The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-08-07
INTO THE FREIGHT.
A Sad Scene Of Wreck on the
West Shore Railroad.
TWELVE KILLED IN THE CRASH.

Inc FIREMAN OF the passenger Train
Died at His Post--Cars Take Fire,
and This Adds to the Horror of the
occasion-EIeven of the Victims
Were italian Laborers.
SYRACUSE, N. Y, Aug, THE 81.
Louis express on the West Shore rail
road met with terrible accident three
miles west of Port Byron, near what is
known as the Duchess cut. The train
was running at high rate of speed and
at that point ran into freight train.
The wreck was an awful one and tine
deaths number twelve Those killed
outright and those who died from their
injuries were all Italian laborers but
one, the fireman Of the passenger train.
Eleven Italians We're badly hurt and
six will probably die.
Twelve cars of the freight train were
piled up on the tracks, completely block
ing them. The Italians were in ths
smoking car, which was completely
smashed up. Hardly a whole piece Of
timber was left of the car. The wreck
took fire and the passenger train was
burned, with the exception of three
sleeping cars.
The train was made up of two express
cars, baggage car, smoking car, day car
and four sleeping cars.
OF the passengers in the smoking car,
including the Italians, half were killed
at one stroke. Others of them We're in.
jured, some so very badly that they died
before they could be taken from the
wreckage.
Died at the Post of Duty.
To their agonizing cries for help no
reply came, because it was not possible
at that moment to render assistance.
But the Italians did not compose all
those who were killed. Michael Ber.
gen, fireman on the passenger train, was
killed instantly as he stood at his post
making every effort to prevent the col
ision.
He did what he could to help the en-
gineer in that direction, but he might
have saved himself the trouble, because
to prevent the collision at the time they
first discovered the freight train on the
track was work that human hands
never could accomplish.
Engineer Ryan of the passenger train,
stuck to his engine until the crash came.
His left shoulder is dislocated. He is
delirious and is internally injured. His
condition is critical
No Tools to Work With.
When the crash had come and those
who had not been injured had recovered
their senses, the station at Montezuma
was opened. A telegram quickly flashed
the news to Syracuse, and relief train
was at once made up and sent to the
scene of the accident. Then those who
had come off the train pitched in and
saved the injured ones under the debris.
AT first only small progress was made,
because only an AK and a small crow bar
could be obtained with which to do the
work. Despite the fact that flames had
already been communicated from the
disabled locomotive to the broken wood.
work many Of the unharmed passengers
We're obliged to look on and see the
others working, because there were not
sufficient implements for all who wished
to take a hand at the work of rescue.
They did what they could do with
their hands, however, but that was not
much.
The timber and ironwork of the cars
were SO twisted and snarled together
that it. was impossible to disentangle
the mass without the use of instru-
ments. Fortunately the fire did not
spread with sufficient rapidity to Gre
mate any of those held fast in the debris.
Saved from Cremation.
John f. Bowdish, of Boston, was so
pinned in by the debris that he could
not escape. He was fully conscious of
what was going on around him and
knew that very effort was being made
to rescue nm, but at the same time he
could see the flames breaking out in the
wreCkage, and there We're many times
before he was taken out that it was
thought the flames would reach him be-
fore the rescue. His experience was
thrilling in the extreme.
1t was a lucky thing that the train
men and porters did not lose their heads.
They h urried into the day coach and
sleepers and hussiea the passengers out
1t was found that none of those in the
rear of the train had been injured at all
seriously, Only those who We're in the
smoking car and the locomotive were in
jured.
1t was well that the passengers in tho
day coach had been removed so quickly,
for in short while it was atire.
The sleeper Marathon took fire at the
forward end. The other sltapers were
saved by pushing them back on the
rails. A dozen of the cars which com
posed the freight train also We're ablaze.
List of the Killed.
The following is list of the killed:
Michael Bergen, fireman on passenger
train; Alphonse Carilla, Coco Rocco,
Feanzo Dilauri, Dominica Richone,
Thomas Merling, John Rosio, Dominica
Sautllo, Ontonio Sazaaffaya, John Gram
bott; unknown Italian. died on his way
to Syracuse; unknown Italian, died at
the House of the Good Shepherd while
his leg was being amputated.
Eighteen people received injuries
more or less dangerous The most seri-
ously injured are: julius Myers, spine
hurt, left ear torn off, right eye bruised
ana left shoulder fractured, may die;
John Preston, spine injured, will re-
cover. OF the Italians Antonio Um-
hello Enrico fiabnno Gussin,,o AJ,s-