Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-07

thing that attracted my attention" Mr..
Bowdish said, "wss the working of the air
brake. 1t flashed through my mind that
something terrible was about to happen.
Quicker than could take second thought
there was crash, shrieks, and all was in
darkness and confusion. 1 felt myself
pinned down by great weight. ! could
look below me and see broken boards, beams
and car wheels but was Unable to move.
''Soon heard the cracking of flames You
cannot imagine the horror that crept over
me as 1 thought that in the next moment
the flames would be upon me and 1 would
cried. Hurry, hurryr just then Iheard a
voice: Here's a man alive; let's get him out
Then heard the sound of axes, and pleas
anter noises never greeted my ears, / can as
sure you. 1t was hope not unmixed with
fear, however, for there frequently came
the thought that the roaring flames would
drive away the workers before they reached
me, and would be left to my fate. / sup
pose 1t was only q few minutes, but it
seemed an age when daylight broke in from
above and two burly trainmen handed me
out"
J.J. Sullivan, of Syracuse, told a similar
story of the wreck. He said: "When left
the dead and wounded were scattered about
on the ground inside the tracks, and the
surviving passengers were doing all they
could for the relief of the wounded. The
victims, so far as knew, were all men who
were in the smoking car. None of the pas
sengers in the sleepers were injured"
ONLY A MINUTE TOO LATE.
The freight train which caused the acci-
dent consisted of 40 cars and was bound for
the West. 1t was to let ''The Flyer" pass it
by drawing over on the Montezuma side
track. 1t had started to leave the main
track, and was half way upon the switch
when q coupling pin broke in the middle of
the train. Realizing that there was no time
to lose, Conductor Thomas Tobin, of the
freight train, sent Edward Connolly up the
track with a lantern to check tho Flyer"
but whether he did not get far enough up
the road or his signal was not seen, is not
known. A new coupling had been made in
the meantime, and the freight was slowly
starting. In minute more it would have
been out of the way, and the disaster would
not have occurred.
The flames which started slowly increased
in fury with great rapidity, and before all
the victims in the smoking car could be re-
moved from the wreck the express baggage
burning. The forward end Of the sleeper
Marnthon had also taken fire, and, in order
to save the three sleepers behind it, which
had not left the rails they we're uncoupled
and pushed by hand to place of safety.
Ten freight cars and the caboose were also
in flames.
No one IN the rear end of the wreck was
injured. The attendants of the express and
baggage cars had retired to the rear coaches
to catch a little sleep, and the fatalities
were, therefore, confined to the occupants
Of the smoking car and locomotive.
A West Shore official at New York says:
From what can be learned there is no doubt
that the accident this morning was the re-
suit of the neglect of the conductor and flag
man of the freight train to observe the rule
in regard to sending back q f1agman to warn
trains moving on the same track"