The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1905-05-12
Sam Shubert, Theatrical Mana
ger, Snccumbs TO His Injuries.
THE CAUSE OF THE DISASTER.

Harrisburg. Pa. May i2.--Sam
Shubert manager OF the Princess
Lyric Casino theatre. In New York.
died this morning from burns receiy-
ed In the Pennsylvania wreck yester-
day II was not thought his inju
ries would result fatally.
The death list now numbers TWEEN
ty-one.
The train carried a number of pro-
minent persons and most of them es-
capped with only slight injuries
Among those on the train were Mr..
and Mrs James Tindell OF Pittsburg.
the latter a daughter OF UnitedStates
Senator Knox; Mrs A. j. Barr. wife
OF the Plttsburg Posts editor. and
her two daughters; w. l.. Crabbe.
son-in-law OF Robert Pitcairn. of
Pittsburg. assistant to j. A. Cessett
OF the Pennsylvania railroad. and
Samuel =. Shubert. one OF the prom
inent theatrical managers Of New
York.
Mr. Crabbe died in the Harrisburg
hospital.
There are various stories of how
the wreck occurred but the only YER
sion reliable is about as follows:
At 1:4O o'clock the engine on an
east bound train was tagged by the
crew OF a shifting engine ahead on
the same track. The engineer quick
ly put on his air brakes and the
train. an unusually long one, came TO
sudden halt. The strain on the air
valves was a severe one and the con.
Meeting air hose In the middle of the
train blew out This ecaused the
middle OF the train to buckle" and
the damaged cars. one of which con
tanned explosives, fell over on the
passenger tracks.
Just as this happened. the Cleve-
land express came laundering up
and "side-swiped" the wreck. Elk
press was stopped within it's own
length and the third sleeper was OPP
posite the wrecked cars Before any
one could leave the passenger train.
which was not very badly damaged. a
Jew slight explosions occurred and
then there was one great flash and
one that shook the earth. The whole
affair occurred within a period OF u
few seconds.
A scene OF horror followed the ex-
ploslon OF the dynamite, Passenger
cars aud some of the freight cars in
stantly took FIRE. As the reverbera-
ton Of the terrific explosion died
away the agonlzed cries OF injured
could be heard. Men and women
came tumbling and climbing from
car windows and crawled from under
the wreckage, No one for the mo-
ment seemed to know what to do and
many of the passengers, momentarily
seized with terror ran wildly about
the fields on the north side OF the
railroad or waded into shallow wa
ters of the river which parallels the
railroad on the south.
The work OF rescue was at first
slow and II seemed as though flames
would envelope the entire express
train before those who were pinned
beneath the heavy wreckage could be
freed. From everywhere there came
cries for help and the frantic rescu-
ers worked with willing hands
Scores OF those who were trapped In
their sleeping berths or plnloned un-
der the wreckage were taken out ana
aid In the field badly hurt. The rap
Id advance OF the fire drove the res
cuers back as they were about to
take others from the wreck and UNI
fortunates. men and women, were
soon enveloped In the flames. Cries
from the dying were heartrending,
but nothing could be done for them,
An alarm OF fire was sent in, but
when the firemen reached the scene
the flames had done their work The
entire train was consumed by fire,