The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-07-09
THEIR TERRIBLE FATE.
A HEAVILY LADEN EXCURSION TRAIN
TUMBLEs OVER A TREsTLE.

Railroad Disaster-sixteen Dead or
Dying-Pathetic Scenes During the Re-
moval of victims from the wreokage.
CHARLESTON, w. Va, July Cone of
the most terrible railroad accidents in
the history of West Virginia happened
eight miles below this city. The acci-
dent was probably due to the criminal
work Of incendiaries and as a result of
their crime fourteen bodies lay cold and
stiff in death and over fifty persons are
nursing more or less serious injuries.
At least three more will die The acci-
dent was on the Kanawha and Michi-
gan railroad, extending from this city
fifty-seven miles down the Kanawha
river to the Ohio at Point Pleasant. The
train, which was an accommodation,
was composed of a baggage car and two
passenger coaches laden with people
from this city, who were going to the
country to spend the Fourth. On the
way it picked up large number of peo-
pie from West Charleston and other
points, and nearly $50 souls were crowd
ed into the two coaches when it ap-
preached the trestle, four miles north
of Poca. At its central point the trestle
is forty-fve feet high. The engine and
tender had just passed over this when
an ominous cracking was heard. The
engineer Immediately OWNED the cause,
and by tremendous effort tore the en-
gine and tender loose. A moment later
the trestle collapsed, and the ill -fated
passenger cars with their living freight
went through to the ground below.
The Heroic Work of Rescue.
The first car, which was the smoker,
fell on its side, and the front end of the
second one struck it in the center. Here
the most destructive. work was done and
the most lives lost. The few uninjured
passengers Immediately set about rescu-
ing the unfortunates, while the engine
ran on five miles to a telegraph station
and sent word Of the awful catastrophe
to this city. When the train arrived
only four bodies had been taken from
the wreck. Trained hands Immediately
went to work to rescue the dead and in
jured, and in an hour their bodies had
been recovered. The majority of them
were 50 bruised and disfgured that
Identification except by the clothing was
almost impossible. One fearfully heart
rending scene occurred. A woman
whose name was unknown was the last
to be found in the wreckage. A dozen
big timbers pinned her down and huge
beam laid across her breast. She was
able to make herself heard, and her
screams were piteous A dozen men
went to work to relieve her, but even as
they worked a rush of blood came from
her lips, her hands flew up and with a
last shudder she was dead, slowly
crushed to death by the heavy weight
above her. The little child of Mrs. NJ.
A. Coulter of this city, was with its
mother in the ladies' car and it was
thrown over fifty feet, alighting safe
and uniniured. 1t was found quietly
playing amid the wreckage, while the
mother lay seriously injured only a few
feet away.
List of the Dead.
The following is n list of the dead and
those who will certainly die, so far as is
attainable at this time. Some few are
missing and a number of others may
prove to be mortally wounded:
Colonel W. +. Fife, Buffalo, w. Va.
I. n. Wilson, travels for Columbus
house, Gallipolis, o.
Charles Huffman, Blue Creek, w. Va
l. c. Rose, Blue Creek, w. Va.
Walter Welcher, Charleston.
Walter Filcher Charleston.
Ella O'Leary, Charleston.
Amos Coulter, Red House, w. Va.
Orville Robinson, Midway, w. Va.
Thomas Thornton, X. 81 NJ. conductor,
Middleport, q.
Polly Sullivan, Mason City, worked in
Charleston.
Jerome White, MiddlepOrt, o.
a List of the Fatally Injured.
W. B. Reed Elk City; james Black
wood; Athens, o., crushed about head,
has never recovered consciousness; Mrs.
r. 5. Truslow, Charleston, skull fract-
ured and conclusion of the brain; Will
Ford, Elk City, head and chest crushed.
Fifty-eight others are more or less Sc
verely injured. Among the injured was
F. w. Jenning, Of Columbus, who was
injured in the side. James Nicely,
Charleston, was known to have been on
the train, but he has not been seen or
heard of since the wreck. 1t is believed
that he is under the wrecked cars.
The Scene of the Wreck.
Hundreds of people drove down to
the scene Of Saturdays wreck and saw
the spot where thirteen lives were
crushed out and half n hundred bodies
MANNED and disfigured. Nothing that
has ever occurred has cast such deep
gloom over this city or sent such deep
sorrow to so many homes. In the
churches yesterday mention was made
of the horrible catastrophe and prayers
Were offered for the wounded and be-
reaved. No more deaths have yet oc-
Cured, but half q GJzen Of those i'll
jured are now in critical condition and
not expected to live They are: Mrs.
r. S. TTuslOw, of Charleston; J. d.
Jones, president of the Order of United
American Mechanics in this city; Will
lam Ford, Mrs. Wall and d. Breed, of
Elk City, which is just across the river
from here, and James Blaciwood, from
Athens, o. Yesterday afternoon the
Order Of United American Mechanics
and hundreds of other sorrUwing friends
followed the remains Of Walter Welcher
and his wife to the grave. The other
funerals have not yet occurred, but will
be held today and Tuesday The body
of T. N. Wilson was sent to Galhpolis
yesterday morning. General Manager
j. M. Ferris, of the Toledo and Ohio
Central is here from Toledo 10 investi-
gate. There will probably be several
large damage suits against the road.
Hayes in Nebraska.
BEAGRICE, July @. - Twenty-Five
thousand people assembled ON the Chau-
tauqua grounds Saturday 10 listen to