The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-05-11

HARRISBURG, Pa, May 1L-AH eN-
press train on the Pennsylvania
railroad ran into freight train in
which there were two cars loaded with
dynamite at l.10 o'clock this morning
in South Harrisburg, near the plant of
Paxtang Light. Heat & Power COM
pany-
Three terrific explosions that broke
windows all over the city followed, and
the two trains were completely wrecked
and took fire
Fifty Killed; One Hundred Injured.
It was estimated at , O'Clock that
fifty persons were killed and 100 in
jured, though these figures may bc too
small.
II is Impossible to- ascertain the exact
number of fatalities because the wreck
age in which many OF the passengers
and some members of the train crews
are pinned, is stfH abIaze and unap-
proachahle and many small explosions
occur continually.
Bodies Hurled Into River.
When the first explosion occurred
bodies were thrown clear out of the
bcrths I'm the sleeping cars and landing
down the railroad embankmeut. and
some even having been hurled into the
SusquehanHa river, which parallels the
railroad i'm that locality.
All the physicians of the city pro-
durable were summoned TO work with
the injured.
Firemen Were Helpless.
a fire alarm sounded. and the FIRE
men arrived to find themselves prac-
tically helpless i'm the work of rescue.
\ police patrol wagon was commits
stoned as an ambulance. and as many
of the injured as possible were loaded
into ii ON each trip and taken to the
Harrisburg hospital, the capacity of
which soon became taxed because Of
the large number that were brought in
\ special train was made up and
brought injured and dying to the Union
station. Many OF the injured were tax
Ell into private houses.
immediately after the wreck the
passengers who could do so ran from
the scenes of horror In safety from the
incessant small explosions.
Agonizing Scenes.
The asonizinE cries of the unfor.u-
mates were heartTeudiuE
The Office of the PaxtanE Light. Heat
& Power company looked like d hos
pitaL- At an early hour the Harrisburg
Traction company ran out a number of
cars from its South Harrisburg barns
and used them to bring the injured 10
the hospital
With practically no clothing many
women and children from the train
were compelled to wander about the
fields, as there are few houses in the
immediate vicinity of the wreck
The train was the second section of
No. 10 There were 1863 passengers in
the train. and the latest estimate is that
fifty were killed. The hospital is
crowded to the doors. and the hotels
are being opened for the care Of the
injured. It may be necessary for the
authorities to seize one of the hotels
and turn it into a temporary hospital
Some of the Injured.
The following are among the in
jured:
Harry Spritzer, FinnburE. critical
George Crabbe, Pitsburg, badly cut
and bruised.
Charles DeForest, Cleveland. O..
seriously hurt internally cut and
bruised
H L Harmon. Pittsburg. arm
broken. cut and bruised.
Charles Johnson, Philadelphia. badly
cut and burned
Robert O. DauEherty. Philadelphia,
and little son, seriously injured.
L. b. Otstot. Chicago, cut and burned.
y. r. Outpost, Eliza beth. y J.
F. I. Van Deman. New York. cut and
bruised
J. L. Philips, PittsburE. vii die.
Charles DonneIIy. PittsbGrE. cut.
- Eberly, New York, internally in
5ured; may die
- SIotheimer, New York. Internal
" hurt. viii die.
\. G. Cope, Pittsburg; cut and
bruised
H. 5. Watson, CIearfeId; cut on
hands.
w H Valentine. PitJsbUrg- head cut
Charles Johnhansen, PiJsburE. cut
and sCalded-
The engineer of the passenger train.
II X Thomas Of Philadelphia. was
killed outright.
The fireman, r. r. Dickey Of PhiIa-
deIphia, was only slightly injured
A l. Crosby conductor was injured
Train No 10, which was wrecked.
was WesJbOUnd and is known as the
Cleveland and Cincinnati express. IL
left Philadelphia at 1850 Wednesday
night and was due a Harrisburg al
80 a. m and at Pittsburg al s d. IN.
Caused by Smaller Wreck.
The wreck was caused BY a smaller
wreck TO the freight train which was
eastboUnd- Passing the plant of the
PaXtang Electric company. near Cedar
street an air hose burst and several
cars in the middle of the train buckIed
up and fell across the passenger tracks
a the side.
Almosc at the same time the express
train, with ten coaches. dashed along
and plunged into the wrecked freight
cars. The boiler of the passenger loco
motive blew up, and the conclusion
caused the immediate explosion of the
two cars of dynamite in the freight
train.
Cars Were Crushed.
The force Of the collision crushed all
the passenger cars which piled up in
huge mass with those Of the freight
Instantly the two trains We're masses
of flames. With the crash the passen-
gers all of whom were asleep in the
IA