The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-08
"a KILLED IN A TRAIN WRECK.
EMPRESS RUNS INTO AN OPEN
SWITCH AT ROCKFfSH, VA.
Freight Was on the Siding and the Switch
Not ClOset--'Erainn,en Lose Their Lives
One Passenger Coach. I'm witch There
Were Many Immigrants. Telescopeti.

CHARLOTTESVILLE. Va, July THE
Southern Railway passenger train No IS,
from New York to New Orleans, left this
city, southbound, this afternoon twenty-five
minutes late and at Rockfish station, twenty
miles south of Charlottesville ran intoan open
switch colliding with local freight No es,
killing at least twentyfour persons and
wounding probably as many more. The
freight train had just been shifted from
the main track to the siding and the failure
to close the switch led to the accident.
The locomotives were brown from the
track. The first passenger coach was
telescoped by the combination baggage
and express car, the latter coach, grinding
along the full length Of the pass enger
coach at about the height Of the seats,
crushing the life out Of most of those
In the car.
The work of rescue began Immediately
There was only one physician on the train.
He was DR.. William A. Lambeth OF the
University Of Virginia. He was the first
out of the train, and organized at once re-
lief force.
He found Engineer Charles Davis of the
passenger train already dead, and Engineer
James Mccormick, who was to relieve
Davis at Monroe, also lifeless. Engine man
f. c. Hale of the freight was pinned down
under an engine but not hurt fatally.
The traipmen, under Dr. Lambeths
direction, cut through the panels Of che
baggage and express car and took out
twenty-four of the dead. Probably a
score Of injured were removed. No one is
prepared to say that all of the dead have
been recovered
W. A. Ward, the news agent on the train.
whose home is in Washington, was one
of the few in the fatal coach who escaped.
He was standing at the end of the car when
1t was telescoped. The shock of the col
lision threw him through the window,
breaking his left arm and decorating his
hand.
THE first thing / saw after my fall"
said Ward, was the head of man hanging
from the car window 1t had been almost
entirely severed from the trunk. Fifteen
or twenty people must have been killed in
that car
DR.. Lambeth found the women ready
wounded and did everything in their power
to make them comfortable. Much Of the
work Of relief had been done before a spe-
cial train took physicians to the wreck.
This train returned to Charlottesville at
o'clock this evening bearing some of the
dead and most of the wounded.
An immense crowd was at the station to
get the news OF the disaster. Only vague
information had been given out.
They were rumors that more than twenty
were dead but these rumors were denied
without convincing any one. The crowd
was disposed to believe the worst and
the worst turned out TO be true.
Thirteen of the injured were taken to the
University Hospital where they were put
upon the operating table as rapidly as posi-
BILE and their wounds dressed.
Most of the dead were immigrants, some
Of them Austrians, bound for places as
far distant as California.
II. A. Sharpe of Knoxville, Tenn, mar
rowly escaped death Mr.. and Mrs. Sharpe
were returning from their bridal trip, hav-
ing spent their hone ymoon in Washington.
Mr.. Sharpe was in the smoker engaged
in conversation with c. c. Owens, boiler
Inspector of Philadelphia, when the col
lision occurred. Owens was killed instantly
his body falling on Sharpe,
w. B. Brucebeck Of this city, conductor
on the local freight, is reported in a crazed
condition He ia said to have become
suddenly insane and when found was five
miles from the wreck.