The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-12-31

Every facility in Washington for aid
giving was called into requlslton last
night, and all responded heroicany TO the
task.
Hospitals. physicians. surgeons. nurses.
police. and fremen. as well as thousands
Of volunteers. went TO the aid Of the
victims Of the Terra Gotta wreck. Within
few minutes after the extent Of the
calamity was learned, relief trains were
ordered. and surgeons and nurses had
been summoned.
While the work OF rescue and relief
was going on in the darkness and fog
by the few who had hastened to the
scene Of the wreck from nearby houses.
District Attorney Baker managed, with
great difficulty, because Of HIS crushed
foot. to hobble to the telephone at Brook
land. a half mile or more from the wreck.
and there called on Maj. Sylvester. chief
Of police to send aid. Mr.. Baker had but
a moment at the telephone 10 say that
scores were probably killed. and many
more fearfully injured, when the re-
eeiver was dropped at this end Of the line.
and ~ a moment more orders were gives
10 Fire Chief Belt 10 send his men 10 tho
wreck. and a large detail Of policemen
were at once dispatched to Brookland.
Two amhulances from the Emergency
Hospital and one from Freedmen's Hos
pital were sent flying out over the dark
roads to Terra Gotta. With them went
four or FIVE doctors and several nurses
from these hospitals.
Get Relief Train Ready.
In the meantime the officials of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad were get
ting a relief train ready. All the doctors
that could be secured from the various
hospitals were hurried TO the station and
taken out on this train. With them also
went as many nurses as could be mus
tered. Through train No. 3 was sent ahead
Of The relief train to get out of the city.
While the work of relief was going on.
another detachment Of thirty policemen
Joined in the work of taking the injured
passengers out Of the wreck
In the city the ambulances at the Prov
idence and Emergency hospitals were
ordered to the Baltimore and Ohio station
TO await the arrival OF the relief train
Another train was soon made up and
sent out with more nurses and doctors
and more police. This train reached
Terra Gotta just as the first train started
in.
Preparation at Station.
At the station every preparation had
been made to remove the injured persons
from the cars and get them to the hos
pitals as quickly as possible. Stretchers
were already in place on the platform.
and the train had hardly stopped before
sturdy policemen and trainmen had
leaped aboard and had begun their task
of removing the wounded to the ambu-
Iances.
Under Maj. Sylvester's orders. the vari-
Gus hospitals were notified of the arrival
Of the relief train. and that the ambu-
lances would soon come with their loads
of injured. AS soon as the wounded had
been removed. the first relief train re-
turned to Terra Gotta and again received
load of injured The second relief
train, in the meantime, had been sent in,
and it's wounded were in turn taken to
the hospitals. At O'Clock the two trains
again came in from the wreck, the first
loaded with wounded. the second bearing
the bodies Of the dead
Terra Gotta WOrkmen First.
The first to offer relief were the work.
men whose cottages are along the track
at Terra Gotta. Their means of afford
ing succor were small. but they did the
best they could under the circumstances
until aid arrived upon the scene from
Washington. The women brought water
and tore up their bedding for bandages.
while the men, working with the best
means at hand, took out all of the in
jured they could reach and carried many
of them to their humble homes to await
the arrival of the relief train which
CONTINUED on SECOND PAGE.