The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-07-31
MIRACULOUS ESCAPES.
Of Train Load Of Passengers on
the Erie Railroad.
ENGINEER AND FIREMAN KILLED

And Number Of Passengers Serious
ly Injured Freight Train Wrecked
| by Washout and the Chicago Elk.
| press Crashed Into tho Wreck.
Port Jervis, N. Y, July 31.-The &C.
cident on the Erie railroad growing
out of~the landslide a mile east of
Lackawaxen Saturday night was not
as serious as first reported. Only the
fireman and engineer of the derailed
engine Of the west bound Chicago ex-
press, which turned over on the track,
were killed, though a number of pas
sengers on the express, the vestibule
passenger train for Buffalo and Cleve-
land, were injured.
The dead are: Stephen Outwater,
Port Jervis, engineer of Chicago ex-
press; Fred Sells, Port Jervis, fireman
of Chicago express.
Injured: c. L. Stephens, Chicago,
bruises, minor contusions; F. View,
New York, cut on head and right arm;
G. H. Boyd, Sharon, Pa, scalp wounds;
Mrs. G. H. Boyd, Sharon, Pa, bruises
on back and shoulders; Bernard Shay,
Port Jervis, freight engineer, pelvis
broken; Fred Smith, Port Uervis,
brakeman, shoulder broken; J. M.
Trimmer, trainman of Chicago express,
shoulder injured; Michael Thornton.
porter, shoulder bruised; Timothy
WEIGH, conductor of Chicago express,
back and legs injured; G. E. Belz,
Cleveland, head cut, hand burned; L.
e. Parker, New York, hands burned;
Mrs. F. c. Heath, New York, head cut
and back injured; F. L. Mergott, New
ark, N j., slight confusion, bruises on
left leg; F. s. Fitzpatrick, Denver, slight
injuries; F. l.. Drake, Pullman conduc-
tor, slight injuries; W. Freybold, Ho-
boken, slight injuries; A. s. Collins,
Buffalo, slight injuries; Richard Smith,
Chicago. slightly injured; Miss Flor
Adel Milford and Mrs Elizabeth Hunt,
both Of Newark, bruises.
The wreck, which occurred shortly
before midnight, was preceded by a
cloudburst and storm, which lasted
two hours. A section Of the bank fell
on the south bound track directly III
front Of the freight train. Several
trees went down with the rocks and
earth, and the freight cars and engine
were turned over directly across the
west bound tracks of the Erie road.
Sixty freight cars constituted the train,
though only % were derailed, and the
debris was piled up on the west bound
tracks just as the Chicago express put
in an appearance, running at the rate
of so miles an hour. The engine of the
express train crashed into the wreck
and the baggage car, combination and
buffet car and two Pullman sleepers
were piled up on the tracks immed-
ately in front of the wrecked freight
cars. The first sleeper was split into
two parts as a result of the accident,
and the passengers were thrown 30
feet down a bank.
Fire at once broke out and four cars
OF the express train and nine Of the
freight cars were burned. Baggage
master Becker, who found himself
under the baggage car door, recovered
consciousness only to discover that he
was all alone in the heart of the
wrecked passenger cars. He managed
to crawl from his position only to
find blaze starting in front of him,
while half car was somehow braced
up Immediately over him. He called
for assistance, but there was no re-
Spouse. Then he saw the passengers
who had been hurled down the 80 foot
embankment endeavor to extricate
themselves from the debris and make
their way up the bank. All were clad
only In their night clothing, and they
were shivering with the cold. Some
were bleeding and moaning, and all
were dazed. Members of the train
portions of the wreck and assisted
those who were struggling to escape.
Blankets were brought in from the
Pullman cars and wrapped around
shivering, historical women and half
conscious men. Word was telegraphed
to Port Jervis, relief train was at
once arranged for, and physicians and
trained nurses retprned for the purpose
of caring for those needing immediate
assistance. The relief train soon
reached the scene of the accident, and
nearly all Of the injured persons were
removed to the hospital
OF the persons injured and now at |
the hospital Bernard Shay, of Port Jer-
Wis, the engineer of the freight train, |
and G. E. Belz, of Cleveland, were !
most seriously hurt, but their wounds |
are not fatal Mr.. Belz is a stenog-
rapher in the Office of Traffic Manager
Thomas, of the Erie system, with
headquarters at Cleveland
Several thieves from Port Jervis, |
who il is supposed reached the scene
of the wreck on the relief train, ran
sacked the clothes of the passengers
during the period of exciatement. f. I!
View, millinery decorator of New !
York, lost clothing containing $500 in |
bills and gold watch. F. S. Gilpat-
rick, of Denver, lost 500, gold watch,
a diamond pin and diamond stud. |
On the way to the hospital he noticed
man wearing his trousers. They
went through the pockets together,
but found the money gone. The man
said that the trousers had been given !
him by one of the trainmen, but claim
ed that the money and valuables must
have been distracted before he receiv-
ed the present of the garment
After several hours search the
bodies of Engineer Outwater and Fire
man Sells were found under their en-
CINE by persons attached to the wreck
ing train. Both bodies had been burn
cd IN N Tho MAN ,,o,o ;Jo,4t