The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-07-31
MIRACLE OF A WRECK 5.
Going Seventy Miles an Hour a
Train Runs into Wild
e.. Ccal Car.
ALSO MOVING AT TIE SAME SPEED
Fifty Passengers on the Train and Not
One Fatally Hurt--FOur Train
Men Killed.

Xenia, o., July 26.-Only four
killed and dozen injured is the al
most miraculous result of the coils
ion of the Pennsylvania express going
seventy miles an hour, carrying fifty
persons, and meeting a loaded coal car
descending long grade at the highest
possible speed. This was the record
at TrebeinS, station on the PennSyl-
vania road three miles west of Xenia,
at 1920 Thursday night The train
was the limited which left st. Louis
at 1 p. III. Thursday and was due in
New York last night. 1t carried two
mail cars, baggage car, day coach
and four Pullmans. 1t left Dayton
twenty minutes late and was running
to make rp lost time
No Time To DO Anything.
1t was dark, and the engineer could
see nothing of the deadly coal car that
was running wild until his headlight
flashed upon the obstruction. There
was no time for checking speed. There
was hideouS crash; the coal car was
torn to SplinterS, the engine was turned
Over-a ShapeleSS wreck. All the cars
except the two rear Pullmans were
thrown into a heap together, and to
add TO the horror gas tank under
one of the cars exploded and the
wreckage caught fire. To the presence
of mind of Clarence Kincaid, the
treasurer OF the Colonial Distilling
company at Trebeins, was due the pre-
vention of another fearful wreck. He
warned a fast freight that was COM
ing and would have piled up on the
express wreck.
Names of the Dead and Hurt.
Help from the Xenia and Dayton
fire departments was obtained to eX-
tinguish the flames. The passengers
who escaped did all in their power to
rescue those less fortunate. Workmen
in the vicinity and residents gave val
liable assistance. Strange to say ur-
der such circumstances only four per-
sons were killcd-Engineer William
Clark, OF Columbus; Fireman William
Dwyer. of Cincinnati: Postal Clerks
Charles S. AIcWcvn, of Greenfield,
Ind. and II ". Peters. Of Columbus.
The injured whose names were OBJ
tanned are: George 4. Clifford and Viii
liam q. Forsythe, Indianapolis, scald
ed and latter injured internally; JAS.
McFadden, Indianapolis, cut ON head:
Fred Carpenter, Indiana polls, stunned
and cut; Bessie Donovan, Irwin, Pa.
cut about head, not seriously: Mollie
Collins. Louisville. Ky, head cut None
OF these VIII die.
Novel Cause of the Disaster.
The coal car which was the cause
of the disaster was being switched at
Xen:a. When Yardmaster Sullivan saw
that the brakes would not work he
jumped from the car, which had not
then attained great speed, and at
tempted to throw a switch by which
it would be put into siding. but he
failed in this, and then made an effort
to catch the car again. Finding that
his efforts to stop the car were fruit
less, Sullivan then came back and no.
titled the yard engine, and wild
chase OF nearly three miles ensued in
an effort to Overtake the car But this
also failed, the car having attained
such speed and such Il start that all
efforts were of no avail. 1t is eSti-
mated that the coal car must hive
been running over seventy miles an
hour when the crash occurred.