Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-12-31
Another Railroad Horror.

Cured shortly after DARK yesterday even
log at the little station Of Terra Gotta.
where the Metropolitan branch Of that
system crosses the District of Columbia
line about three miles north of Wash
inglop.
The regular evening train from Fred
erick, Md, was struck 10 a rear.end col
lision by ''dsadhesd! equipment train
which had been picking up empty cara
on the way south from Cumberland and
was almost demolished, while practically
every passenger 10 two coaches was
either killed or injured,
The wreck occurred in the midst Of q
dense fog and the greatestconfusion fol-
lowed, making it almost impossible to
obtqin for several hours accurate infor-
nation respecting the identity OF the
killed and Injured.
Telephone messages were sent to the
city and smbulsnces were quickly dis
patched to the scene from the Soldiers
Home and all the hospitals. Superin-
tendent Sylvester also ordered out the
police reserves. A specially equipped
train wss quickly made up also, but did
not get back to the city with the I'M red
until . O'Clock. The number killed is
ii and the number of injured about so.
Among those injured was B. n. May
wood OF Alexandria county. The
injured were taken to the hospitals in
Washington for treatment.
Ia tbs darkness Of The night it was i'm.
possible 10 determine the terrible havoc
wrought by the freight engine. Those
passengers in The forward coach, who
were but slightly bruised, heard the
groans of the dying and terribly wound
ed, and did what they could to give aid.
1t was soon realized that but little
could be done in the dark, with but few
places to take the Injured, and 4 number
of the passengers started to walk TO
Brookland, mile away.
The wreck occurred at G:S9 O'Clock,
about % minutes after the train was due
at Terra Gotta.
The Frederick train had just arrived
at hat station and was standing under
the bridge at the station, taking on and
letting OF passengers. when suddenly
the engine of the equipment train, travel
ing at lively speed, plowed into the
passenger coaches. Toe rear coach Of
The Frederick train was torn into spliu-
tiers and in the next instant the central,
or second coach, was split open. The
car was only slightly dam
aged. The debris of the wreck did not
ignite, but was torn and twisted and
piled in understandable fashion around
and over the bodies OF the dead and
Injured. The flying debris also injured
those who were TO take the train and
others standing abOnt the station.
Some of the bodies Of the dead were
mutilated by the heavy car
trucks Of the demolished passenger
coaches and their wheels The dead
were piled beside the tracks for con
distance and attention was con
upon the wounded, who were
given temporary treatment and placed
in the relief carr. Some of them who
were not so seriously injured walked TO
the suburb OF BrOOkland.
Superintendent Fitzgerald stated last
night that an absolute block system pre-
walls on the Metropolitan Branch, and
that The accident WAS evidently due to q
confusion OF signals.
Today's reports have not curtaile1 the
list OF fatalities. 1t is row known that at
least forty persons were killed aud about
eighty injured. Among the killed and
injured were several Wsshingionians.
Railroad men expert, need in wrecks
said that never before had they seen such
mntilatiOD. Many bodies were ground
to pieces after being crushed in the
wreckagc. Men, women and children
suffered a common fate 10 the last two
coaches of the local, where the carnage
was the most fearful.
The real horror of the disaster was
made plain to the crowd of spectators
when the work of gathering mp the dead
was undertaken when those OF the vic
Tins who still had life in them were
cared for. The right Of way to the east
of Terra Gotta was literally sprinkled
with human remains. Bodies with the
head crushed beyond recognition, with
arms and legs torn and crumpled, or
else huddled and smashed out of sem
blance to a human figure we're discov'
cred here and there in the darkness.
Victims we're found piled beneath the
splntered debris of the wrecked cosches,
which had been so completely demolisb-
cd that fragments OF 6cOd were twisted
in the clothing and imbedded in the
hesh. In the immediate vicinity OF
where the wrecked train finally came to
a halt, some twenty bodies were found,
most Of them crushed beneath the wreck
age. BY some inexplicable happening,
two freight care, which mad been in .
siding at Terra Gotta. were swept along
by the death dealing engine, No. 2lO2,
aud we're mixed up in the wreckage,
adding TO the difficulty of extricating the
bodies.
Thirty ionr victims of The wreck who
had been killed outright reached the
B & O. station here shortly after one
o'clock this morning. The remains we're
loaded in a baggage car Ambulances
and unGer,&kers' wagons carried the
bodies to the morgue, where they were
laid in rows upon the floor to await
identification.
The remains of the victims were mutt
lated in the most horrible manner In
a number of cases the features besidss
having been crushed and torn were cakef
with cinders through which the bodies
had been dragged along the railroad
track. Four sheets containing masses