Evening star., 1903-07-28
WRECK ON SOUTHERN
Two Persons Killed and a
Number Injured.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
EEAR-END COLLISION NEAR
SPRINGFIELD, VA.
Work Train Had Been Allowed to Run
On to the Main Track-Hit by
Fast Through Train.

| Two persons were killed and seven injured
! in a rear end collision between the south
/ western vestibule limited of the Southern
| railway and work train at Springfield
Va, seven miles below Alexandria. at 7:l5
| O'Clock this morning. The engines and
several of the cars We're badly damaged
! The killed:
w. w. Woodward. Jonesvlle Va, twenty
nine years old, postal clerk.
Walter Meeks fireman.
| The injured:
Benjamin Rawlings. Washington. d. C.
| postal clerk, both legs Droken.
! Peter Harrington, engineer of the passen-
ger train, badly injured about the head.
John l.. Thompson. Washington, ID. c,
postal clerk in charge of the mail cars on
the limited. wrist badly cut
]. Frank Heller, Washington, d. C, pos
| tai clerk, right foot lacerated.
| Fred j. Larrick, postal clerk, confusion
| of right leg and foot
| Z. A. Fontaine, Washington, D. C, pos
| tai clerk, badly bruised
Fontaine. Heller and Rawlings were
| brought to this city and treated at the
Emergency Hospital. Engineer Harrington
and the other injured were taken to Alex
| andria. 1t is believed that the engineer
| will recover
| Work Train on Main Track
| The Southern is double tracking its line
| between here and Atlanta and the work
| train had been siding at Springfield
getting ballast out of pit. 1t is said that
| the brakes refused to work and the train
| beyond the control of its crew slipped out
on the main track. The limited the crack
train of the Southern between here and
I n~Ir..
O'Clock. was between half an hour and an
| hour late and was running at a high rate
of speed. Engineer Harrington was unable
to the work train until within two hun
| dred feet of It, The collision occurred
about fifteen feet south of the siding and
| the baggage, mail and express and several
| passenger cars were thrown into ditch.
The engine of the limited WAS turned over
on its side and the other engine
badly wrecked. The tracks were made
| impossible for some hours.
At the Emergency Hospital.
Three of the postal clerks injured in the
| wreck at Springfield who live in Washing
| ton, were brought to this city on the re-
| lief train which arrived here about II Az
| O'Clock. Their addresses here are:
]. Frank Heller, thirty years of age, 207
Pennsylvania avenue northwest.
P. A. Fontaine. thirty five. $40 II street
| northwest.
Benjamin Rawlings, forty-two, Al D
| street southeast
The injured men were accompanied to the
city by DR.. NJ. w. Q Brien, and they were
met at the railway station by the ambu-
| lance from the Emergency Hospital. where
| the men were taken and their wounds We're
| dressed by the physicians
| Heller's home is in Woodstock Md. His
right foot was badly lacerated and he was
| scalded quite badly about the wrists. He
also sustained a sprained knee. Mr.. RaWl-
| ings, who resides with his wife at the ad-
| dress given above. sustained fractures OF
| both bones in both lower limbs, con-
| fusion of the hip and was suffering slght-
ly from the general shock His wife called
| at the hospital while the physicians were
| dressing his wounds. Mr.. Fontaine sus-
| tanned Slight injuries about the hands and
| body. His wife is at present in North
Carolina.
| 1t is not believed that any Of the In
| jured men here are in a serious condition
They seemed to be getting along SAUSAGE
torly this afternoon
Many Anxious Friends.
Anxious inquiries were made at the rail-.
way station throughout the day concern
| ing the time the Southern train would
| reach here People who expected friends
| on the train from New Orleans gathered
| in the station, but 1t with difficulty
| that they learned particulars Of the wreck.
| Most of them learned of the sad affair
through persons in the station who were
| not in any way connected with the rail-
| road. Shortly before l o'clock the bu!le-
tin board in the station contained the an
nouncement that the Southern express train
due here at G:42 was seven hours late All
persons who inquired at the rallroad depot
concerning the dead and injured were re-
ferred to the officials of the Southern rail-
way at the offices of the company. NO re-
ports, it was stated were received at the
| depot to show the nature or extent OF the
accident.
Rumors concerning the wreck were plen-
| ttful One was that twenty-five persons
had been injured and that many OF them
had been sent to Providence Hospital from
Maryland avenue southwest This was de-
MED, however, and the statement was MADE
at the hospital that none of the injured
people had been brought there.
In addition to the three postal clerks
brought here and taken to the Emergency
Hospital a woman and her husband reach
ed here on the special from the scene OF
the wreck Each had sustained a frac-
tured ankle. No record was made by the
police of their names or addresses. II was
stated that they went home in a cab
1t was stated that there were ten postal
clerks in the two mail cars: Many rela-
tiyes of postal clerks In this city were
at the station anxious to hear the names
of the injured ones. They were told the
names of those who We're brought mere
and were also informed that some OF the
in niured had been put off at Alexandria
Statement of Railway officials.
The following statement of the accident
was given out later by the Southern rail-
way officials in this city:
"At Springfield, Va, at 7:15 am. today
work train 164, Engineer Lynch and Con-
ductor Mahoney, in getting train of ballast
out Of pit let engine with a train of ballast,
get away and through the SWITCH
striking train No 49, engine 1886, Conduc-
tor Rust and Engineer Harrington, about
fifteen feet south of the switch. The en-
gineer of 3S had no chance to see the work
train until within 200 feet Of where accident
occurred Our wrecking outfit was at North
Garden, and just after the accident occur
red all wires went down, so we could not
get hold of them. Pennsylvania wreck train