Milford chronicle., 1905-05-19


v. L. Crabbe, Pittsburg.
Paul Bright, Pittsburg.
George zeigler, Pittsburg.
James r. Phillips, Pittsburg.
Albert Crosby, Philadelphia, conduc
kor of express.
Rudolphus Martina, Italian infant
New York.
Mrs. Robert C. Dougherty, PhiladeI.
phia-
c. Kuhlman, Altoona.
G. F. Silverman, Philadelphia.
H. K. Thomas, Philadelphia, engi-
beer Of express.
Mr.. Anderson, Pittsburg.
Six unidentified bodies.
The Pennsylvania railroad officials
gave out a list of 1874 persons who
were injured, 1O6 being treated at hos
pitfalls or elsewhere.
How the Wreck Occurred.
There are various stories of how the
wreck occurred, but the official YER
sion is as follows:
The engine on the east-bound freight
train was tagged by the crew of a
shifting engine ahead on the same
Arack. The engineer quickly put on his
air brakes, and the train, an unusually
long one, came to a sudden halt. The
strain on the afr valves was a severe
one, and one of the connecting air
hose In the middle, of the train blew
put. This caused the middle of the
brain to buckle" and the damaged
bars fell over on the passenger tracks. |
Just as this happened the Cleveland
express came laundering up and Side
Hwiped" the wreck. The express was
stopped within its own length. and the |
third sleeper was opposite the wrecked |
oars. Before any one could leave the
passenger train, which was not verv /
badly damaged, few slight explosions
occurred. and then there was one great
nash and roar that shook the earth.
The whole thing occurred within the
short period of a few seconds. A scene
OF horror followed the blowing IN of
the dynamite. The passenger cars and
some of the freight cars instantly tool,
hre. As the reverberatiOns of the fer
rifle explosion died away in the hills
across the Susquehanna river the
Rgontzing cries of the injured could he
heard. Men and women came tumbling
and climbing from the car windows or
from under the wreckage No ]
one Tor the moment seemed to know I
what to DO and many of the passen-
gers, momentarily seized with terror I
ran wildly about the fields on the north I
side of the railroad or waded into tba '
shallow waters of the river which
parallels the railroad on the south. q
Realizing their safety and the danger S
IT'LL threatening Others the frightened r
passengers turned in and began the v
'escue Of the living. As they an
'roached the wreck another explosion
which sent them scurrvino
way. Fearing that tlie entire freigbt
rain might be loaded with dynamite ,
10 one dared go near the wreck
fnally the railroad men who knew the
Of the burning freight train u
ID the way and the uninjured passen- al
ers followed. II
The work Of rescue was at first slow N
nd 1t seemed as though the flames II
ould enyelop the entire express train ne
efore those who were pinned beneath m
le heavy wreckage could be freed DC
there came shrieks for de
slp, and the frantic rescuers worked d.
ith willing hands. Scores of those ru
ho were trapped in their sleeping IN
rths or pinioned under wreckage lei
ere taken out and laid in the field
.dly hurt. The men fought hard to
ach other victims, and many were u.
ken from the mass of broken wood 9''
ID twisted iron just as the flames 90 90
uched their naked forms, burning 9i
me Of them quite severely. The ad- 90
ncing fire drove the rescuers back. Ds ne
they were about to take others from
wreck. and the unfortunates. men ma
d women, were soon enveloped in "e
, flames The cries Of the dying was ou'
In the extreme, but moth s1',
! could be done for them. Many of val
'se willing to help. but unable to IN
so, had TO turn away from the hor- Gag
10 scene. An alarm OF fire was sent syl
but when the fremen reached the Tv
ne the flames had done their work N
far as the victims in the wreck were bos
cerned. The entire train was con tow
led by fire. ola
ying on the tracks was the dead dro.
y OF MrsA Robert G. Dougherty. of sge
ladelphia, with her husband and g. of I,
r-old son standing guard and silent arm
weeping over the body. Mr.. Dough- mar
was grief-stricken, but his young
oheered him up with the words:
ther, let Us thank God that we have u
7 mothers remains and that they noui
not in that wreolzage being burnt poin
she's" erRl
omen clasping their little children men
heir arms we're seen being slowly Of Il