The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-03-07
INAUGURAL TRAIN WRECK
Many Killed and Injured Near
Pittsburg, Pa
Marching Clubs and Militia Men Caught
in the CatastropIne--Fire Adds
to the Horrors.

Pittsburg, Pa On their way 10
Washington to join In the Inauguration
Of President Roosevelt many persons
were killed and over score injured in
rear-end collision between two sec
lions of a special passenger train from
Cleveland on the Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne and Chicago division Of the
Pennsylvania Railroad at Clifton sta
ton, eight miles west of this city.
The accident occurred at Gas at
night.
Fire which followed the smash-up
added horror to the wreck and de.
stroyed three of the cars of the first
section OF the train The flames also
retarded the work of removing the in
jured. and several Of the dead were
burned almost beyond recognition.
The two sections of the train which
crashed into each other left Cleveland
about / O'Clock, The first section bore
the Royal Battalion Engineers Ma
tional Guard of Ohio, and was made
up of six coaches and a baggage car.
The second section, with the same
number of cars, carried the Tippecanoe
Club, OF Cleveland, considered the most
prominent Republican club of the
Buckeye State
The first section had stopped at Cliff
ton Station, because of hot box. when
the second section smashed into it.
The engine pIowed it's way through
the rear Pullman of the first section,
crushing the passengers under it's ter
rife weight OF iron The shock was
felt in every car of the train, and a
panic among the passengers followed.
Men climbed through windows, and
above the noise of falling timber could
be heard the shrieks of the dying.
The passengers lent prompt assist
ance. AS rapidly as they could they
extricated the wounded from the
wreckage and tended to them as best
they could. Word was hurried to Pitts
burg for aid, and special trains were
rushed to the assistance of the injured.
Most of the dead, it is said. were in
the rear ear of the first section. Many
persons also were injured in the second
car, but not mortally. AS fast as pos
sible the more severely hurt were
taken to Rochester, Pa, and ut 10
o'clock a special bearing twelve of the
hurt reached Allegheny They were
taken to the Allegheny General HoSpi-
tai, and then followed mix-up be-
tween the authorities of the city and
railroad people
The officials of the Pennsylvania
road demanded that the injured be
taken to the West Pennsylvania Hos
pital, while the city authorities wanted
them placed in the nearest institution
that could be reached The railroad
people arranged to run a special train
through to the West Pennsylvania
Hospital. and most of the injured were
taken there
The first report from the wreck said
that sixty persons had been killed. and
train with twenty physicians was
sent from this city at once. This was
followed by special train bearing
eight deputy coroners, in charge OF
Coroner Armstrong.
The news Of the wreck spread rap
idly in this city, and at night it looked
as il all Pittsburg were in the streets
about the newspaper offices. Thous-
ands stood in front of the bulletins anx-
iously watching for the latest reports
from the place of the disaster, and the
police had hard time maintaining or
der.
A report also was received here that
ghouls, under the guise of helping the
injured. were robbing the dead, and
twenty-five policemen were sent to
Clifton.