The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-24
Cars Left Track and Rolled Into
River.
Forty Persons Roasted to Death
i'm the Smoker.
THE WOMEN ESCAPED.
Baggagemaster, Badly Hurt,
Flags an Oncoming Train.
Made a Light by Setting Fire to
His Coat.

Connellsville, Pa, Dec. 24-with
terrible crash the Duquesne limited, the
fastest through passenger train from
Pittsburg to New York on the B. & Q.
plowed into a pile of lumber at Laurel
Run, two miles west of Dawson, at 7:45
o'clock last night and 60 lives were
lost and so persons were injured.
The train left Pittsburg last evening
running a few minutes late. in charge
of Engineer William Thornley, of Con-
nellsville. When approaching Laurel
Run, which is a particularly fine piece
of roadbed, the train was running at a
high rate of speed. Suddenly the pas
sengers were thrown from their seats
by the lightning like application of the
air brakes and a moment later there
was a terrific crash. The train was
made up of two baggage cars, two day
coaches, one sleeper and one dining car
and at the time was carrying at the
lowest estimate $50 passengers. The
train plowed along for a considerable
distance and the cars were torn to
pieces, passengers jumping, screaming,
falling from the wreck as it tore along.
INTO THE RIVER
Suddenly the engine swerved to the
4cll anu the COdCHcS p1uASeO OOWn OftA
the embankment to the edge of the
Youghiogheny river. The moment the
cars stopped rolling there was a wild
scene. Many persons were pinioned be-
meath the wreckage, and the screams
and cries that rent the air were beyond
description. Many were injured in their
mad excitement. and plunged into the
river. others pinioned beneath the
T7IaQS aROnfZRd
tones for release. So terrific was the
force of the wreck that nearly every
passenger suffered a moments uncon-
sciousness and many of the able bodied
men were unable to assist in helping
the injured from the wreck on account
of having tainted.
The killed were mostly foreigners who
were in the smoker just back of the
baggage car. They were literally roast
ed to death, the baggage and smoker
telescoping the engine and Immediate
ly catching fire.
A peculiar feature of the accident is
the fact that not a woman was injured,
except slightly.
CAUSE OF THE WRECK.
The wreck was caused by the break
ing of the castings on a carload OF
bridge timbers on west bound
freight train which had passed Laurel
Run more than 15 minutes before the
Inflated passenger train. The wreck
occurred on curve, and 1t was i'm
possible for Engineer Thornley, to see
far enough ahead to detect the OBJ
struction on the track. A big Atlantic
type engine plunged into the tfmbers
at velocity of 60 miles an hour. The
engine plunged into the embankment
and the baggage aud express car was
thrown into the Youghiogheny river.
The smoker followed the engine and
landed squarely ON top of it This al
lowed the escaping steam from the en-
gine to I'LL the car. The smoker was
packed to its utmost capacity, and all
the passengers were cooked alive. Not
a single passenger in this car escaped
alive, and at least 40 were in the
smoker. baggage Master Thomas J.
Baum, of Hazelwood, who was on the
wrecked train, proved himself hero.
With his head and body frightfulIy cut
age and cropping his way along in
darkness tagged the west bound pas
senger train, No. 40. He had nothing
with which to flag the train except
his desperate need by taking off his
coat and setting fire to it. He stopped
the train just in time to prevent It
from plunging into the wreck and add
ing further horror to an already inde-
scribable disaster.
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 SAW IT.
An operator at "Vr'' tower on the
Pittsburg & Lake Erie road, across the
Youghiogheny river 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 B. & o. tracks across the
river. He sew the cars pile high in the
air and then sink back on the tracks.
The screams of the injured and dying
were plainly heard. In another second
he was sending word to the railroad
officials at Dawson and ConnellsvilIe
For more than 500 feet both the east
ana westbound tracks are torn up
The engine was completely demolished
and the big 1000 gallon tank on the
tender was thrown 100 feet ahead OF
the 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 were torn completely from
underneath the cars. Few people were
severely injured in the Pullman and
the diner although few escaped with
out at least some slight injuries.
As soon as the wreck was reported
in Connellsville all the available ply
sicians were summoned, including B.
& o. doctors and a special was made
up and taken in charge by General
Superintendent Sims and Superinten-
dent j. r. Irwin of the Pittsburg df-
vision. The relief train was run at full
speed and the scene of the wreck was