The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-03-07

first special when IL stopped near the
wayside station. One or two of tie
passengers in our coach stepped off to
ascertain the cause of the delay and
returned shortly reporting that the
train crew was packing an overheated
bearing on one of the rear cars.
None of us were at all concerned,
but | remember that couple of par
ties of men and women a short dis
tance behind me were chatting mer-
rily, when suddenly there came tre-
mendous jolting, grinding noise, sue
ceeded by series of more tremendous
crashes, and then still more furious
jolt that pitched me forward on my
head and stunned me for a moment.
Then a most awful medley of
noises,
SCREAMS AND YELLS
of men and women arose over the
Kissing of the smashed locomotive that
had crushed into our rear car The
lights in our coach were extinguished
by the shock but | managed 10 grope
my way out, and helped woman who
was half unconscious. and whom l
stumbled over lying in the aisle.
Several men joined me as / ran
back to where the rear cars were piled
up into the most ghastly lot of tim
bered ruin that / ever witnessed.
From out of this pile ,there came
groans and screams and
CRIES FOR HELP.
tn ,hx, nc
able to move about made haste to go
to the relief of such sufferers as we
could reach, but paid no attention to
any one else's work in my own anx-
iety to be of service.
"One woman | was fortunate enough
to be able to extricate easily from un-
der pile of splintered wood, and she
was not badly hurt. But little girl
who lay near her and who was
groaning pitifully, was imprisoned un-
der heavy beam and could not re-
lease her. called two men to my aid,
and we succeeded in lifting the tim
Der and getting her out. The poor lit
tie thing
WAS DEAD,
however, before we could find a sur
geon.
THE engine of the second train
which had been driven clean through
the first coach, did most of the killing.
do not believe that one person In
that car escaped alive. Even while we
were working just in front of this
smashed car the wreckage took fire
and we were driven back. Several men
and women were incinerated alive be-
fore our eyes"
CoMPANY'S STATEMENT.
At midnight a formal statement
was issued from the Office of the Penn
sylvania railroad in Pittsburg, but 1t
made no estimate of the actual num-
ber of killed and injured. 1t stated
that the last three cars of the first
section, two tourists and pullman,
as well as the engine, the baggage
cars and two tourist sleeping cars of
the second section were destroyed.
SOME OF THE DEAD.
Among the dead, so far identified,
are Cantain Henry and John Gray, of
SitNCldhu, vi lut
naval corps of Cleveland, and Major
McQuaigg, were among the probably
fatally injured, although the former
has chance of recovery.
r. Thayer. assistant passenger
agent of the Pennsylvania railroad at
Cleveland, and who was in charge OF
the excursion, was another victim. He
was found unconscious in the wreck
age of the third car of the first train
and was hurried to a hospital at Allie
gheny City. He has good chance OF
recovery.
RELIEF WORK.
While the volunteer rescuers were
chopping in the debris and extricat-
ing the bodies of the dead and the
barely alive, thirty minutes or so af-
ter the disaster. the first of the am
Dulances came rafting up, and the
surgeons hastened to extend their sew
vices to the sufferers who were lying
on the ground. From that moment
the ambulancesN arrived in rapid sue
cession, and the work Of relief was
rapidly systematized.
Great heroism was shown by many
of the less seriously hurt, who insisted
that those whose injuries were more
severe should be taken care of first.
OF the first hundred persons who had
been in the wreck there were scarcely
any who did not bear bruises or other
hurts. At least 200 needed the care of
surgeons, and more than two score
were so badly injured that they were
helpless.
At first the injured persons had
been carried short distance from the
burning wreck and laid on the ground
In rows. A short distance away were
arranged the
PILES OF CoRPSES,
which were rapidly augmented after
the railroads wrecking crews reached
the scene and got to work.
The first installment of ambulances