The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-01-19
TANGLED UP.
A Crash Followed by Shrieks
and Creams.
PASSENGER AND FREIGHT.
A Double-Header Fast Line Runs Into O
Coal Train Near Latrobe, Pa.

One Trainman Killed and Several Others
Injured in the CoIlision-There Was No
warning and Escape Was impossible.
Passengers Badly Shaken Up-The De-
tails of the Accident.
LATRoBE, Pa, Jan. 17.--By the col.
lision of an express train with freight
on the Pennsylvania railroad, near here
yesterday, one man was killed and
the other badly injured. The passeng-
ers were unhurt, but were badly shaken
up and frightened, and the road was
blocked for twelve hours.
George Letzinger, a fireman, of Cone.
maugh, was killed outright. The names
| of the injured are as follows: William
| Gettemy, passenger engineer, Cone.
maugh, right arm broken, body bruised.
| George Cannon, passenger engineer,
Williamsburg, head and arm injured.
| George f. Kelly, passenger fireman,
Pittsburg, head and shoulders injured.
The colliding train was the third sec.
ton of the fast line. 1t was delayed by
| freig hit trains in front Of it and by other
causes, on account Of which it ran very
| slowly. The train neared Latrobe three
|
were handed the conductor of the freight
| train, which was heavily loaded with
| coal, tnat the train was running that
much behind time and to look out for it.
The freight was making very slow time
eastward also.
The crew in some manner not vet eN.
| planned construed the latter to read that
| the express was following them three
| hours and forty minutes late, and there
| fore were taking their time in preparing
! to run on q side track. AT point mid
| way between Beatty Station and La
trobe, the latter being forty miles dis
| tant from Pittsburg and Beatty two
| miles nearer, a gleam of light was seen
| to suddenly appear out of the darkness
short distance behind the freight. 1t
was recognized as the headlight Of an
approaching train.
In an instant and before the crews of
either train could do aught to avert the
catastrophe the express train with its
precious load of humanity had dashed
into the rear of the coal train.
| With a crash that resounded for miles
through the still and frosty air the two
mighty engines drawing the express
rushed through the coal cars grinding
them into pieces as if they were con-
structed of cardboard instead Of heavy
timber. When the big machines had
run their course, with a mighty effort
they arose in the air and careened to one
side Of the rails, where they lay on their
| sides in the midst of the havoc they had
wrought. Fortunately none of the pas.
senger cars left the rails, but the caboose
and five of the cars of the coal train,
with their contents, were telescoped
with the engines.
A scene that would be hard to depict
followed the crash. For an instant a
deathly stiffness reigned. 1t was broken
by pitiful groans coming from the
mass of debris where ay injured and
| imprisoned the engineers and tiremer
of both the express engines who were
unable to jump from their posts SC
quickly when the engines derailed
Within the train the passengers, many
of whom had been thrown from their
berths and all awakened by the shock,
Everything was confusion. Alarmed
and fearful lest the next instant harm
in what shape they did not know over
take them, they rushed hither and
thither, and even after the full extent
of the accident was realized, it required
some time after to quiet them.
Many of the passengers received pain
ful bruises as a result Of the shock, bu
none were injured to any extent. They
assisted the crew in releasing the i'm
prisoned trainmen. The lifeless body o
Litzinger was recoved in a few mo
ments. 1t was crushed in hOrribl
manner. The remains were sent to hi
home. The other three were speedil,
rescued from the wreck. Cannon anr
Kelly were brought to the West Penn
Hospital and Gettemy was taken to Cone
| maugh.