Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-05-13
FAST TRAIN
IS WRECKED
TWENTY PEOPLE KILLED AND 100
INJURED AT HARRISBURG,
PA.
BODIES ARE MANGLED
Many of the corpses Taken From the
Wreck are Unacceptable - Pass
eneer Train Crashes Into Freight
Wreck.

harrisburg, Pa, May IL. - twenty
persons are believed to have been
killed and approximately 100 were in
jured by the wrecking of the Cleve-
land and Cincinnati express, west
bound, on the Pennsylvania railroad,
which dashed into wrecked freight
train exploding a car filled with So
OJo pounds of blasting powder in the
southern part of Harrisburg at 1:40
o'clock this morning.
1t was one of the most horrible dis
asters ever experienced by the Penn
sylvania railroad. Several hours will
elapse before the exact number of
dead and injured will be known.
Twelve of the dead bodies at the
morgue and other bodies are being
brought to the dead house as quickly
as they can be locatet.. There are
about seventy injured persons in the
Harrisburg hospitals, hotels and priv
ate residences, while others are under
the care of physicians in houses near
the scene of the wreck.
Dead Bodies Unacceptable.
About 100 persons received treat
ment for injuries at the hospital ten
OF whom may die. Only few of the
dead have been positively identified,
SO completely were the bodies ere.
mated. The known dead are:
H. X. THOMAS, engineer Of the
passenger locomotive, Philadelphia.
MRS. ROBERT DOUGHERTY of
Philadelphia.
JACOB F. SLOVENIAN of Bridge.
ton, N. j.
G. HUFFMAN.
]. B. PHILLIPS, of Pittsburg.
VICTOR L. CRABBE, of Pittsburg.
AN UNKNOWN AUSTRIAN child.
H. S. WATSON, Clearf1eld, Pa.
Many bodies taken from the wreck
were SO badly charred that it was i'm
possible to tell whether they were men
or women.
Cars Set on Fire.
The freight wreck was caused by the
bursting Of m air hose and some cars
fell across the passenger track where
the passenger train plunged into them.
The boiler OF the passenger locomotive
blew up and the conclusion caused the
immediate explosion of two cars Of
dynamite in the freight train.
Passengers Hurled from Berths.
The force of the collision crushed all
the passenger coaches and instantly
both trains were mass of flames. The
passengers, all Of whom were asleep,
in their berths, were hurled in all d.
rections Many were tossed free of
the wreckage, some down the railroad
embank,nent and some into the Sus-
quehanna river, which parallels the
railroad All who were not pinned in
the debris or totally incapacitated ran
away from the perfect volcano, into
which, intermingled with small explo-
sions, it was impossible for those who
escaped uninjured to venture in order
to reach the imprisoned passengers,
whose crys rent the air for blocks.
As soon as some of the dead and in
jured were reached they were carried
into the Offices of nearby manufacture
ing establishments and private dwell.
lings near the scene of the disaster.
Hospitals Are Crowded.
Everything possible was done for the
mangled and dying people while wait
ing for conveyances to take them to
the Harrisburg hospitals Special
trains were Immediately made up by
the Pennsylvania company and con-
veyed the injured to the union station,
whence they were taken to hospitals
and other places. At the hospitals
every available bed was soon filled and
all the patients who were able to walk
were compelled to give their cots to
the more seriously injured The CORR
doris were filled with injured people
waiting their turn for treatment.
Every physician, surgeon and trained
nurse in the city was called up by tele-
phone and all Immediately rendered
their services
Pathos indescribable characterized
the scenes about the wreck. Husbands
separated from their wives and little
children bereft of their parents sought
friends among the dead and dying.
Among the passengers were many
people of prominence. Mr.. and Mrs.
Tindell, the latter a daughter of Sena-
tor Knox, and Mrs. Albert ]. Barr and
two daughters, the family of the editor
of the Pittsburg Post, were among
those slightly injured.
Victor M, Crabbe, of PIttsburg, a
son-in-law Of Robert Pitcairn, assistant
to President Cassatt of the Pennsylva.