Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-24
AWFUL RAILROAD WRECK LAST NIGHT

sands of people were at the station. A large number of Connellsville people had gone to Pittsburg for Christmas shopping and were expected home on the limited. Every available cab and carriage had been held in waiting to convey the injured to the hospitals. Citizens formed themselves into re- lief corps and gave assistance in the removal of the wounded from the train Tn addition to the eleven who have died since being taken from the, wreck many others are certain to be added to the number of victims. All have inhaled the steam and are suffer- ing intensely.
 Louis Hilgot, conductor of the train, was in the second day coach when the crash came and no one knows just how or what happened to him. D. w. Hills. porter on one of the sleepers. said that as soon as he could get off his car he went forward and heard some one shouting from the top of the bank, where he recognized Hilgot's voice. He was in terrible agony, but shouted at the top of his voice: "For Gods sake. I am sca1ded to death, but some one of you get red lamp and AoS fO OI Ell6 Will DG Oll uS.
 Even in the mental suffering of ev eryone about the scene the bravery thoughtfulness of the dying conductor was sufficient to bring words of praise and commendation.
 Porter Hills, telling of his expert ence. said: T went to the smoking car and began to get the injured out. The car was the most awful scene I ever witnessed. Men were damned into all sorts of shapes. They were on top of each other and buried under heaps of dirt and seat cushions When I tried to lift one man out found oth- CTS so tightly wedged into the same place that several had to be aided at one time. I got seven men out be fore l stopped there. The dead were badly bruised and some of the scald- ed were in such a fearful condition that they would be better dead. Some of these had lost their eyes entirely. The baggage and clothing of the pas sengers was scattered all over the ground. Some of it was soaked with blood, while in the piles of it could be, seen piles of toys telling the pa- thetic tale of Christmas shopping that came to such a pitiful end"
 At 3 o'clock this morning there re- nlained q small crowd clustered around bonfires at the scene of the wreck watching the railroad men at work clearing up. As the light from the fires hickered up it's rays were cast on human form pinioned in between two cars. 1t is that of man, one unknown to anyone about. The body is. so fastened that nothing but the bushy head Of the victim protrudes and the remainder Of this human form is pinned under tons of wreckage. It may be some hours before the body can be taken out. Whether or not there are any others beneath the wreckage will not be known until later in the day when the full extent of the disaster is made apparent.
 In describing the wreck one of the trainmen said:
 Half way around the curve the To- comotive struck the big tirnbers in its path and began with lightning like ra- pidity to. careen and roll and with the ponderous train crowding it, fell ! over on it's side, The instant it did so the momentum of the train behind sent the tender clear over. the pros trate locomotive like football and be- fore it could stop it was lying on the water level some 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 wood The sleepers still crowdfng, but not breaking swept along, literally tearing up the steel rails as though they were made of paper
 "The first sleeper when it finally stopped rested directly over the loco motive The dining car remained on l the track and the steward and the l 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 moans and cries of anguish from the poor wretches who were being scala ed or burned to death."
 When asked if there would be any 1 investigation on the part of the rail road officials, Superintendent Duer | said:
 q don't think that an investigation is necessary to explain this affair II l is all too apparent" pointing to half a dozen heavy timbers under the din ing coach, he said, there is the cause of it. An extra freight west bound has dropped those. timbers on the l track and proceeded, the crew uncon- ] scious of the trouble it had left be hind.'
 Pittsburg, Dec ,24.-When seen to- day after he had received 9 full re port of the Dawson accident, William ! C. Loree, general superintendent ot l the Baltimore & Ohio railway, said: l "While the accident was deplorable in the extreme. yet it is a consolation to me, speaking as an official of the l company, to know that it cannot be attributed to negligence of any of our employees A wreck of this character l is liable to happen on any railroad | having a double track. While 1t was l lumber that fell from west-bound freight train that caused the acci' dent, yet any obstruction of similar