The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-05-18
DIE IN AN EXPLOSION.
THIRTY ARE KILLED IN RAIL
ROAD DISASTER.
Pennsylvania Passenger Engine Hits
Cars Loaded with Dynamite-Locomo
tive Boiler Exp1odes, Coaches Blown

The western express on the Penusyl-
vania Railroad. known as the Cleve-
land-Cincinnati Express, crashed into
freight train which contained two
cars of dynamite early Thursday morn
ing at South Harrisburg, Pa, and the
I explosions that followed brought death
to thirty persons and grave injuries to
perhaps one hundred more. The pas
sengers numbered 100 and nearly ey-
eryone was killed or injured.
Both trains were piled in a mass Of
wreckage which at once took fire. The
flames from the blazing mass were so
fierce that rescuers vSlo hurried to the
spot attracted by the noise Of the ex-
plosion were unable to approach the
pyre of the dead and injured.
! Following the crash of the wreck,
three distinct explosions were heard.
The spread of the flames caused sew
eral later blasts, adding to the fierce
ness Of the blaze and increasing the
number of casualties. AS the smoke
relied from the wreck the forms of
men and women could be seen beneath
the timbers which had formed the pas
senger cars, and their cries for help
were piteous.
The train was running as the Sec
ond section of the west bound express,
which left New York at 800 p. m, and
the first section of which passed
through Harrisburg at midnight. The
second and fated section was running
nearly an hour behind the regular ex-
press The title of the train was the
Cleveland and Cincinnati express, but
at Pittsburg certain cars were made
up again for the Chicago train.
Cause of the Wreck.
The wreck was caused by a smaller
wreck to the freight train, which was
east bound. Passing the plant of the
Paxtang Electric Company, near Cedar
street. an air hose of the freight burst
and several cars in the middle of the
train buckled up and fell across the
passenger tracks at the side.
Almost at the same moment the ex-
press train, with ten coaches, dashed
along and plunged into the wrecked
freight cars. The boiler of the passen-
ger locomotive blew up and the concus-
sion caused the immediate explosion of
the two cars of dynamite in the freight.
The force of the collision crushed all
the passenger cars, which piled up in
huge mass with those of the freight.
Instantly the two trains were masses
of flames.
With the crash the passengers, all of
whom were asleep in their berths, were
hurled in all directions Many were
tossed free of the wreckage, some
down the railroad embankment, some
into the Susquehanna river which par
allels the railroad in that locality. All
who were not pinned in the debris or
wholly incapacitated ran away from
the burning mass, which kept explod-
ing and scattering debris like a vol
cano.
1t was impossible for those who es-
capped uninjured to reach the imprison-
ed passengers, whose cries rent the air
for blocks. AS soon as some of the
dead and injured were reached they
were laid in rows along the tracks.
The passenger train, which was en-
tirely demolished or burned, had con-
sisted of one locomotive, torn to pieces
when the explosion occurred; six Pull
man sleeping coaches, two baggage
cars, one mail coach and one engine
tender.
The first explosion heard was that
of the boiler of the passenger locomo-
tive. This was followed by a terrific
noise when the dynamite car went up.
The car was No. 1888 Of the Erie
railroad and had a cargo of 5000
pounds of dynamite.
Soon after the wreck many negroes
and foreigners were on the scene
searching for loot