Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1905-05-18
BURNED IN SIGHT
OF RESCUERS
Awful Fate BefalIs Victims Of
Harrisburg, Pa,
Wreck.
ARE TWENTY KNOWN DEAD
Over 100 Others Suffering From
Their InjurIes-Dynamite in Freight
Cars Transformed Minor Wreck
Into an Awful Catastrophe.

Harrisburg, Pa, May 11.--An ex-
press train of the Pennsylvania rail-
road ran into freight train in which
there were two cars loaded with dyna-
mite at ITO o'clock this morning in
South Harrisburg, near the plant OF
the Paxtang Light, Heat & Power
company Three terrific explosions
which broke windows all over the
city followed, and the two trains were
completely wrecked and took fire.
1t was estimated at o'clock that fifty
persons were killed and one hundred
injured, though these figures may be
too small. 1t is impossible to ascer-
tain the exact number of fatalities be-
cause the wreckage is still ablaze and
unapproachable, in which many OF
the passengers and some members OF
the train crew are pinned, and many
small explosions occur continually
When the first explosions occurred
bodies were thrown clear out of the
berths in the sleeping cars, many
landing down the railroad embank-
ment and some even have been hurled
into the Susquehanna river, which
parallels the railroad in that locality.
All the physicians Of the city pro-
durable were summoned to work with
che injured.
Harrisburg, Pa, May 12.-Twenty
persons are known to be dead and
more than 100 others were injured
in the railroad wreck and dynamite
explosion which occurred early yes
terday on the Pennsylvania railroad
in the southern part of this city.
That more persons were not killed
was considered remarkable by the
Pennsylvania officials, as full box
car of dynamite exploded directly in
the middle of the heavy express train.
There are various stories Of how
the wreck occurred but the official
version is as follows:
About 1:40 o'clock, the engine on
an outbound freight train was tagged
by the crew Of a shifting engine ahead
on the same track The engineer
quickly put on his air brakes and
the train, an unusually long one,
came to a sudden halt. The strain
on the air valves was a severe one
and an air hose in the middle OF
the train blew out. This caused
the middle of the train to buckle,
and the damaged cars fell on the
passenger tracks.
Just as this happened the Cleve.
land express came up and side swiped
the wreck. The express was stopped
within it's own length and the third
sleeper was near the wrecked cars.
Before any one could leave the pas
senger train, which was not badly
damaged, several slight explosions
occurred and then there was one
great flash and roar that shook the
earth. The whole affair occurred
within a period of a few seconds.
Shortly afterward another explo-
sion occurred. Fearing that the en-
tire freight might be loaded with
dynamite no one dared go near
the wreck.
Finally the railroad men who knew
the contents of the burning freight
train led the way and the uninjnred
passengers followed.
Scores of those who were trapped
in their sleeping berths or pinioned
under wreckage were taken out and
laid down In the field badly hurt.
The advancing of the fire drove the
rescuers back as they were about
10 take others from the wreck and the
unfortunates, men and women, were
soon enveloped in the flames. The