The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-01-06
SCORES KILLED IN WRECK
Baltimore and Ohio Train in Fright
full Crash.
DUQUESNE LIMITED IN RUINS


NTrain - Steam From tho Locomotive
Gushes Into tho Smoker, Scalding All
,the Passengers in a Terrible Manner
Every Occupant Killed.
Connellsville, Pa.-One Of the worst
wrecks in the history of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad occurred at Laurel
Run, eight miles west of Connellsvi!le,
on the Pittsburg Division of the Balu'
more and Ohio. The "Duquesne Linz
ited," the fastest train on the road
was wrecked, killing sixty, fatally In
turing eighteen and slightly injurlns
more than fifty.
The wreck was caused by the break
Ing of the castings on a carload OF
bridge timber on a freight train thar
passed Laurel Run not more than
fifteen minutes before the arrival OF
the Duquesne Limited. The frelgnQ
proceeded without noticing the acci,
dent. and the express train. running al
n speed of more than sixty miles an
hour, crashed into the timbers before
the engineer even had time to Apply
the emergency brakes.
The baggage car was thrown over
the embankment into the Youghiogheny
River. and the smoker, which con-
tanned more than forty passengers, was
thrown over the engine. The steam
dome of the engine was broken, ana
the escaping steam and water filed the
car, scalding the passengers. .
Every occupant of the car was dead
before. the rescuers reached the scene
of the wreck. The train contained six
cars. one baggage. one smoker, one
sleeper and a dining car, all of which
were badly wrecked. Engineer Will
lam Thornley, and Fireman Cook were
caught under the wrecked engine.
The tracks are completely torn up. and
traffic over the road cannot be entirely
resumed for at least day.
Nearly all the passengers in the Smo-
ker were bound for Philadelphia. Many
Of them were to take passage on an
ocean liner for the old country. NOT
one Of these escaped alive.
The known dead are: Engineer Will
lam Thornley,. Of Hazelwood, Pa; Dl'
vision Engineer s. G. Heater, Of Hazel
wood; Fireman Thomas Cook, of Ha-
zelwood; Herbert Holmes, of Emmel-
ton, Pa; Jesse Hines, Of Tarborough,
N. C.;.Charles IIindford. of Confluence,
Pa; - Edwards. Pittsburg; ]. W.
Martin, Hancock. Md: Richard Duck
EFT. Baltimore; Edison Goldsmith, Con-
nellsville. ..&.
The other dead are mostly foreigners
and negroes who were riding in tho
smoking car. The smoker was packed
to its utmost capacity and all the pas.
sengers were cooked alive.
For more than 500 feet both the east
and west bound tracks are torn up.
The engine was completely demolished
and the big 7000-gallon tank on the
tender was thrown 100 feet ahead of
the other wreckage. The baggage car
was thrown into the river, but was
only slightly wrecked. ..., -
- All the cars were derailed. and the
trucks of all except the diner were
torn completely from underneath tine
cars. Few people were badly hurt in
the Pullman cars, and the diners. al
though few escaped without at least
some injury.
AS soon as the wreck was reported in
Connellsyille all the available physi-
clans were summoned, including Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad physicians.
So terrific was the force of the wreck
that nearly every passenger suffered
moments Inconsistencies, and many
of the men unhurt were unable to as
sist in helping the injured from the
wreck on account of having tainted.