Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-22
DASHED TO DEATH.
A Frightful Wreck on the
Baltimore and Ohio.
Trainmen and Postal Clerks
Fatally Injured.
Particulars of Tuesday Nights Bur-
lingtOn Disaster.
A Misplaced Switch the Cause of the
Accident = Miraculous Escape of
Numerous Passengers-Heart-
rending Scenes.
Associated Press Dispatches.


PrrrsBuRG, Pa, Oct. 2l.-A frightful
wreck occurred on the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad, near st. Johns station,
forty miles east of Cumberland, Md,
this afternoon, resulting in the instant
killing of two persons and injury to
four others, three OF whom will die. The
dead are James Knuckles, engineer; /;
Rodney Richards, fireman. Injured: :
w. II. Lippincott HI. Silvers and
Charles Craig, postal clerks, will die; ].
G. Mcdonald, passenger, of Baltimore,
seriously injured.
The train was running at the rate of
fifty miles an hour, when suddenly the
engine jumped the track, and was fol-
lowed by the baggage car, postal car,
smoker, passenger coach and two sleep
ers. 1t was a complete wreck, and the
only wonder is that more were not hurt.
The rails are said to have spread, but
this has not been definitely ascertained.
THE BURLINGTON WRECK.
GALEsBURG, Oct. 21.-The Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy fast passenger
train which left here at 1880 O'Clock
last night, was derailed at Rottery
switch, near Monmouth, sixteen miles
west OF here, by an open switch. The
whole train of seven cars, save the
sleeper, turned over on its side.
The killed are: Engineer AL. Emery,
OF Galesburg travelling engineer,
George Courtney, Of Galesburg; Mrs.
George Allen, Lamont, Iowa, and Frank
L. Johnson, Avon, Ill. About eighteen
were seriously injured. Great surprise
is expressed that the list OF casualties
is not larger.
The saddest casualty happened in the
first chair car. George Allen and his
wife and baby were seated near the
middle of the car when the accident oc-
Cured. The car tipped over and Mrs.
Allen was killed. The baby was hurled
across the car, and except cut in the
head was uninjured. Allen received
only bruises.
The scene after the wreck was heart
rending The imprisoned passengers
broke out the windows OF the cars to
effect their escape. A large force OF
surgeons and railroad officials went
from here and Burlington. The coroner
visited the scene OF the wreck, and will
hold an inquest tomorrow.
+. G. Rice, superintendent of the Illi-
nois lines of the Burlington road, ex-
pressed the opinion that the switch had
been tampered with, as after the wreck
it was half turned. The news of the
wreck created great excitement here,
and hundreds are visiting the scene.
SWITCH TAMPERED WITH.
MONMOUTH, ILL.,, Oct. 21.-The officials
af R,1Tli1,ntnY1 rood hQrn Qocnrf fhof
the cause of last nights disastrous
wreck, is that switch was deliberately
tampered with. Coroner Taylor ex-
presses the same opinion, and asserts
that the guilty party will soon
be caught. Two men were arrested
on suspicion today. One was released
soon after, but w. R. r. Healy, who has
been working ON farm, is held. Some
other people assert that the switch was
not in good condition that the lock did
not work, and that the vibration of the
rails might have sprung it open. The
coroner, however, represents that the
switchwas in perfect condition, although
one OF his assistants asserted this after
noon that the lock could be slipped
through big link, and the pins pulled
There were at least one hundred people
on the train, and it is marvellous that
half of them were not killed. The chair
car, in which two passengers were killed,
was literally smashed to pieces. Be-
sides the injured named in previous
dispatches, a dozen other people re-
ceived slight injuries.
FREIGHT COLLISION.
WINNIPEG, Man., Oct. 21.-In co.,
lision near Brandon and Kearney, last
night, between two freight trains, James
Bell of Brandon, a contractor, and J.
Joll, a builder, who were riding in the
caboose, were instantly killed.