Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-07-21

Last Saturday morning Buffalo
Flyer, known as train No. 107, left
Emporium for Buffalo, sixteen minutes
late, drawn by two engines, and max
ing about forty-five miles an hour,
collided with south bound freight, No.
162, about three hundred feet this side
of Shippen station, at the foot of the
steep grade, at 4:31 o'clock. The
Flyer firemen were instantly killed,
while the engineers were thrown from
their cabs, one about fifty feet, escap-
ing serious injury.
HEAVY FOG THE CAUSE.
Engineer Fred Helm, of the freight,
was interviewed by the PRESS repre-
sentative and while he was suffering
untold agonies, gave all the informa-
ton leading up to the collision. Buff
falo Flyer was running on schedule
and was supposed to pass the freight
at Shippen, that train using the double
track down the hill, the terminus of
the double track. The morning was
an exceedingly foggy one and Mr..
Helm tells us he could not see rod
ahead, therefore he ''crept" down,
feeling his way for the usual stopping
place, and not running more than four
miles an hour, in fact was Just moving
in the heavy fog, when he discovered
he was at the water tank, beyond the
clearance post. Knowing now he was
on the main track and that the Flyer
was past due, he blew his whistle as a
signal and got out of his cab, the head
brakeman rushing ahead with the red
light to signal the Flyer and had not
gonc more than two car lengths when
the Flyer crashed into the freight,
piling up three engines and demolish-
ing the express and combination bag
gage and smoker. The baggage car
crashed under the express car which
was raised by the collision. Messen-
ger A. w. Schenck, of Harrisburg, who
was in his car, was terribly bruised
and shaken up by being hurled all
over the car. When the cars ceased to
pile up Mr.. Schenck crawled through
hole in the car and escaped over the
top of the coaches. The baggage
master, George Hansen, was more un-
fortunate than the express messenger,
being hurled against the trunks break
his right shoulder and injuring one leg.
Wallace Slocum, of Buffalo, formerly
of Emporium, head brakeman on
Flyer, was cut about the face and head
All of the passengers were shaken up
and more frightened than injured,
many jumping from their berths in
their night clothes.
The wreck, while serious, might
have been worse. Had the freight
train been at full speed, the loss OF
life would have been great. As it was
the two passenger engines, both
monsters, mounted the freight engine,
one on top of the other, the tender of
the first engine turning a complete
somersault, pinning and crushing fire.
man Sylvia (called Sullivan) where he
sat, foastlng MN. The other fireman,
Frank Prozella was also killed where
he sat upright in his seat, and remain
ed i'll that position until the wreck was
cleared away and the mangled remains
of the man removed by the Buffalo and
Olean wrecking crews, and taken to
Emporium by undertakers LaBar and
Egan, who prepared them for burial
and shipped their bodies to Buffalo
Sunday morning.
When the news reached Emporium
train was hurried to the scene with
physicians and railroad men, as well as
citizens, who went along to render
what assistance they could The
Express and mail matter was gathered
up, as well as the baggage, most of the