Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-31
APPALLING WRECK
SLAUGHTERS MANY
TRAINS COLLIDE CLOSE TO
WASHINGTON
Thlrty-eisht Killed and More Than
Fifty Injured in Awful Dis
astsr Near Nations
Capital
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of passenger engines used on the road.
The fact Of its size probably saved it
from total destruction, the principal
damage to It being confined to the front
Of the engine. Because of this, Engi-
neer Hildebrandt and his fireman es-
capped. Hildebrandt is said to have
been a substitute. He and his fireman
were arrested. No formal charges have
been placed against them pending In
vestigation.
The wrecked train was composed of
an engine, a smoking car and two day
coaches. The 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. Fortunately
the wreckage did not take fire.
Traffic was delayed by the accident
and 1t was after midnight before the
dead were brought to the city. There
was an entire absence of any attempts
at theft. AS soon as possible the bodies
were covered and laid aside to await
the coming of the train sent from the
city.
From the appearance of the bodies it
is believed IL 1t nearly all the victims
were killed outright. OF the dead
DOQ1eS some were DuTleQ DeHedlu utO-
ris, with the result that they were re-
covered with difficulty.
A number of passengers started to
walk to Brookland, three-quarters of a
mile away.
The moment the first of the surviv-
ors reached Brookland a general call
was sent out for doctors and ambu-
lances.
DR.. r. w. Frlschorn, DR.. Stern and
- 70
sponded and were taken to the scene
in automobiles.
Survivor Tells of Accident
One member of the crew of the pas
senger train who hobbled into drug
store half an hour after the accident
said:
IT can't tell how many people were
killed. 1t was awful. / don't even
know just how it happened. The freight
train went through the entire train
and it seems to me as if every one was
killed in the last coach, and many in
the first. The freight engine must have
run past a red target. 1 can't explain
the accident in any other way"
United States District Attorney D.
w. Baker, who was a passenger on the
forward car, suffered slightly. He was
able to walk from the drug store,
where his injuries were treated. He
was later taken to his home in an
automobile.
When the news of the accident
spread about Brookland many citizens,
with their wives, hastened to the scene
to aid and comfort the wounded.
Mrs. H. F. Fisher of this city while
responding to the call of sufferer al
most stumbled over the body of a two
year-old child lying near the track. The
baby was terribly bruised, but was still
alive. 1t was said that the mother of
the infant had been killed
The Inflated train runs on Sunday
for the benefit of many Washingtonians
who either have country places on the
line or go to their relatives. 1t leaves
Frederick at o'clock in the afternoon
and is scheduled to reach Washington
at 6:25 o'clock.
District Attorney Baker, who was in
jured and who walked mile and a
quarter to a drug store, in describing
his experience to a representative of the
Associated Press said:
II was in the second car from the end
coming from my home in Germantown.
I was four seats from the end of the
car, and just as the train left Terra
Gotta station the crash came. We were
carried in the wreckage for some dis
tance. 1 don't know how 1 got out of
the wreckage.'
Tells of Awful Carnage
Frank P. Bodlitz, a newspaper man
of Frederick, who was slightly injured,
said:
at was in the car next to the smoker
talking with gentleman and his wife
from Detroit. We We're all standing up,
the car being crowded. Suddenly we
heard an awful noise and then {. crash.