars were
burned with their contents, which con
sisted of valuable baggage and mail mat
ter. Two safes, containing large
mount of money were in the baggage
car.
The primitive means of fighting fire
had to be abandoned and the fire depart
mCnt of this city was called upon, Assist
ant Chief Belt going with q number o.
firemen othe rescue
w. j. Lee, of San Francisco, one of thu
passengers, said to reporter, that Will,
the force of the collision threw him anC
other passengers from their seats, they
were not hurt at all, and all were sur
prised when they discovered the extent o
the wreck forward. This is accounted 70
by the railroad officials by the fact tina
the train passenger cars) was vestibuleC
throughout, and the heavy springs brok
the force of the concussion.
The county officials, as well as the rail
road company, will make a thorough in
vestigation as to cause OF the acciden
and place the blame where it rghtfull,
belongs.
The loss to the company is varousl,
estimated from SIS, 900 to S15,0 900. The ac
cident does not appear to be attributab
to the lack of any proper precaution Oh
the part of the company.
The remains OF Mr.. G. S. G.. Burdette
the postal clerk, were shipped to his hom
in Grafton, W. Va, this afternoon, afte
being prepared for burial by Undertake
Lee. On the body were found a gOl
watch, 80 in money, a ring, and Othe
valuables. The deceased was highly con
nected in Grafton and had numerou
friends in this city.
He was a single man, and had no fam
lly. Neither he nor Peacock, the injure
man, were members of the Clerks In
suranCe Association.
The bodies of the dead fireman an
engineer will be brought to this city thi
afternoon.
AT Providence Hospital it is said tina
Fireman Miller will live, but will nave
hard time, as his injuries are eXceedingl
painful.
The safes containing the money in th
, express car were taken to-day by Trea
, ury agent to that Department and turne
over to the Redemption Division. 1t
supposed there was between $4,000 an
$4,000 in the safes.
Division Superintendent G. w. Wicker,
of the Railway Mail Service, told CRIT
reporter this morning that it would
impossible to estimate the loss of ma
burnt in the accident on the MetrOpolita
yesterday. He said between two an
three tons of mail matter were. destroye,
Among this was ten sacks of Governmel
documents and two sacks of letters.
Boys