Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1903-01-08
Fire ADDS to the Horror OF a
Crash on the P. v. and c.
Road at Duquesne.
SEVEN KILLED AND TEN INJURED
Tho MangIed Victims Were cremated
in Wreckage-Accident Was Due
to Negligence on the Part of
Freight Train Fiagman.


astrous wreck in the history of the
Monongahela division of the Pennsyl-
vania railroad occurred at 4:05 o'clock
yesterday afternoon near the point
known as Cochrans station, in the up
per portion OF the borough OF Du-
quesne. A score of passengers on the
West Elizabeth accommodation, No.
IA, southbound out of Pittsburg, were
caught in the crash. After being
crushed into mangled heap, the
splintered wreck caught fire and add
ed the horror of cremation to the
miseries of the victims. The list of
dead and injured follows:
The Dead.
Charles E. Stroud, Uniontown,
burned and crushed; John Stewart,
Allegheny, head and arms charred:
Mike Pollack, Clarion; Tony Orcheck,
Dravosburg, burned to death; N. G..
Buckner Williamsburg, burned; I'M
known Slav, burned to death.
The injured.
Thomas d. Cook, Pittsburg, skull
fractured and injured internally, will
die; unknown Slav, scalded about the
head and body, collar bone broken and
legs burned, will die; Sullivan Sasa,
Clarion, hands severely burned and
inhaled steam, will die; John John
son, Clarion, chest and head crushed.
may die; Anton Slate, Clarion, burned
about head and body; Michael Cen
tael, Clarion, scalded about the face.
body and limbs and badly burned all
over; Michael Chadak, Clarion, scald.
ed about head and body and feet
burned John Yanko, Duquesne,
burned about the head and body;
John Smith, Duquesne, burned about
the head and body; unknown Slavish
boy, struck by wreckage while stand
ing on street in Duquesne, injuries
slight.
Cause of the Wreck.
An extra freight train had failed to
clear the southbound passenger track
and when the accommodation came
laundering along the corner Of a steel
gondola, the last car of the freight
train, struck the tender Of the passen-
ger locomotive. The heavy iron tank
was forced back into the combination
baggage and smoking car, crushing it
against high stone retaining wall
that faced the railroad.
Not passenger in the Inflated
coach escaped. The tender sheared
the timberwork of the combination
car from the trucks as If a huge ax
had swished across the floor. The
car sides, the seats and strong iron
rods were damned into gnarled
mass in the rear section of the coach
In that splintered wreck were IL hui
man beings. At least four of them
must have been instantly killed. Thir-
teen other victims writhed in hopeless
agony, their plaintive cries for help
rising above the roar of kissing
steam.
Live Goals Ignited Wreckage
Before any of the sufferers could
be raised from their horrible prison
live Goals from the car stove ignited
the wreckage. Soon flood of water
was turned on the blazing pyre. The
! rescuers labored at their task and
from the choking mist of steam and
smoke brought out the dead and dy-
ing. Several were burned into a
charred. unacceptable mass. None
had escaped the scorching blaze Two
bodies were observed standing up
right. the men having been cremated
where they were thrown at the first
| shock of the collision. One victim
lost both legs in the fire and two 9th
ers were burned about the arms and
legs, their faces and bodies being
spared the horrible mutilation of the
| fire.
Prompt Investigation.
! Superintendent Mitchell conducted
his investigation Immediately. He
| stated last night that the cause of the
| collision was due to the fiagman fail,
| ing to protect the rear of the freight
train, which was crossing over from
| the southbound passenger track. The
accommodation train, he declared
I was running on schedule time. Had
I 1t been five seconds late the freight
car would have passed out of the way
! and the lives of the passengers would
{ have been saved.
Paul Woodward Hanged.