Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-16
TRESTLE GAVE WAY.
Five Persons Killed in a Railway
Disaster.
FLOOD UNDERMINED THE SUPPORTS.
Recovering Bodies Of Dead and
Injured.
THREE MILES FROM DUNKIRK

DUNKIRK, N. Y, Dec 16--Five persons
were killed and six injured by a railroad
disaster on the Western New York and
Pennsylvania railroad. three miles east of
this city last night.
The dead are: Jesse Hodge, conductor,
Brockton: William E. Mccain, baggage
man, Buffafo; Oscar Porter passenger,
Brockton: Mrs. ]. N. Porter, mother Of Os-
car Porter, passenger, Brockton; George
Ryman, passenger, Fredonia.
The injured are: Charlotte Friedholm.
Dunkirk, scalp wound and perhaps internal
injuries; Maniel Williams daughter Of ]. Il.
Williams, Dunkirk, not serious; Mrs. Os-
car Porter, Brockton, severe cuts on head
and right ankle fractured; Byron R. Bar
ton, Mayville, scalp wound and cuts on
arms; A W. McLane. Brockton, engineer,
head cut and bruised; Barney Moss, Brock
ton. fireman. left arm nearly severed, Sc
riously injured about head.
The Disaster.
The train went through the trestle that
spans Herrick's creek, about three miles
east Of here.
The creek is harmless little stream,
but owing to the heavy rains Of the past
two days 1t rose rapidly and yesterday
afternoon 1t poured down a food of angry
water against the trestle. The force of the
flood was SO great that the rocks support
ing the under sills were washed away and
the trestle's back was broken.
When the Inflated train dashed on the
structure at 6:4o o'clock, running forty
miles an hour, the trestle gave way and the
cars crashed into the gorge. The train was
local TO Brockton. 1t was made I'D of
three cars, baggage smoker and day coach.
and carried not over a dozen people
=. me engine had crossed the bridge when
IL gave way. The tender broke it's coupling
and, with the cars, fell twenty-five feet
into the rushing torrent beneath. The en-
gine rolled over and over down the en-
oankment. The baggage car stood almost
on end, Its lower end crushed into a dis
torted mass of ironwork and splintered
woodwork, with the tender and smoking
car stretched across the stream. The day
coach was turned upward, it's upper ex-
tremity resting on the tracks above and
It's lower end buried In the wreck.
There were seven passengers in the coach
and all were either killed or injured.
Recovering the Bodies.
When the wreck occurred assistance was
summoned. and men with lanterns and
crowbars went to work assisting those in
the cars. The dead and injured were taken
from the rear coach. the wounded being
carried to Mr.. Herrick's house. nearby,
and the dead for the time laid out on the
bank. Then the search for the missing
was taken up.
AT midnight an arm was seen protrud-
Ing from the wreckage formed by the ten
der, baggage car and smoker. 1t was the
body OF Conductor Hodge. His head was
buried deep in the debris. and tons of
wreckage will have to be lifted before 1t
can be released. The body of Baggageman
Mccain has not yet been found. 1t was
either buried deep in the wreck or was
carried away by the flood.
The engineer and fireman do not know
how they escaped alive. Mccain found
himself lying beside the engine at the bot
tom of the embankment Moss, the fire.
man, also went down with the engine and
came to his senses not far away from 1t.
A Nickel Plate engine was run up from
Silver Creek, with two doctors, and a third
came from Dunkirk. They gave the
wounded every attention. but George Ry-
man, who was sexton Of the cemetery at
FredOnia. died an hour after the accident
The others are expected to recover, though
Moss. the fireman, is in great danger.
Hodge, the dead conductor leaves a
widow and five children.
Oscar Porter was a prominent merchant
of Brockton and supervisor of the town of
Portland
All Western New York and Pennsylvania
trains are running over the Nickel Plate
tracks between Silver Creek and Dunkirk
this morning. 1t will take some time to re-
pair the wrecked bridge.