The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-05
MIXING OF ORDERS
CAUSES DISASTROUS WRECK ON
 THE PENNSYLVANIA.
Seven Persons Known to Have Been Killed, While Twenty others Re- eeived In5uxiee--passenger
 Fastened Under Debriu.

Altoona. May 5.--(ss0 a. m.)--rhs ! most disastrous accident on the Penn syIvania Railroad since that east of Harrisburg nearly year ago, when about twenty persons were killed. oe- cured last night about 10 o'clock on the Petersburg branch, about 800 yards east of Clover Creek Junction.
 The Chicago mall. bound east, and the Chicago and St. Louis express, bound west. two of the fastest trains on the system. going at full speed. met head-on. Seven cars were wrecked and both engines badly damaged. The best information obtainable Is to the effect that seven persons were killed and about twenty injured. La ter particulars may change these fig- ures, but not to any appreciabie extent partial list of the dead as far as could be ascertained is as follows:
 Frank Harder, brakeman on No. 2i, of Harrisburg.
 Unknown woman of Duncannon. Pa.
 H. W. Herr, baggagemaster. train No. 21. Harrisburg.
 Unknown man.
 partial list of the injured is as follows:
 Oscar Anderson of Delva, N. b.. badly injured, will die; Joseph Hoslkin of Philadelphia. slightly injured; W. W. Attellgrapp. Baltimore, slightly inJur- ed: W. D. Dickman. West Fairviow. Pa. slightly injured; A: " Livingston of Lancastor. Pa. slightly injured T. W. Wagner. postal clerk, seriously injur- ed
 The disaster was indirectly due to a freight wreck on the middle division at SPA o'clock when twenty-seven loaded cars of an eastbound freight train were wrecked at Union Furnace about twenty miles south of here blocking all tracks The cause of the accident Is attributed to the bursting of an air brake hose. In order to avoid deten- tion of trains, passenger traffic was sent over the Petersburg branch The Pennsylvania special. the eighteen hour flyer westoound' was the first train to pass around and make the trip in safety, No. 21. the St. Louis and Chicago express was the next train to be sent westbound over the branch. It collided with No IS, the Chicago mail, going in an opposite d- rection on a single track near Clover, Creek Junction.
 cars on No. IS, i've mail cars and coach. were caught In the smashup The dead and injured were passen- gers in the coach.
 No 2I. was sent out of Altoona re- versed, that is the coach was run next to the locomotive. This was done In order to avoid long detention that would have been occasioned by shifting the train. The train was sent east as far as Elizabeth Furnace. on the main line when the locomotive was shifted and the trip over the cut off started
 The accedtna appears to have result ed from a misunderstanding of orders on the part of the train crew tN the Chicago and St Louis express The information received by the officials of the Pennsylvania Railroad here in- dicates that there were between twen- ty and thirty passengers in the coach. An accurate list of the casualties with the names of the victims was not ob- tainable at an early hour this tSatur- day) morning
 Information received at Superinten- dent Preston's ofnce this morning was to the effect that a number of passen- gers were fastened under the twisted iron and broken timbeTs of the wrecked cars and whether they are dead er alive will not be ascertained until af- ter the debris is cleared from the tracks.
 The wrecking crew was sent from this city and reached the scene of the disaster at 1 80 a. m.
 Physicians from Altoona. Huntingdon and williamsburg were sent tr the scene to render aid to the injured who will be brought to the Altoona hos pltai.