The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-24

The injured were looked after i'm
mediately and everybody made as
comfortable as possible. They were
loaded on TO the relief train and taken
to the Cottage State hospital here.
The dead were placed in a long row on
the embankment opposite the wreck
age and in single line 80 forms lay
cold and stiff on the frozen ground.
Another row on the opposite side OF
the wreckage contained IL and scatter
brush were the dead bodies of many
who had been able to crawl from the
wreckage but died before aid had
reached them.
UNDER HIS ENGINE.
Under his engine lay Engineer VIM.
Thornley,, disembowled and mangled al
most beyond recognition. It was i'm
possible at the time to extricate his
body and it will be several hours be-
fore the wreck crew will be able to re-
move the engine which pinions his re-
mains 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
deputized and with the aid Of the B. &
o. police force and Connellsville officers.
the work of the ghouls was stopped.
Several persons are under suspicion and
the foreigners who escaped injury in
the wreck set about robbing their more
unfortunate countrymen and dead as
well as injured were robbed of their
money and other valuables.
Never were more terrible scenes to be
witnessed than those about the wreck,
the steam from the cars filled the air,
many of the stricken people climbing
out of the windows went wild with
bowls and screams of delirium in the
bushes and it is thought many have not
been found; other were caught in their
wanderings and cared for. One man,
after rushing into the woods came back
again, went into the baggage car of the
relief train and sitting down, said: My
God" The next instant he dropped over
dead without another word. There was
not a scar on him. He had inhaled the
MANAGER SIMS CRIED.
When General Manager Sims arrived
at the scene of last nights accident near
Dawson he was so overcome that he
cried. Men and women who crowded to
the scene were compelled to turn away
from the affecting sights. When the re-
lief train reached here thousands of peo-
pie were at the station. A large num-
Der of Connellsville people had gone to
Pittsburg for Christmas shopping and
were expected home on the limited
Porter Hills telling of his experience
said:
THE PORTER'S STORY.
Il went to the smoking car and began
to get the injured out. The car was the
most awful scene I ever witnessed. Men
were JdulIilGu INTO all SOIIS OIL Shapes.
They were on top of each other and
buried under heaps of dirt and seat
cushions. When tried to lift one man
out 1 found others so tightly Wedged
into the same place that several had to
| be aided at one time. I got seven men
before I stopped there. The dead were
| badly bruised and some of the scalded
/ were in such fearful condition that
! they would be better dead. Some of
these had lost their eyes entirely. The
baggage and clothing of the passengers
| was scattered all over the ground. Some
of it was spotted with blood while
| telling the pathetic tale of Christmas
shopping that came to such a pitiful
end"
| DESCRIBES THE ACCIDENT.
One of the trainmen said:
Half way around the curve the loco
motive struck the big timbers in its
path and began with lightning like
rapidity to careen, then roll and with
over on it's side. The instant it did so
| the momentum of the train behind it
| sent the tender clear over the locomo-
| tive like football and before it could
stop it was lying on the water level 20
feet below. Next came the baggage car
which went over the locomotive top and
lodged with one end near the water. The
smoker of the train was smashed like
kindling. The sleepers, still croWding,
but not breaking, swept along, literally
tearing up the steel rails as though they
were made or paper.
| THE first sleeper, when it finally
stopped, rested directly over the loco
motive. The dining car remained safe
ly on the track and the steward and
crew were not harmed. When the
grinding and crushing of steel and
wood ceased, there was for the mo-
| ment, a dead silence. Then came the
means and cries of anguish from the
poor wretches who were being scalded
| or burned to DEATH"
| do ne
known to be 80 dead as the result of
last nights wreck of the Duquesne linn
tied on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad
near Dawson. Those bodies filed the
temporary morgues in this city and
it is believed nearly a score or more
will be added to the death list, before
the day is over. OF the bodies recov-
cred 40 have been identified and IL are
| designated as unknown" Most of the
latter were foreigners, principally Ital-
ians. There also was a Chinaman.
In the hospital three of the wounded
We're expected to die at any moment
and five others were in a critical condi-
ton.
VIM. THORNLEY,, engineer, Halle
wood, Pa.
S. G. HEATER, assistant engineer in
charge of construction, Glenwood. Pa.
J. J. COOK, Hazlewood, Pa.
HERBERT HOLMES, of Emotion, Pa.
JESSE E. HINES, news agent, Tar
boro, N. c.
WIN. EDWARDS. of Pittsburg, going
to see wife in Cumberland.
RICHARD DUCKETT, Baltimore.
) EDISON GOLDSMITH, Connellsville,
Pa.
REV. FATHER FIENELLO, pastor
of the Italian Catholic church at Con
nellsville, Pa, whose new church was
dedicated last Sunday.
CHARLES .LANGFORD, Confluence
Pa.
]. L EGERTY, Butler Pa.
, LOUIS HELGOTH. conductor of the
Limited, Hardwood, Pa
JOHN K. POWERS, South Cumber-
land.
CHARLES A. COOK, no address.
JOHN SERMON, New York.
, d. MURRAY, Pittsburg.
q A Cd