Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-18
Workmen Returning to Their
Homes.
NO PASSENGERS HURT
WORSE ACCIDENT IN HISTORY oF
THE WESTERN MARYLAND.
Injured Taken to Baltimore and Re-
moved to the City Hospital and
Given Treatment.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

BALTIMORE, Md, June 17.-Seventeen
men killed, twenty badly injured and two
slightly hurt is the result of head-on col
lsion on the Western Maryland railroad
which occurred at o'clock tonight about
one and a half miles south of Patapsco sta
ton. which is about ten miles south of
Westminster
The dead are:
George B. Coville. 613 East Chase street,
engineer of passenger train No. 5.
John Grouse. Taneytown, Md, engineer
of freight train No. Al.
d. 0. Derr, Hagerstown, conductor of
freight train.
James Groshon, Thurmont, Nd, foater
Charles Kelly. Thurmont. Md, floater.
T. c. Lynch. Middleburg Nd floater
John s. Leger. Baltimore, Md, fireman
Charles T. Miller. Thurmont, Md. foater
- Schumacher, Hagerstown, Nd, fire.
man; body still under wreck
Frank Sweeney, Thurmont Md, foater
Harry Sweeney. Thurmont, Md. floater
Mcclellan Sweeney, Thurmont Nd, float
William Sweeney, Thurmont Md. foater
L. d. Rite, Hagerstown, fireman of freight
train No. 49,
Injured.
Calvin Benner, Catoctin, Md. fioater, leg
broken and badly cut; John Davis Thur
mont, Nd, foater, cut about legs; Peter
Frehert, Union Bridge, Md, noater; E.
Fuss Thurmont, Md, foater: Charles Gra-
BILE, Thurmont. Md, foater, badly burned;
William T. Hahn, Thurmont Md, fioater;
Elmer Miller, Thurmont Nd, fioater badly
shocked and in precarious condition; c. D.
Miller, Hagerstown. Md. mail clerk on pas
senger train, broken leg: Guy Lynn, Mid
internal injuries; d. Meyers. Highfield Md.
fo4ter, scalded on hands and face frac-
tured jaw and leg; Rush, Hage~stown en-
gineer No. 43 freight, head and legs in
jured; George Stimmel, Thurmont, Nd,
foater, mashed head: Milton Stumbaugh.
Double Pipe Creek, fioater. slightly injured;
William Sweeney, Thurmont, Md, hoater;
William Shuff. Thurmont, Md, f1oater. bad
ly hurt about head and hands; Joseph Site
ly, Catoctn, Nd, internal injuries, will
probably die; B. F. Frank Tierney, Hagers-
town, Md, Adams Express Company mes
senger on passenger train, skull, both arms,
left leg fractured and internal injuries;
Columbus Williar. Thurmont. Nd, foater,
badly cut and may die: John Whitmore,
Thurmont. Nd, foater.
Victims All Railroad Hands.
All of the dead and injured were en-
ployed by the Western Maryland railroad,
the dead having engaged in wreching work,
and were on the way to their homes In
Western Maryland when the accident oc-
Cured.
The dead and injured were brought to
this city at 1890 o'clock tonight, and the
latter removed to the City Hospital, where
they received prompt medical attention.
The train bearing the dead was sent on TO
Westminster
-~h - hood
collision between a heavily laden freight
train of about eighteen cars, drawn by en-
gines Al and 49, which was coming toward
Baltimore, and passenger train No. 3, |
which left Hillen Station, in this city, at o |
O'Clock this afternoon.
The trains, both of which were going at |
good speed, crashed together at 5:55 |
o'clock and just where the blame lays |
must necessarily be fixed by the officials of |
the Western Maryland railroad and a cor |
oner's jury of inquest. which will be held |
in Carroll county near the scene Of the ac- |
cident.
About 1CO Passengers.
On the passenger train were about one |
hundred passengers who filed three |
coaches and the baggage combination car |
The passengers were in the three regular |
coaches and were on their way to various |
places about the mountain resorts in west |
Maryland while the baggage car was !
well filled with the railroad workmen, most |
OF whom lived in the neighborhood of |
Thurmont and who We're on the way to |
their homes when they were either crushed |
TO death or horribly injured. Most of these |
men were employed by the wrecking de- |
partment of the Western Maryland rail- |
road, and in the parlance of railroads were |
known as 'hoaters," the term being derived |
from the fact that they move from place |
TO place in repairing the tracks of the rail- |
road and clearing up wrecks.
Crushed to Death.
1t was these unfortunate men who were
crushed 10 death by the first impact of the
two heavy trains, while death also reaped
a harvest among some of the workmen
who were seated standing in the bag
gage car.
The two heavy engines drawing the
freight and the equally heavy locomotive
rushing along with the passenger coaches
clashed together with a mighty impact
and in less time than 1t takes to tell 1t the
three steam monsters were reduced to
scrap iron
There was more or less escaping of
steam. and just why an explosion did not
ensue is a mystery. Had such thing oc-
CURED there would have undoubtedly been
q greater loss of life
With the crashing of the trains a panic
Immediately ensued on the passenger train.
The train had barely passed over the
bridge spanning the Patapasco and one car
was standing on the structure when the
collision occurred.
Fortunately none of the regular passen-
ger coaches left the track which Is prob
ably responsible Tor the fact that none or
the passengers were injured. aside from
Slight cuts bruises and shocks.
Mad Rush to Escape.
The screaming OF the women was terri
flying, and in the mad rush to get out of
the cars men, women and children fought
with each other. Some made their exits
by the doors, while others jumped through
the windows. A remarkable feature was
that in this struggle one was seriously
injured.
This was a mild form of alarm, however,
compared with the scene that was present.
ed near the wrecked engines. Human forms
were scattered about in all directions, some
horribly mangled. others mashed out of hu-
man resemblance, while the less injured
were screaming with agony, others moan
ing. and some begging to be put out OF
their misery.