The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-09-29
Who is the Only Man Who Saw
the Freight Engineer

After the Wreck occurred-soenes and
Incidents of the Wreck Depicted by q
News Democrat Reporter Who Was
One Of the First Newspaper Men at the
Scene.
Wednesdays disaster on the Pittsburg,
Ft. Wayne * Chicago railroad, was one
of the most deplorable in the railroad
history. The loss OF life was terrible ana
the destruction to property enormous,
Dispatches to this paper yesterday gave
a partial account Of the accident, but the
information received by afternoon papers
all over the country was comparatively
mesgre. The NEWS -DEMocRAT sent a
special reporter to the scene of the wreck
but owing to poor telegraph facilities and
the distance of a telegraph office, no word
could be received from the scene OF the
wreck. There were but four newspaper
men on the scene yesterday and not one
was all. .. o get line 10 his paper.
Our rsplrter returned to Canton al 80
o'clock last evening, with complete details
of the wreck.
The scene was one which would make
any ones heart sick. The engines came
together with such force that the freight
engine was driven through thepassenger
engine and the two were riv tied together.
The express and mail cars piled up
on top of the engines. The smoker
mounted on top of the whole pile, the rear
end tipping up and then falling again on
the front end OF tue first day passenger
coach, crushing tbe car beneath 1t and
entailinR loss OF life.
The trains met in a cut, one and three
quarter miles from Shrsvs. On each side
of this cut 10 an embankment about 20
feetiu height. When tne trains mat the
Wreckage completely filed the cut. Fire
at once bro OUT and toe flames in a
moment lighted the heavens. The night
was dark bu. the lurid light lit up tho
surroundings aud made a brilliant though
terrible picture.
Survivors of the wreck at once set about
with the work of rescuing thosein danger,
and did most courageous work. The lanes
however, soon drove them back, and they
were obliged to retire TO a distance and
watch the wreck burn, while the agoDiZing
cries of those VINO were in the wreck greet.
ed their ears. They were pOWerless to save
them, and the interval Of time vas only of
too long duration, until the flimes did
their terrible work, and the cries of the
iupfortunates pinned in the wreck were
4hushed.
Ihe cars were consumed and nothing
could he done until the fire had abated.
The News. DEMOCRAT man was one OF the
first Newspaper men on the scene. how
the terrible affair occurred and the awful
result OF the disaster may be seen by the
following
STORY OF THE WRECK,
Two sections OF freight, No. IS, side
tracked az Millbrook, had orders TO lay
there until the limited passenger, a freight
train and No. 8 had passed. The frat eec
ton of No. rs was in charge of Conductor
Conkliu aud Engineer Bradley. The sec
ond section was in charge OF Conductor
Martin, The crew OF the first section
went 70 sleep during which time the linn
tied aud the freight passed them. They
thinkiog tudt No. also had passed, which
was an hour late, pulled out and had 9 one
one and three"quarters miles to the cut
mentioned in tue foregoing, when No. 8
in charge of G. W. r tger of Allegheny
and Engineer Burt, running at the rate Of
40 miles an hour. hove in sight. 1t was
impossible for the engineers 10 see more
than 300 feet ahead. As the trains sighted
each other the engineers jumped. Both
fremen were unable to get of their en-
Rines in time and were killed. Fireman
Smith of the passenger, was burned up,
and Fireman Hammond Of the freight Was
taken from the cab before the f1re reached
him. He was found with his head leaning
out of the window, with cigar in his
mouth. He Was horribly mangled.
A, IL. Jackson, express messenger, OF
Chicago, was killed and consumed in his
car.
In the mail car were Ave pogtal clerks:
George Mann, Chicago, clerk ia charge
Harry Allen, Columblana; Joe AIDE, Blu
cyrus; j. ID. Patterson, Beaver Falls;
David Resse, Massillon. All were killed
except Joe AIDE. Tho door of the mail
car was battered ia and Joe AIDE jumped
out, practically uniUjured. Patterson WAS
caught by the foot and could not be eXIri-
Gated He was burned alive. His cries
were terrible To hear.
John williamson, baggage man, was
Fv.Wa hat Vhn
thing that he knew of coming danger
Was when hs felt the air go on
wicked and the baggage went
10 the front OF the car, raising the roof Of
the car. He found himself moment
later on the outside among the debris OF
the wrecked care. He does not know hos
he got out, but knows only that he got out.
In the smoker were passengers mum
berinR 1S persons. No one in the smoker
was killed and none seriously injured. The
last person taken out OF the smoker was =
Cbinsm1n. Those who were ia the
smoker found themselves on top OF the
wreck, with the flames bursting out ia
every direction. IL was necessary for the
passengers to jump about 1S feet In order
TO get from the wreck 20 the ground.
II Is believed that the only passengers
lost were four women and one baby in the
forward portion OF the first coach behind
the smoker. That portion OF the car was
crushed in by the smoker falling on IL.
There were about forty people in the
passenger car directly behind the smoker.
There wers three men in the car who gave
their seats to the four women and the
baby. The three men joined the other
men ON the opposite side OF the car and
commenced playing cards. The seats had
been given 10 the women because they
wanted TO be together, while the men
were not 80 particular. When the crash
came the men were pinned In their seats
by the pieces OF car and twisted iron
around them, but were extricated before
the IRE reached them. Three OF the men
were b IDLY Injured, but the other two ess
caped serious iniuries. These men state
that the women must have been killed