Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-12-31
NUMBER KILLED
FORTY-SEVEN
Were Victims Of the Awful 0isaS.
ter on the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad.
TRAIN CREW UNDER ARREST.
Passenger Train Passed signal Kun
ming go Miles an lIour--COroncr and
Road officials VIII Investigate.

Washington y. c., Dec 3l.--The list
Of dead as the result OF the appalling
wreck at Terra Gotta on the Baltimore
& Ohio railroad last night had reached
Il at noon today Inquiry at the vari-
Gus hospitals Of the city where the In
jured have been taken shows a number
Of persons whose condition is regarded
Is hopeless The lnjued number over so.
1t has been decided to postpone the
coroner's inquest until Wednesday.
This viii be the first official step taken
towards liking the responsibility Of the
disaster In the meantime 1t Is under
stood railroad officials are making
searching investigation.
Two distinct stories are today being
told by the friends OF those who viii
naturally be implicated The entrance
to the block on which the accident oc-
CURED Is at silver Spring, Md. II Is
said local No. &C. from Frederick, had
entered the block with n clear track
Two green lights were then set on the
signal tower, showing that the block
was occupied. The engineer OF the
dead train. which was following &C.
cordingly slowed down as he entered
the block to run cautiously AT the
TakOma station. near the center OF the
block. 1t IL said, the day operator had
tied down white signals, showing
clear track and left his station Al
this indication the engineer OF the
dead" train crowded on all steam ana
forged ahead at tremendous speed IN
the dark foggy night and on a slippery
track. II was only few minutes unul
the huge engine of the dead tram
plunged into the rear Of the local, just
pulling out OF Terra Gotta and only
three miles from Washington. opera
tor Phillips at Takoma denies that MS
signals were set showing occupied
tracks. He was much astonished To
see the dead train rush past and ex-
pected il to slow down and back up.
Instead he heard OF the accident IN
few minutes,
While the wreck had brought the
deepest sorrow TO scores OF Washlng-
ton homes triple portion visited that
Of DR.. Il. o. Belt, who lost his life with
his two sons, Edward and 81, CAR
Mrs, Belt was at home nursing the
-
has broken leg,
A ooroners Jury which was In session
on another case today formally viewed
the bodies at the morgue and postponed
further act.ou until Wednesday, by
which time all the witnesses VIII nave
been summoned.
At 5 o'clock this morning there were
eight unidentified bodies at the NOR
que
Scores Of persons visited the morgue
last night and this morning TO assist
IN the Identification Of the unknown
dead there. The total number Of bod
les carried into the morgue shortly
after midnight was 32, but several OF
the Identified have been turned over
10 the undertaking establishments 20
be prepared for burial. Most Of the
victims we're residents Of Washington
and its suburbs and the majority OF
these will be buried today and tomor'
row,
Coroner Nevill, who went to the
scene Of the wreck last night to view
| the remains OF the dead and TO secure
statements from injured passengers
will empanel a jury and begin an in
| quest at 1880 this morning. Aftei
the jurymen are 1lected and the lis
OF witnesses secured the inquest vii
be adjourned over until "Wednesday
and according TO the coroner may las
for several days The members Of tbs
crew of the train causing the wrecl
were placed under arrest by the loca
police. They are Harry Hildebrand
engineer. Frank Hoffmaier, conduc
tor: ]. c. McCullom, fireman. Rober
Rutter, brakeman. and w. a. Norris
baggagemaster.
All were taken to the Tenth Precinc
police station.
The officials OF the Baltimore & Obi
railroad who were unable to fix the re
spon sibility for the disaster last nigh
will begin an investigation at Baltimor
today TO determine the cause OF tn
catastrophe The engineer Hlldebran
and the fremen Of the dead trair
Tower Operator Phillips and all other
| IN any way connected with the opera
ton OF the train will be examined.
The scene after the accident was sick
ening Bodies had been hurled on ever
side and It was after midnight hefor
all the dead had been collected an
placed on the special train 10 be brougf
10 this city. II was only few minute
after the collision until nearly all III
residents Of Terra Gotta, a sparsely sci
tied village had gathered at the seer
OF the disaster and began the work Z
removing The dead and rescuiug the II
jured from beneath the mass OF debri
The workers labored under great din
Guilty for many 0f the injured wei
wedged beneath the wreckage an
numbers OF them died before they coul
be rescued. 2 he many acts Of heroisl
and self sacrificing that we're performt
will never be Known.
% An 49,.
sent from Washington and nearly
physicians from this city and the sui
urbs responded TO a general call bi
fully three quarters Of an hour hs
elapsed before the doctors were on haf
10 relieve the injured.
For more than three hours after d
fatal crash occurred the police al
citizens were still taking bodies fro
under the great pile OF wreckaj
which was strewn for fully a quart
Of a mile along the track. The rescl
ers took out several bodies which M
been ground TO a pulp, As the &
tured were taken from under the d
bris. while the physicians were ri
ing them all the attention possil
| Catholic priests were administering q
last rites TO the dying. Men, wom
and children aided In giving relief
| the injured, Lynx Oh t'l ll SCI
Gus condition at Providence hospit
| Frederick Leigh. a brakeman on the I
fated passenger train gasped ont
story OF the wreck
when was passed Kensington {
danger signals were h0isted and
; We're told 10 move along cautiously
= ne said. when we hit Takoma I
signals were still out and we left I
station slowly and proceeded TO Ter
! Gotta, our next stop. The signals We
] out at Terra Gotta and we took aboa
I few passengers and started to p
}. out for Washington when the tri
2 following us hit the back coach a
q smashed II TO spllnters.'
e Leigh died this morning.
WILL INVESTIGATE,
Il Baltimore, Md. Dec. SIC, n G
r, loway. superintendent Of trauspor