The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-01-30
SLEEP THAT HURLED
FIVE MEN TO DEATH
|
Two Engines and Ten Load
ed Cars Wrecked.
AN ENGINEERS BLUNDER
Mistook First Section of Passing
Train For Second.
he HAD FALLEN ASLEEP AT THE SIDING
And He Pulled Out on the Main Line lust in
Time to Dash Into the Second Section
With the Dsastrou Results
Recorded.
lBy the Associated Press.)


Baltimore, Md. Jan. 2S.-A special
from Parkersburg, w. Va, to the Morn
ing Herald, says.
Five persons dead and one severely
wounded, two engines and ten loaded cars
wrecked, is the result of the mistake OF
train crew this Afternoon between Pc
troleum and Volcano Junction on the Bal
timore and Ohio Railroad. 1t was the old
story of the engineer being asleep at his
post, and mistaking the first section of a
passing train for the second section.
Thinking both had passed he pulled his
train into the main track and sped onward
TO what would seem to have necessarily
been his death.
THE dead are:
81 B. WATKINS, engineer train No.
SO, from Grafton.
"W. w. CUNNINGHAM. fireman on No.
49, recently from the second division.
m. COURTNEY, of Parkersburg, brake
man or No. IS.
~. T. BAILEY. of Parkersburg, fire.
man on No. 81.
-. G. BAILEY. Kanawha, brakeman
on No. 81.
"Iniured
IKE DAVIDSON, of Grafton, engineer
on No. 81, burned, cut and bruised.
THE scene was indescribable. All the
five men pinned under the wreck were
dead and only one of the bodies had been
found. He was j.. G. Bailey, whose body
was crushed so as to be unrecognizable
and could only be identified by his watch,
which stopped at Los p. IN. The body will
be held at Petroleum until the trains get
through tomorrow.
1.-The accident occurred in a cut on a
curve on a heavy down grade, and at the
end Of bridge. That anyone was saved
at all is almost q miracle. The third Sec
tion of No. 81 was on the siding at Pc
troleunanNith orders to wait there till the
- - section of No. 90 passed east. En-
pgmeer Davidson, who escaped. with slight
injuries, was the engineer on No. 81. and
went to sleep on the siding.
when the first section went by he
thought il was the second section and
started out on to the main track. His
fireman and forward brakeman. both of
whom were killed. must also have been
asleep for they allowed him to take the
train out. The conductor of first No. 9S
after he had passed, saw Davidson pulling
out and tried to wave to him to STOP but
failed. The conductor of the fourth No.
ST. seeing the third section pull cut, ran
forward after it as fast as possible his
engineer whistling down brakes and the
conductor of the wrecked train ran over
the tops of the cars till he reached the
| next car to the last one wrecked. in his
attempt to stop the engineer. but none
of them attracted his attention in. time.
Conductor Lang managed to jump in
time to save himself.
"All passengers on the east and west
bound accommodations We're transferred
at the wreck tonight, but the fast trains
were sent around by Moundsville and
the Ohio River Railroad
Brakeman Leslie Davis, whose day ii
was to go out on No. SO owes his life to
the car boys failure to find him this
morning, and Courtney was substituted
and went to his DEATH.