The San Francisco call., 1906-12-31
MANY PERISH IN
4 COLLISION
Of TRAINS
Thirty-Eight Persons Killed
and Fifty Injured in Dis
aster Near Washington
APPALLING WRECK
DURING DENSE FOG
Special Carrying More Than
Two Hundred Passengers
Crashes Into Empty Train

WASHINGTON, Dec So.-An appaIl-
ing disaster, resulting in the death, as
far as can be learned at midnight, of
tEirty-eight persons and the injury of
about fifty more, occurred about e:20
O'Clock on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road at Terra Gotta, a suburb of WASH
fngton. Frederick City (Md.) local
from the station, was run into by a
train made mp of eight empty passen-
ger coaches, bound from the West for
Washington. More than 200 passen-
gers were aboard the fII-fated train.
It is said that the engineer of the
empty train had failed TO see the red
signal indicating that another train
was in the block. and plunged ahead on
his mission of death
FOG oBsCURES SIGNAL
A dense fog and a drizzling rain pre-
vailed during the day and night. and to
the inability of the engineer of the rear
train to see the signal showing that
another train was in the block is at
'tribtued the cause of the accident. The
grade at the place where the tragedy
occurred is downward. and the tracks
were slippery.
The Frederick train, wi1frf IS run on
Sundays only. is largely for the accom-
mediation Of those who haze gone into
the suburbs on Sunday and for the ben
eft of churchgoers who desire to attend
services IN washington at night Pre-
sumably a number of the latter were
on the train. The train is scheduled to
reach Terra Gotta about e:15 o'clock.
and was about on time tonight when
the crash came
At first, owing to the impenetrable
fog, it was impossible 10 determine the
extent Of the disaster, and early ru-
mors placed the number Of killed at
higher figures than those which proved
later TO be accurate. When the news
reached Washington people began to go
TO Terra Gotta, and many who had rel
atives killed and injured remained at
the scene Of the wreck until the spe-
5ured to the city An earlier train that
had been dispatched to Terra Gotta
brought the injured. whose wounds had
been hastily dressed. and they were
sent to various hospitals. Three died
on the way to the city, and one death
occurred in one of the hospitals.
ENGINE CREW ARRESTED
The engine of the rear train is said
TO be one of the largest and latest
types of passenger engines used on the
saved it from total destruction-the
principal damage to it being confined to
the front of the engine. Because of
this. Engineer Hildebrand and his fire.
man escaped. Hildebrand is said to
have been a substitute. He and his
fireman were arrested. No formal
charges have been placed against them
pending an investigation.
The wrecked train was composed of
an engine, a smoking-car and two day
coaches. The two rear coaches were
reduced to kindling-wood and the rear
Of the smoker was telescoped-
SO great was the impact that the
local train was scattered along the
track for a considerable distance. For
tunately the wreckage did not take
fire.
Traffic was delayed by the accident
and it was after midnight before the
bodies of the dead could be brought
TO the city. There was an entire abb
sence of any attempts at theft. As
soon as possible the bodies were COW
cred and laid aside to await the COM
ing of the train sent from the city.
MANY SOON sUCcUMB
From the appearance OF the bodies
Il is believed that nearly all the vic
TINS were killed outright or died within
few minutes after the accident OF
the dead bodies some were buried be-
meath debris. with the result that they
were recovered with difficulty
DR.. z. O. Bolt. one OF the most promi-
nent physicians of Washington, and
MS sons. Edwin. years old. and Sin
clair. aged 5, were passengers on the
train. Edwin was killed and the father
and the other son are missing 1t is
feared they are among the list of
unidentified dead.
A most remarkable escape was that
Of Dr. Parker of this city. Il was said
that he was the only man amdng the
passengers who escaped without a