The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-05-17
SCENES OF HORROR.
Many Victims Of Pennsylvania Railroad
Wreck Were Burned Alive.

HARRISBURG, Pa, May u.-Twenty
persons are known to be dead and
more than 100 were injured in the
railroad wreck which occurred early
today on the Pennsylvania railroad
in the southern part Of the city. That
not more persons were killed is con.
sidered remarkable by the Pennsyl.
vania officials, as a full boxcar of
dynamite exploded directly at the
middle of the heavy express train.
The primary cause OF the wreck was
shifting engine. 1t was going west
slowly when the engineer OF the east
bound train saw it coming. He ap.
piled the brakes, but too late and the
engine ''buckled" into his train. The
express, one Of the fastest night trains
on the road, came along and dashed
into the wrecked freight cars. The
next instant the boiler of the passen.
ger locomotive exploded. The wreck
took fire and those who escaped began
the work of rescue.
Six minutes after the express struck
the freight wreck the railroad men
say the flames reached the car filled
with powder. There was a fash and
deafening roar. The earth trembled
as though some terrible seismic dis
turbance had occurred. All who were
not killed and injured by the explo-
sion fed from the awful scene.
The entire wreckage became a mass
of flames and small boxes of powder
that had not exploded "let go" con.
tinuously. While these explosions
continued, men who had gone to the
rescue before the first explosion did
not dare to approach the burning
wreckage, though they could hear the
agonizing shrieks of the dying.
Flames began their cruel work of
burning human bodies that were help.
lessly pinned in the wreckage. When
the firemen arrived attempts for them
to so closer than 300 ards to the fire
until the explosions had ceased were
impossible.
While the fire was still raging
iercely the burning bodies of the dead
could be seen still lying in the berths.
The entire passenger train of nine
cars and the engine were destroyed.
Nine freight cars were also destroyed
and the others derailed or wrecked.
The passenger consisted of one loco.
motive-torn to pieces when the ex.
plosion occurred-six Pullman sleep
ing coaches, two baggage cars, one
mail coach and one engine tender.
Several hundred railroad laborers
were on the spot within an hour and
by daybreak their number had been
increased to thousand. 1t was a
gruesome task for the railroad men.
Not one whole body was found in the
wreck. Either an arm or leg or all
four limbs were burned off the trunks,
and in several cases only portions OF
the trunks were found. Ten charred
bodies were found under one Pullman
car. 1t is the belief of the railroad
officials that If the explosion had not
occurred there would have been no
loss of life.
Coroner Kross empaneled jury
which viewed the bodies this after
noon. He will begin taking testimony
tomorrow. The physicians and nurses
at the Harrisburg hospital, assisted
by the trustees and members of the
board of women managers, have been
working necessarily since the first OF
the injured were taken there this
morning. The hospital is crowded to
the doors and row after row of cots