The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-07-06
IN THE WRECKAGE.

sickening Scenes That Attended tho Rc.
movnl Of the Victims.
The scenes at the wreck when the
bodies were being taken out OF the cars
we're piteous. The only persons not in
the wreck were Engineer o'Connor,
Fireman Wyatt, Postal Clerk Hayes
and passenger John Norvell. They at
once rushed over the bank to where
the fallen cars had stopped, but found
it almost impossible to do anything
alone.
They at once ran to the County Poor
House, a short distance, and secured
sheets for bandages. The alarm was
given and the country people poured in
to help. Then the work Of rescue was
begun. Axes were called into play and
the rear coach had to be cut considera-
bly, before the passengers could be ex-
tricated. The ponderous trucks, which
fell fully twenty feet on the top OF the
car, had beat It down till those who
were beneath itwere tightly imprisoned
beneath the top and bottom OF the car.
Some of the bleeding and dusty were
able to crawl out through the narrow
creyice, and climb out OF window,
while others were unable,to move, and
had to be lifted and dragged out bleed
ing, moaning and injured, They were
piled around in heaps on the ground,
their wounds dressed as best they could
be by unskilled hands until physicians
arrived. They found terrible state OF
affairs. One old doctor said he had
been on many battle field but would
rather see q battle field any day
than to go to scene OF that kind
again. Men, women and children lay
around on the ground with broken
arms and legs, heads, Ichests and bodies
cut, bloody and bandaged, making a
terrible sight. The finding OF q poor
fellows head in the back end OF the car
was the most horrible sight'of all. At
ter it was supposed all the bodies had
been gotten out, one or two men,
including the press representa-
tive, went to the windows Of the
car and began to pry around among
the debris. Soon one man exclaimed
that he saw body. Further investiga-
ton proved that It was not q body. He
still asserted that he saw mans head
and teeth, and upon stirring up the
broken seats and other debris with a
stick drew out the bloody head, the
brains dripping from it and spattering
the floor OF the car. 1t was mangled
beyond recognition, but being the same
part Of the head that was missing from
poor Dougherty's body 1t was taken to
his cot and laid with his remains.
Poor Walter Welcher and his wife
were laid out side by side as they bad
died. They were young couple and
had one child, beautiful little boy of
about year, with great blue eyes, and
were on their way TO visit relatives.
Both were awfully bruised and cut.
The body was taken care OF by friends.
One noticeable thing about the wreck
was that all the killed and wounded
seemed to be hurt about the head. It
would seem that when the car turned
over they fell to the roof head first, and
the terrible drop must have given such
force to the fall that many were in
stantly killed by falling. One physi-
clan says that probably most OF the
dead had their necks broken besides
their other injuries. Every one Of the
killed was cut about the head. Colonel
Fife had hole.in his forehead an inch
or more wide and almost to the back Of
the skull. 7. n. Wilson had q bad
cash across the right temple.
Tonight all the undertakers' estab-
lishments are full OF the dead, and the
entire town is in mourning. The
funerals will occur Monday.