Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-27
TOO GREAT A GRADE.
The Freight Engineer Could Not Stop
His Train in Time.
SAW LIGHTS ON THE EXCURSION
The Danger Signal Came Too Late to Avert
the Catastrophe.
DISCREPANCY AS 10 THE NUMBER DEAD

DAYTON, o., July B.-William G..
Douglass, one of the foremen of the National
Cash Works, and who was also one of the
committeeman in charge of the Cincinnati,
Hamilton and Dayton excursion to Woods
dale, tells this story of the Saturday night
wreck, in which three persons were killed
and 40 seriously injured:
The train of 10 crowded cars started on its
return TIP from Woodsdale about O'Clock,
and about an hour latter the accident oc-
CURED at Middletown. A drawbar about
the middle of the excursion train broke,
and they stopped at Middletown to patch it
up for the run to Dayton. Brakemen were
Immediately sent out with red flags to flag
the approaching train, and nearly half an
hour was consumed in repairing the dis
abled car
Red lights were not promptly changed to
the rear of this car, though the train was
pulling out when the accident occurred at
nearly 9 o'clock. Two hundred and fifty
men, women and children were in the last
three coaches and all knew that freight
train No. A was following and they appre-
ciated and talked of their danger
CALLED ATTENTION TO THE DANGER.
Some of them called Conductor Peter G.
Glancy's attention to their peril, and he
cautioned them that ii they heard train A
coming they should jump from the car.
Five minutes later the awful disaster was
upon them. The excursion was slowly
creeping off the side track when an ominous
roaring was heard from the expected train
No. "A, then not over a quarter of mile
away.
Nearer and clearer came the monster
mogul with 30 loaded cars and when in
sight of Middletown station Engineer
Schwind saw the flagman waving the dan
ger signal and he Immediately called for
brakes, shut off steam and applied the sand.
He saw that collision was inevitable.
Then he and his fireman jumped and an in
slant later the crash came, a rear-end col
lision of mighty force. The excursion train
was pulling out on the main track and all
but the two hind coaches had left the siding
when the mogul engine with the heavy
train behind it went plowing through.
The two rear cars and human freight were
hurled into the ditch, and the next coach
was struck fairly in the end and the loco
motive pushing under elevated it to an
angle of IS degrees and there it stood, filled
with shrieking people.
THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE.
This car caught fire, but Engineer Schwind
and his fireman were able to extinguish the
blaze by the use of a hose from the locomo-
tive
The cars lay crushed in the ditch with
mass of MANNED and mangled people moan
ing in agony, pleading for help. Rescuers
set to work at once to extricate them. Legs,
arms and heads could be seen through
broken windows or pinned under the wreck.
Shrieks of the helpless sufferers and means of
ho l,-,,, 1a1, th 3ln sc
mothers seeking husbands and children.
Many had been cut by glass and timbers in
the rush to escape, and bloody faces and
hands bore testimony to the great number
who were injured.
Physicians and citizens of Middletown
were soon at the scene to join in rescuing
the unfortunates. The terror stricken ex-
cursionists were made comfortable in the
houses, the three dead persons were properly
cared for, and the injured received all neces-
sary attention.
All traffic on the railway was suspended
and relief trains were the only cars moving.
Passengers of the ill-fated train began ar
irving here at midnight, but it was not
until 7:3O in the morning that the special
train reached here with the 10 most seriously
injured people.
THE KILLED AND WOUNDED.
Three persons were killed outright:
William Matthews, aged 13; Miss Lydia
FREEZER, aged %; Frank Simoner, aged II.
Four are in critical condition at Elizabeth
Hospital: Joseph B. Cleval, mechanical
left arm crushed off at shoul-
der; Frank Patterson, aged p, left arm
above elbow; Joseph H. Swev-
erly, aged 25, of Pottsville, Pa, spinal in
jury, and James Murphy, aged 80, terribly |
injured in small of back Miss Mary |
Reese, of Osborn, O., was badly injured and |
also the following named from Dayton:
Warren Thompson, Fred Weidner, Mark |
NIerick, Edith Tuttle, P. S. Tuttle, Kate |
Schlein, Eden NJ. Beason and wife, Frank |
Reiger William Oman, Mary Gram, Annie |
Venard, Samuel Lohr, Charles Mers, Mag |
gle Fres, Annie Brennan, Pearl ShorthilI |
more with bruises and other slight injuries. |
A tramp named James Wilson, of Colum-
bus, Ohio who, with his two little boys, |
was having a free ride on the freight train, |
says he is railroader by occupation, and |
was on the third car from the front when |
approaching Middletown Saturday night; |
that he plainly saw the red lights swinging, |
and that Schwind tried to stop the train |
but could not. The heavy cars crowded |
him into the excursion train. Two cars of
the wrecked train were brought here this |
afternoon en- ronte to the Lima shop Tor |
repairs. Both are badly shattered.
Frank Patterson is in critical condition
tonight from the loss of blood.
There appears to be discrepancy some
where concerning the number killed at
An eye witness, q perfectly
reliable man, said tonight he would make
an oath that seven people were killed A
telephone message from Middletown at 5
o'clock tonight insists that there were four
dead taken from the wreck and that three
died later. The railroad company insist
that but three are dead.