Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-05-12
UNPRECEDENTED HAVOC
In PENNSYLVANIA WRECK
REPORTS OF WRECK YESTERDAY
WERE NOT EXAGGERATED As
USUAL.
STORY OF YESTERDAYS TERRI
BILE CATASTROPE MORE
FULLY TOLD.


Harrisburg, Pa, May 12.-Twenty
persons are believed to have been
killed and approximately 100 injured
by the wreclSing of the Cleveland and
Cincinnati express, westbound, on the
Pennsylvania railroad, which dashed
into wrecked eastbound freight train,
exploding a car filed with $4,000
pounds of blasting powder. The
wreck occurred in the southern part
of Harrisburg at 1:40 a. m. It was
one of the most terrible disasters ever
experienced by the Pennsylvania rail-
road. Twelve of the dead are at the
morgue and other bodies are being
brought to the deadhouke as quickly
as they are located.
There are about seventy injured per-
sons in the Harrisburg hospital, hotels
and private residences, while others
are under care of physicians in houses
near the scene of the wreck.
The primary cause Of the wreck
was shifting engine. 1t was going
west slowly when the engineer of the
eastbound freight train saw it coming
on his track. He applied the airbrakes
suddenly, which caused the middle of
the freight train to buckle, showing
several of the cars onto the westbound
passenger track. A moment later the
express, one of the fastest night trains
on the road, came along and dashed
into the wrecked cars. The next in
slant the boiler of the passenger loco
motive exploded. The wreck took fire
and those who escaped began the work
of rescue. Six minutes after the ex-
press struck the freight wreck. the
railroad men say, the flames reached
the car filled with powder. There was
q flash and a deafening roar. The
earth trembled as though some terrible
seismic disturbance had occurred. All
who were not killed and injured by
the explosion fed from the awful
scene.
The entire wreckage became mass
of flames and small boxes of powder
that had not exploded "let go" con-
tinuously. While these explosions con-
tinued men who had bravely gone to
the rescue before the first explosion
did not dare to approach the burning
wreck, though they could hear the
agonized shrieks of the dying.
Imprisoned Victims Cremated.
Flames began their cruel feast of
human bodies that were helplessly
pinned in the wreckage. An alarm of
fire was turned in and when the fire.
men arrived it was impossible for
them to go closer than 300 yards of the
fire until the explosions ceased. Then
the intense heat interfered with the
work of rescue. Men of the boldest
nerve were forced to retire with singed
hair, blistered faces and burning cloth
ing when they attempted to respond to
the piteous cries for help. Those who
escaped by leaping and crawling
through windows, in scant attire, from
their sleeping car berths, hurried to
the open fields, where they were gath
cred together and carried to the offices
and workshops of the Paxtang Elec-
trio Light company and other indus
trial plants, which were quickly trans
formed into temporary hospitals and
later into morgues.
Many of the injured were hurried to
the Harrisburg hospital, where large
staff Of physicians and nurses dressed
their injuries. Soon the hospital was
filed to overlooking and many of the
injured were taken to hotels and pri-
vate residences.
Victims of the disaster were burned
to crisp. So completely incinerated
were the bodies that only four Of those
recovered could be identified. The
two who were Immediately recognized
after their remains were found were
Engineer Thomas of Parkersburg, Pa,
and Mrs. Dougherty of Philadelphia,
both of whose bodies were thrown
clear Of the debris instead of into 1t
as was the case of several others.
The scene of the wreck when day
light broke was gruesome one. Spin
tered and smoldering cars and twisted
iron were piled high on the four tracks
and an enormous amount of wreckage
was lying on the marshland between
the railroad embankment and the
river. One thousand laborers were
soon put to work and by 10 o'clock
two freight tracks were open.
The passenger tracks for several
hundred feet were blown away by the
explosion. Passenger trains are being
sent over the new low grade freight
line, along the west side OF the Susque-
hanna river. About dozen boatmen
are dragging the river for bodies. a
!, The shock Of the explosion was felt
for miles around.
Grayce Edythe Is pretty foxy. She.
won't say anything about her love af-!
fairs, but, I have an idea that she hass
finally accepted young Sapleigh. Gladys
--In that case she is apt to soon show
her hand. Louisville Courier-J Journal.