Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-03-11
Men, Women and ChldrN Burned to
Death or Blown Into Greek To Be
Drowned-FulI Extent of Loss of
Life and Injury Not Yet Known.

Inc u6aQ are.
Norman Brown, of Olean.
Johnny Tobin, of Olean
Johnny McReady, of Olean.
John Mcmahon, of Olean.
M. v. DriscoII, of North Oleari.
Walter Swift, of Olean.
John SlemiHger, of Olean.
Harry Golden, of BoardmanviIle.
Richard ConneII, of North OIean.
Six Unidentified Bodies, at Wood
wards undertaking rooms.
Boy Blown Into Olean Creek and
drowned; body not recovered.
Two or more Unknown Persons.
bodies incinerated in burned wreck
age.
Those injured are:
James Mcdonald 16 years old.
Richard, Mcdonald, his brother.
James McReady, 15 years old.
Walter Jackson, IL years old; may
die
Son of Yardmaster Sullivan.
Glen Cole, of East Olean.
Two Blackwell boys, of Bordenvi1le.
Bert Miller, Bordenville.
Three men, badly burned.
Dozens of others were burned. but
none seriously.
AT the hospital one of the patients
said young lad was blown into the
creek near him. He tried to save
the lad but was unable to do so. The
boy was drowned.
1t was about o'clock in the evening
when the train was wrecked. An
Erie freight train westbound broke in
two on the hill miles north of the
city. AT first the forward part of the
train, released of all the weight of the
cars behind, sprang forward with in
creased speed. Brakes were applied
and the front portion of the train was
brought almost to a standstill at the
iron bridge across Olean creek. The
rear cars gathering momentum as
they came down the hill crashed into
the forward part of the train. Most
of the cars in the train were tank
cars filled with refined oil or gaso-
line. They weighed thousands of
tons, and the impact was terrific.
One of the tank cars caught fire
soon after the collision. The ex.
act cause Of the fire is not known, but
it is supposed to have started from
spark struck from the grinding pieces
OF iron in the wreckage. In a few
minutes another car of gasoline took
fire and burst into flames with ter
rife explosion. A portion Of the
iron domes of the cars were hurled
distance of several hundred feet.
Suddenly there was, terrific explo.
sion. Great masses of white flames
shot hundreds Of feet into the air
and literally rolled down the banked
sides of the track into the gully,
where hundreds of spectators were
standing. Men and boys fell before
the wave of white hwht to rise no
more. Huge pieces of iron were
hurled through the air. moving down
the human beings by the score. Some
managed to scramble to their feet
and get away, but others lay still in
death. A veritable rain of fire came
down upon the crowd. Men and boys
with their clothing a mass Of flames
ran shrieking down the track, some
of them falling to the ground uncon,
scious, while others goveled in the
ditch or jumped into the creek in an
endeavor to put out the fire that was
consuming them. Many of those over.
whelmed by the flames dropped where
they stood and never again moved.
AS soon as the telephone could be
reached all the doctors in the city
were summoned, and the ambulances
were called out. Express wagons and
other vehicles were pressed into ser.
vice, and in the meantime those in the
vicinity of the wreck who escaped in
Jury made valiant efforts to rescue the
wounded who were still lying within
reach Of the flames
Boys were burned to death before
their fathers eyes while the latter
stood helpless. Men so badly injured
by the flying pieces of iron that they
could not move laid in the gully with
the flames rolling down upon them,
until they perished.
The flames began to die out abodt
midnight, and an hour later Deputy
Sheriff Osterhout called for volun.
teers to remove the dead and injured.
Three times as many as were called
for stepped forward In short time
Is bodies had been recovered. Some
of them were so badly burned and dis
torted as to be scarcely recognized
Several bodies were found in the ditch
The body of one boy was seen toe
near the flames to be approached
and in short time was burned to
ashes 1t is believed others were also