Evening journal., 1903-12-24
SIXTY-THREE
DIE IN WRECK
lcontInued from FIrst Pagel

\COHtAuueQ from flESl 1dBc.)
fact is that not a woman was injured
excepting slightly. The wreck was
caused by the breaking of the castings
on car load of bridge timber on a
westbound freight train, which had
passed Laurel Run not more than Is
minutes before the Inflated passenger
train.
The wreck occurred on a curve and
It was impossible for Engineer Thorn
ley to see far enough ahead to detect
the obstruction on the tracks. The big
Atlantic type engine plunged into the
timbers at a velocity of 60 miles an
hour. The engine ploughed into the
embankment and the baggage and ex-
press car we're thrown into the river.
The smoker followed the engine and
landed squarely on top Of it. This al
lowed the escaping steam and hot wa
ter from the engine to fill the car. The
smoker was packed to its utmost ca.
pacity, and all the passengers we're
cooked alive. Not a single passenger
in this car escaped with his life. and
It Is estima ed that at least 40 Of the
dead were the smoker.
BaggageL.aster Thomas ]. Baum. of
Hazelwood, who was on the wrecked
train, proved himself a hero. With
his head and body frightfully cut, he
managed to crawl from the wreckage,
and gropiag his way along in the dark
ness, tagged the westbound passenger
train. No. 40. He had nothing with
which to flag the train except matches,
and these he made use of in his des-
peration by taking of his coat and
setting fire to it. He stopped the train
just in time TO prevent it from plung-
ing into the wreck and adding further
horror to an already indescribable dis.
Rster.
Baum collapsed when he saw he had
succeeded in stopping the train and
when the engine stopped he was lying
within a few feet of it, An operator
at "Vr" tower on the Pittsburg and
Lake Erie railway was the first to send
word OF the accident and TO send for
relief. He was watching the Duquesne
Limited as it was speeding along the
Baltimore and Ohio tracks across the
river. He says the cars piled high in
the air and then sank back on the
tracks. The screams of the injured and
dyingegere plainly heard. And in an
other second he was sending word to
the railway officials at Dawson and
Connellsville.
For more than 5000 feet both the
east and westbound tracks are torn
up. The engine was completely demol-
ished and the big 7000-gallon tank on
the tender was thrown 100 feet ahead
Of the other wreckage. The baggage
car was thrown into the river, but was
only slightly wrecked. All the cars
were derailed and the trucks Of all
except the diner we're torn completely
from underneath the cars. Few people
were injured In the Pullman cars and
the diners to any great extent, although
few escaped without at least some lit
tie injury AS soon as the wreck was
reported in Connellsville all the avail
able physicians we're summoned, in
cluding Baltimore and Ohio railway
physicians, and a special train was
made up and taken in charge by Cen
eral Superintendent Sims and Superin-
tendent ]. It. Irwin, OF the Pitts5urg
division.
The dead we're placed in long row
on the embankment, opposite the
wreckage, and in a single line s8 forms
lay cold and stiff on the frozen ground.
Another row on the opposite side Of
the wreckage contained II, and scat
tered here and there through the un-
derbrush were the dead bodies Of many
who had been able to crawl from the
wreckage. but died before aid reached
them. Under his engine lay Engineer
William Thornley,. disemboweled and
mangled alriost beyond recognition. IL
was impossible at the time to extri-
cate his body, and it will be several
hours before the wreck crew will be
able to remove the engine which pin
ions his remains under the huge mass
of steel
Hardly had the bodies Of the dead
been removed from the coaches until
thieves began robbing the dead Of jew
elry and money. Special officers were
deputized, and with the aid of the Bal
timore and Ohio police force and Con-
nellsville officers the work Of the
ghouls was stopped. Several persons
are under suspicion, and arrests will
follow.
II is charged that the foreigners who
escaped serious injury in the wreck i'm
mediately set about robbing their
more unfortunate countrymen, and the
dead as well as the injured were rob-
bed of their money and other valu-
Rbles.