Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-11
FAST TRAIN DERAILED.
The Chicago Limited Jumps From
the Tracks at GIenfeld,
RUNNING 60 MILES AN HOUR.
Miraculous Escape of All on Board, Not One
Being Injured
CHARGED TO FAULTY SWITCH-sEITING

As the New York and Chicago limited
was nearing Pittsburg yesterday morning it
left the track at Glenfeld. and the whole
train was dersiled Although the train
was running at very high speed, nearly &C
miles an hour, and every car but one lef:
the track, nobody was hurt and compare
lively little damage was done to the rolling
stock, though the track was badly cut up.
The accident has not been fully accounted d
for yet, but the known facts appear to be
as follows: The limited was running about
on time and making very high speed, close
to 60 miles an hour, when it rushed through
Glenfeld station at little before o'clock
yesterday morning. As the locomotive
cleared the station it jumped the track and
dragged with it all of the five cars of the
train but the last.
Supposed Faulty Setting o.! the Switch.
AT the point where the accident occurred
the two tracks spread out into three, and
the east-bound passenger trains commonly
use the center track, the outer east-bound
track being devoted to freight traffic. The
center track is entered from the west by
switch, aud it is supposed that faulty set
ting of this switch caused the accident. 1t
is understood, though not with absolute GER
iainty. that the operator in the signal tower
at Glenfield discovered when he heard
the limited approaching that the switch
had not been set to divert the
train into the center track. and tried to rec
tify the mistake. 1t is concluded that he
did not complete the operation properly,
or that at all events the switch did not close
properly, leaving the point OF the switch In
such position that the fange OF the loco
motives wheels struck it, and the shock,
combined with the high speed at
which the train was going, threw the big
engine off the track.
The engineer. it is said. saw that the
switch was out of place before he reached
it, and was thus able to prepare for the acci-
dent though he could not abate the trains
speed to auy great extent.
The wonoer is that the train did not suf-
fer more. All the cars left the track except
the observation car, which was the last, but
there was no telescoping or toppling over,
the locomotive was little damaged, the
combination smoker and baggage car next
to it suffered more than the rest, while the
sleeper following was dragged for half its
length off its trucks
Not a Man on Board Irjured.
Neither engineer nor fireman was hurt, and
the 90 odd passengers in the train got
nothing worse than an awful fright and a
good shaking The engine and cars bumped
over the ties for q few hundred feet and
stopped right side up. The passengers,
most of whom we're dressed, or dressing
scrambled out of the cars and thanked their
stars it was no worse A train made up
in Pittsburg, which was soon sent out,
enabled the limited's passengers to con-
tinue their journey.
Fortunately the wreck did not blockade
the west bound track, although both the
eastern tracks were put out of service till
last night, and the traffic of the road was
conducted with some incidental delays over
single track between ~Glenfeld and Sc
wickley. Railroad men noticed that the
Cavalier, boudofr car, was once more in
trouble. 1t was part of the limited when
that train was wrecked at East Palestine.
Superintendent A. B Starr spent his SUM-
day at the scene OF the wreck, and will con-
duct an inquiry. into the cause of the acci-s
dent to-day.