The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-07-06
NCo!!iSion Near The is;i

Of two engines.
| At 1912 the local train from Washing
ton, en- route to Chesapeake Beach, met
and the express engineer, Frances Z.
| Maicr, and the fireman. Charles Leir, of
Nottingham, were killed. Engineer +.
| A. Hayden and Fireman John / HufI. 81
the local. saved their lives by jumping.
Both trains were running at mod@r
| ate rate of speed, both conductors think
| ing they had the right of way, owing to
| the new schedule which went into effect
Sunday
At Pushaw a sharp curve ohstrucis the
view, and when it was apparent Il coli
sion was imminent both engineers blew
for down brakes. The speed was greatly
| diminished, but the engines came together
head on, aud but for the marshy loca,
| ton a greater fatality would have been
| the result.
There were less than goo persons III the
cars, and at once the banks were lined
with the county people, who witnessed
the collision from their homes. AS it was
some of the passengers were badly jostlcd,
and when seen at Marlboro en- route to
Washin gton had black eyes and some faces
were badly bruised 1t was said that Il
| lady was in the train who had received
some serious INJURY but no one was al
lowed to enter the car.
Charles Zeir, the dead fireman, was a
stranger in this locality, but it is said that
he was married few days ago to = youn .
woman living near Nottingham.
The Washington Correspondent for the
| BALTIC. Herald says:
The responsibility for the accident on
| the Chesapeake Beach Railroad rests with
the crew of the local train for not stop
ping at Owings Station to allow the cN-
press to pass. The local was behind time
but despite the fact tried to reach the
Beach or another siding to LEI the express
| pass.
The local was due at its destination at
11.25 and was over half an hour late The
express left Chesapeake Beach at y NJ
When the crash came it had been under
way six minutes The engineer supposed
| that the local was waiting at the siding at
Owings, but instead of delaying the way
tr in crew, went on, when by consulting
Il watch it could have been seen that it was
then 100 late to attempt a run. Without
c 'n>i,iering the danger, or at least not
needing it, the local was pushed ahead
| and the trains smashed together upon the
only curve in the road.
Fireman Hurd of the local. VIII, WAS on
the left side of the cah saw the cypress
first as the two approached each other
around the bend He called to the pn.i-
necr and the airbrakes were applied. It
is supposed that the express likewis" re
tarded its progress, but the collision that
resulted was such as to lock the engines
and to drive the tenders into the cabs. 1t
seems that Maier and Zeir made no effort
to escape. There is no doubt tina, they
saw the collision was inevitable, but each
stuck to his post and was crushed instant
ly Maier's legs and arms were broken
and crushed and his ribs We're forced in
ward. Fireman Zeir's chest was crushed,
his head was manglcd and he was also
scalded
The remains of the fireman were the
down between the tender and engine
There seems little doubt that both men
died instantly. The passengers OF each
train, railroad men and residents Of the
vicinity did all they could to cxtr.cate
the unfortunate men, but when the bodies
were taken out not spark of life re
NAMED
A jury of inquest was summoned by
Justice l. c. Pepper, of Calvert comfy ,aud
a verdict was rendered blaming the crew
of the local for the foo!hardy act If ron
ming past Owings siding
Fireman Hurd in his statement said lhat
the train at the siding, but that )ndHctor
| Schuster thought that it would be poS>ib}s.
| to make Chesapeake Beach in time and or
! dered the train to go ahead. IIurd said
press was almost at a standstill when he
| engines struck.
The express train consisted al three
| coaches and the local of two. There were
| - passengers on the former and - on The
| latter AS soon as the news Of the wreck
reached here President Mcars ordered out
| the emergency train, which, besides officials
of the road, took Drs. Charles Brown ana
| F. B. Brook to the scene arriving at 220
| The bodies of the dead men had in the
meantime been placed in the collins and
the work of clearing the wreck had be
gun.
The remains were put upon the train
| and brought to Washin gton and taken to
| Undertaken r. W. Bakers establishment.
On the way to Washington the train took
aboard Engineer Hayden and Conductor
Schuster, of the local, who were walking
on the track near Browns Station.