Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1902-07-26
FAST TRAIN RUSHES
TO ITS DESTRUCTION
Appalling Accident on Penn
sylvania Railroad.
coLLlDED WITH WILD FLAT CAR.

Four Missing-Train Took Fire and
Was Consumed, With the Exception
of Two Rear Pullman sIeepers.
indianapolis. July ga special td
The Sentinel from Treberns, o., says;
One of the most appalling wrecks in
the history of the Pennsylvania rail
road occurred here last night at 10:3O
o'clock. when the limited from st
Louis to New York with heavy train
of engine, two mail cars, day coach
and four Pullman sleepers, while run
ming at 20 miles an hour, crashed in
to a wild fiat car loaded with coal
coming down grade toward it at the
rate of 25 miles an hour.
Engineer Burned to Crisp.
Three dead bodies have been taken
from the wreck. The engineers body
will never be recovered, being burned
to ashes Four others are known ia
be burned to death. and several more
are missing. The train was totally
consumed by fire, with the exception
of the two rear Pullmans. Sixteen per.
sons were injured. Two postal clerks
are dead, two others are badly scald'
ed and a dozen or more people arc
more or less badly scalded and hurt
otherwise
The crash came in the darkness.
and to add to the horror, gas tank
under a coach exploded and the entire
wreck was mass of flames three
minutes after the collision with the
runaway coal car
List of Casualties.
The dead:
NJ. NJ. Peters, Columbus, o., railway
postal clerk.
L. F. M. McKeown, Greenfield, Ind,
railway postal clerk.
William Clark, Columbus, O., en-
gineer.
William Dwyer, Columbus, o., fire
man
Two unknown women, burned to
death in second Pullman.
Four persons missing; may be
burned in the wreck.
The injured
George A. Clifford, Indianapolis
scalded about face and hands; will
recover.
William G. Forsythe, Indianapolis
scalded about the face and hands and
injured internally
Fred Carpenter, Indianapolis. was
stunned and cut about the head; will
recover.
Twelve others whose names could
not be secured.
How Accident Occurred.
This little town is 3 miles west OF
Xenia. There is a heavy down
grade from that city here. While
switching coal cars there last night a
loaded fiat car got loose and shot
down the heavy grade toward this
hamlet. The limited express on the
Pennsylvania road was speeding on
the same TRACK in the opposite direc'
tlon at the rate of 70 miles an hour
II was late, and Engineer Clark was
trying to make up lost time.
In the darkness he evidently did not
see the coal car coming, or saw 1t too
late. His train crashed into the car
and in an instant later the entire mass
was q burning pile of wreckage. In
1t were nearly 30 human beings. Ten
minutes later ali had been taken out
of the burning mass but seven.
Escaped Without Clothing.
Passengers escaped without clothing
except the seven in the day coaches.
The survivors stood helpless and
heard the screams of two women and
one man pinned in the wreckage for
whom aid was impossible. For three
hours the wreck burned. The Xenia
and Dayton fire departments went to
the scene. They could save no life.
William Dwyer, the fireman, was
taken out alive, but lived only 80
minutes. Four postal clerks were in
the mail cars. They were Clifford
and Forsythe, of indianapolis; Peters
of Columbus, o., and McGowan, OF
| Greenfield, Ind.
Bodies ScaIded and Manqled.
The bodies Of Peters and MCGOWAN
were recovered badly scalded and
mangled It was an hour before
help arrived from Xenia. The survi
vors were taken there and the injured
cared for Later in the night a spe
cial took the people uninjured to Co
lumbus.
Many Of them will continue on their
journey. Three wrecking crews ar
rived, and the track is being put in
shape. It IS torn up for 200 yards. e.
B. Hutchison, claim agent of the road
is preparing a list of the injured as
accurately as the confusion VIII allow
1t will be days before the exact list
Is known.
A story is current today that the
coal car was run from Xenia to Tre
boins down grade in charge Of a
brake. as it rcfused to work. An en-
gine chased after it. When the brake
man saw he could not check the car
he jumped
Second Collision Narrowly Averted.
Clarence Klncaid. treasurer of the
Colonial Distilling company of Tire
boin. is due deserving credit for hil
great presence of mind in averting
another terrible collision. He was