The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-06-22
TWENTY-FIVE DEAD
FrightfuI Wreck on Western
Maryland Railroad.
TRAINS CRASH TOGETHER
All of the Victims Were Railroad Peo-
Pile Returning to Their Homes
Along the Line for
Sunday Rest.

Sunday Hest.
By far the worst wreck in the his
tory of the Western Maryland railroad
occurred Saturday evening at point
about q quarter Of a mile from Pa
tapsco, a small station between West
minister and Finckburg.
The death list foots Up twenty-five
and this number is likely to be in
creased from among the list of those
grievously mangled.
Passenger train No. 5, westbound,
was running at a very high rate OF
speed when, at the point named, 1t
crashed into double-header freight
running east. All three of the en-
gines were reduced to scrap iron, the
express and baggage cars Of the pas
senger were smashed and number OF
the freight cars were splintered. The
passenger coaches sustained little ill.,
jury, and almost without exception
their occupants escaped with nothing
worse than a bad shaking up.
Men Killed Were Employees.
All the dead were employees Of the
railroad company, returning to their
homes in the small towns along the
railroad to spend Sunday. With the
exception of the train crews, they had
been at work repairing the damage
done to the road about ten days ago
by a minor freight wreck. The train,
which was No. 5, passenger, west
bound, carried a large number Of pas
sengers, all the coaches being filed.
Consequently, as many OF the
worxmen as could do 80 went
into the baggage car, the re-
mainder of the gang Of thirty-fve
finding places on the platforms be-
tween the mail and baggage cars and
between the latter and the tender.
In the neighborhood of Patapsco sta
ton, about eight miles from West
minister, the Western Maryland has
many curves, and that just west OF
the bridge crossing the Patapsco river
is a sharp one.
An extra freight, made up Of heavy
coal and provision cars, was running
east. It should have taken siding
to allow No. to pass. Such were
the orders. Why they were disregard
ed will never be known, for all those
who should have seen that they were
obeyed are dead.
The passenger train was running
thirty miles an hour, and the freight
was making good time, with the two
engines pulling it.
Just west Of the bridge they came
together with terrific force, the three
engines being piled one upon another.
The fearful impact drove the passen.
ger tender into the baggage car and
demolished it and the mail car.
Heartrending shrieks.
Eeartrending shrieks from the in
jured brought to the scene the inhab-
itants of all the farm houses within
a considerable radius and these imme-
diately began helping the victims.
Farmers wives and daughters made
bandages Of their clothing and house
hold linen and workN heroically amid
the blood and crime,
AS fast as they could be taken
from the wreckage the dead were
placed aboard the train for Westmin-
ster and then taken to that town and
Blue Ridge.
The more seriously injured were
sent to Baltimore. At the union sta
tion in that city when the first train
load of human wreckage arrived five
patrol wagons and two ambulances
were in waiting. When these were
filed, express wagons were pressed
into service.
At Westminster crowd Of at least
a thousand people met the funeral
train, and as many of the dead had
friends and relatives in the town,
there were terrible scenes at the en-
gine house, where the bodies were
taken and exposed for Identification.