Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-05-02
THREE MEN KILLED
And Three More Injured by an Acct
dent on the B. & O.
An Express Train Runs Into a Freight On
the Metropolitan Branch a Few Miles
From Rockville, Md.

The Cincinnati express of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad, which left Camden Station
Baltimore, at 2.30 o'clock P. NJ, ran into a
freight train at Warning Station, about one
mile above Germantown, an the Metropolitan
Branch. The killed were:
Engineman Curtis Ellicott, of the express.
Fireman j. H. Murphy, of the freight train.
Postal Clerk Burdette, of Washington. The
injured were: Engineman Henry Croft, of
the freight trian. Fireman n. G. Miller, of
the express. Postal Clerk Milton Peacock, of
oaHlmore. No passengers were nurf.
The scene of the accident was at sharp
curve near Waring Station, eight miles west
of Rock vile, Md. The express left Washing.
ton at $50 P. NJ, and was made up of engine,
baggage ear, postal car, two day passenger
coaches and two Pullman cars. The freight
train was at a standstill taking water ON the
main track. The express was running at d
speed of 40 miles an hour. Tile sharp curve
md the freight train from sight until the ex-
press was within short distance of it. Elliott
saw the freight train on his track as soon as
he rounded the curve, and at once reversed
his engine and applied the air brake. The
momentum of the train was too great to be
checked in such short distance, and
moment later his train crashed into the freight
without its speed being perceptibly checked.
At the place of collision there was a smaller
curve which prevented the two engines from
meeting squarely, and the blow was side one.
As the engines came together the crash could
have been heard long distance. The passen-
ger engine reeled to the right and fell on the
side Of the track, while the freight engine was
thrown over on the left side. Following the
the shock the baggage and postal ears left the
track, and a moment latter the two cars were
in flames, having caught fire from the engines,
and not long afterwar1 were completely de
stroyed, as were also two freight cars one
loaded with hay and the other with lime.
The passengers went to work to assist in
searching for the killed and injured Super
lntendent Thomas Fitzgerald, who was on the
express ordered wrecking crew from Rock
vile, and began to clear the track, while an
extra engine was attached to the passenger
coaches and all of the passengers were sent
back to Washington and thence West via the
Main Line.
The work of cxtricating the wounded was
made difficult by the heat from the burning
cars. Fireman Miller was found lying
against an embankment alongside the track,
badly cut and burnt on the head and with
several bones broken. He was taken to the
Providence Hospital in Washington. Postal
Clerk Peacock was discovered beneath the
broken timbers of the postal car, and was
rescued just in time to prevent his being burnt
to death. His head was severely cut and he
was injured internally. Engineer Croft was
found seriously hurt near his engine. Postal
Clerk Burdette was also pulled out of the de-
bris of the postal ear. He had probably been
killed instantly. The bodies OF Engineman
Elliott and Fireman Murphy were buried
beneath the wreck, SO that they could not be
seen, and for a long time the heat from the fire
made search for them impossible. Only two
mail bags and three or four pieces of baggage
were saved while nearly all the express mat
ter, including two safes containing money, are
said to have been lost. fhe heat was so in
tense that the iron axles Of the cars and the
iron of the engines glowed white hot, and with
the primitive means at hand fighting the
flames had to be abandoned. The IRE depart
ment at Washington was appealed to, the As
sistant Chief Bell and several fireman, with
supply of hose, were sent to the assistance of
the wreckers The bodies of Murphy and
Elliott have undoubtedly been consumed.