The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-11-14
A TERRIBLE COLLISION
Between the 8. & 0. Flyer and
a Stock Train.
FIVE EMPLOYEES KILLED,
But the Passengers Escape Without
Serious Injury.

trains are among the dead. The Flyer
cially known rs train No. D. The stocl
train was running as the first section q
train No. 6l, otherwise known as tn
Mountain Accommodation. 1t left Con
nellsville shortly after O'Clock Wednes
day afternoon with Engineer Franl
Browning at the throttle on Engine l22I
The list of those killed are as follows:
HENRY BUSH, engineer of the Flyer
| Pittsburg.
FRANK d. BROWNING, engineer o
| the stock train. Conneilsville.
PATRICK MCCARTHY, fireman of tn
| Flyer, HazelwOod.
| GEORGE DENERE, front brakeman
of the stock train. Cumberland.
j. j. PIERCE, railway mail clerk
| Baltimore.
J. q. DEGRANGE, railway mail clerk
Berkeley Springs, w. Va.
c. II. HOOTON and FRANK Will
| HANSON, two railway mail clerks o
Baltimore, were seriously hurt.
Engineer Bush had orders 10 pass Firs
81 with Engine l22I at Pine Grove siding
As he neared the station Fireman McCar
| ty leaned out of his window, on whicl
side the siding Is, and seeing an engin.
with some ears attached standing there
supposed it was First IA. the train wa,
| running at high rate of speed and il i,
supposed that Fireman McCarty failed tC
notice that the engine was not l22l and
gave Engineer Bush the signal that ev.
erything was all right. In minute tho
ponderous engine of the stock train hove
in sight and there was a tremendous
crash as the two locomotives came tOgeth.
er. Fireman COughenOur of Engine l22l
jumped as soon as he saw the Flyer turn
the curve. He escaped with few bruis-
es. Engineer Bush of the Flyer also
jumped, but too late, and he was covered
by the wreck. Engineer Browning and
Brakeman Devere stayed on the engine
of the stock train and were buried in the
debris. Mail Clerk HoOton, who was in
charge Of the mail ear, gives the follow
ing account of the wreck:
1--WE were running very fast, probably
80 miles an hour, when the collision oc-
Cured. Pine Grove is the regular passing
point for train 81 and generally it is
pulled in on the siding when the Flyer
arrives, SO that we are not compelled u
wait. Engineer Bush, though, it seems,
had orders to lay there for First 81, which
was stock train composed of ten ears
and running on fast schedule. | noticed
a train standing a; Pine Grove when We
passed and about n minute later felt the
air being applied all OF a sadden. The
speed of the train did not slacllen much
and | stopped work for a second to see
what was the matter. Just then the crash
clme.
CLERK Williamson and myself were
back naar the rear end of the ear, while
Pierce and DeGrange were in the fore
part OF the ear distributing mail AT the
table. When the two engines came TO-
gether Williamson aud myself were
thrown on our heads on the bottom of the
ear. Then began grinding noise coup
led with the cracking and breaking of
timbers and loud believing, which | af-
forwards learned came from the cattle on
the stock train. Every ear of the latter
was smashed and the cattle either killed
outright or topple1 over the bank. Ny
head was caught below the ears by the
grinding timbe-s and twisted until
thought my time had come. Bat jdsi
then the ears stopped m0ving and | was
saved. Williamson was lying on top OF
me, but was not fast in any way We
erawled out of the ears as quickly a pos
sink. aud tasfrRss IN pfa-f.sa = 4
DeGrange. They made no noise after the
two trains came together. Death was in
stant ineous. Pierce was married and
leaves wife and two children in Balti-
more. DeGrange was single and abJut
% years of age.
The scene after the wreck was an ap-
palling one. Opposite where ii happened,
not more than 2)9 feet from the track,
stands the house of Joseph BIrSe, a
mountain farmer. lie with his wife and
family of three children We're eIting sup
per when the two trains crashed together,
piling the wreckage high over the house
and Knocking in one corner. \ little girl
about 6 years of age heard the Flyer
whistling and ran To the window To see il
piss. The collision occurred Just rs she
reached the window. \ large splinter OF
wood came flying through, taking out
sash and all and knocking the little girl
under the table. 4 lamp was also
knocked OFF the table and clock from a
shelf on the wall. The little girl was
painfully bat not seriously hurt.
1,ha .atsla ~, sI.a ~. tr-,fu ~. ..
dismal believing for several hours after
the wreck. Fifty head were either killed
outright or knocked in the head on ac-
count of broken limbs. One large steer
was fast deep down in the wreck and il
was some time before the trainmen
reached the unfortunate animal. All the
time the timbers were being torn away
the steer kept up a terrible believing,
bat as soon rs he was free, with fen
bounds he was lost TO sight in the laurel
on the mountain side, Some stockmeI
who were on the cattle train were bldly
bruised. They were taken TO Meyers
dale.
The bodies of the deal trlinmel wer c
not recovered from the wreck until early
Thursday morning. Firemln VI :Clrty
was the last one TO be taken out. His re-
mains were terribly mItilatel; likewise
those of Price and DeTranga. Engineer
Browning was alive when taken oIt, bat
died in few minutes. His only remarks
were, take my shoes off, and 1T is
too hte'' Engineer Bash was the only
one not disigured.
Engineer Bash was one of the oldest
men in point of service on the PittsbIrg
division of the B. * o. lie has been run
ming fast trains for the past Is years. He
lived i'm handsome house at HaZclwood
and leaves a wife, one son and two dalgh-
tiers. He was about - years of age, very
popular at Hazelwood and among rail-
road men and known by every resident
along the Pittsburg division. His unfnF-
tunate death is regretted on all sidas.
Patrick McCarty, Bash's fireman, also
lived at Hizelwood. He leaves a wife
and two young children.
Winter Excursion Tickets on the Pennsyl,
valia Railroad.