The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1903-04-22
A RAILROAD DISASTER.
Collision Between Erie Passen.
ger and Freight Trains.

Seven Bodies, Apparently Three
Men, Three Women and A Child
Burned Beyond Recognition-Three
of Injured In the Hospital.
jamestown, N. Y, April 21.-Eight
persons are dead and 10 injured, three
of them seriously, as the result of a
collision between a passenger train
and a freight train on the Erie rail
road at an early hour yesterday neal
Red House, n. Y.
OF the dead only one, Robert H
Hotchkiss of Meadville, a brakeman
has been identified Seven bodies, ap
parently those of three men, three
women and a child, were burned be-
yond recognition in the fierce tlre
which followed the wreck. The wo
men are said to have bearded the train
at Youngstown and to have come from
Pittsburg.
R. S. McCready, mail weigher OF
Meadville, Pa, and Frank Barhite OF
jamestown, a travelling salesman, are
missing and it is likely two of the un.
identified bodies are those of the two
men.
Mrs. Foote and F. c. Gabler and
Fireman Bell are in the hospital at
Salamanca. The others injured were
able to proceed to their destination.
The wrecked passenger train was
known as No. 1, running from Chicago
to New York, and was made up of en-.
gine No. 545 in charge of Engineer
Samuel Cook and Fireman Fred Bell
of Me2dville, one combination car, two
day coaches, three sleepers and two
private cars. 1t was derailed by strik-
ing a freight train which was entering
q siding at Red House. The wreck at
once took fire and the combination
car. two day coaches and two sleepers
together with several freight cars were
consumed
Dispute as to Cause.
There is scme dispute as to the
cause of the wreck.
The passenger train was running
east ard the freight which was west
bound had orders to go into the siding
at Red House and wait for the passen-
ger train to go by. The siding is
about a mile and half long and there
is a tower of the block system near the
west erd. The freight was drawn by
two engines.
Some trouble was experienced in en-
tering the siding and the foremost en-
gne was sent in along the siding with
a flagman to hold the express.
1t is alleged that the operator in the
tower, Lawrence Vale, boy II years
old, saw the light engine of the freight
which was bringing up the flagman,
and supposed the freight train was On
the siding. With this mistaken idea,
1t Is alleged, Vale displayed a white
signal toward the passenger train in
dicating to the engineer that he had a
clear track.
The engineer on the passenger train
failed to see the flagman sent cut from
the forward engine of the freight train
and only saw the signal from the
tower. The train ran toward the east
end of the siding at high speed. u
collided with the second engine of the
clear the main line, striking at a
slight angle. tearing off the cylinder
and part of the cab and jumping the
track
The passenger engine and coaches
ploughed up the earth for a distance
of three rods and crashed into small
wooden structure used as a feed store
ana school house.
Wreckaqe In Flames.
The first half dozen cars of The
freight were wrecked. They were box
cars lcaded with coal. It filtered in
amongst the wreckage creating an in.
tense heat. All but three of the cars
of the express followed the engine
and the whole mass of wreckage was
soon in flames. The tracks were
strewn for rods with burning wood and
coal and heaps of twisted iron work.
No. A is one of the fastest trains on
the Erie. The private cars attached
to it were occupied by w. ]. Murphy,
his wife and two officials of the Queen
and Crescent road and J. l.. Frasier,
general superintendent of the Glover
Leaf. All escaped uninjured.
The work of clearing the tracks
was begun promptly and continued all
day, the trains in the meantime being
diverted from the main line and sent
around via Dayton.
The Erie officials have received
many kilograms containing inquiries
as to passengers on the train, but thus
far all the names mentioned have
been in either the list of injured OF
that Of the uninjured.
No one has inquired for a person
whose name has not already been
learned by the officials and from pres.
ent indications nothing will be
learned concerning the identity of the
victims until they are missed by their
relatives or friends.