The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1907-10-03

Wheeling, w. Va. (Special) Flight
men were killed, four fatally injured
and seventeen more or less seriously
hurt when the Chicago and Wheel
ing express train No. IA on the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad was wrecked
in the yards at Bellaire, Ohio, few
miles below this city.
A freight train had just taken a
siding for the express. The passen-
ger train, however, failed to pass
over the switch and crashed into
the freight.
Switch Operator Blamed.
The wreck was due, according to
one report, to the failure of an oper-
ator to throw a switch. One official
statement says a misunderstanding of
orders was to blame. The weStbound
freight had received orders to meet
the passenger at the western limits
of the Bellaire yard and was moving
slowly along the siding. At the point
where the wreck occurred there is a
very sharp curve which prevents the
engineers of eastbound trains from
seeing more than few feet ahead.
The passenger train swung around
hours late, and should have gone on
in safety on the main line. The
switch to the siding. however, had
not been turned, and the train shot
on to the siding and into the freight
There was scarcely time to apply the
brakes and no time for the engineers
to jump.
The two big engines were reduced
to junk by the impact, but the worst
damage was done to the smoker,
which was telescoped so completely
by the baggage car that every seat
was thrown out O1 the coach. Every
occupant Of the smoker was either
killed or badly injured. The pas
sengers in the other day coach and
the two Pullmans were tumbled
! from their seats, but not seriously
injured.
Engineers Horrible Death.
Engineer Galbraith was cooked
; alive by escaping steam. The in
jured were taken to the Glendale
! CIV. Va and Bellaire hospitals
General Manager Fitzgerald, who
1Ksznthe neighborhood on an in
tour, and General Superin-
~. G. LOree, of Wheeling.
Ply sSPerintended the rescue
>Ereat difficulty was expert
a In removing the injured pas
myers from the wrecked smoker
Work was slow because every move
ment of the debris caused someone
to shrek with pain, as the victims
were entangled in mass of timbers
and twisted iron.
Opera Director Hurt.
Among the passengers on the
wrecked train were the members of
Richard Carries Spring Chicken"
Opera Company, which was to have
played at Wheeling at night. All
the members of the company escaped
] serious injury except Alfred Dolby,
j the musical director 1t was found
necessary to amputate his right arm,
thus ending his career in his pro-
; fession. He was riding in the smok-
er and was found with a heavy tim
Der tightly binding him by the arms.
Cut Of Leg To Relieve Him.
Engineer H. A. Lipscomb, on the
passenger train, underwent, one OF
the most heroic surgical operations
! in modern times. Caught beneath
! his engine, 1t was found impossible
to remove the broken iron from his
body on account of the way in which
one of his legs was entangled. Es-
Gaping steam across his face made it
impossible to administer an an8sthet-
ic. and as a result physicians am
putated the leg as he lay there con-
scious. Despite the burning steam
and the pain of the operation, he
bore 1t bravely. 1t is feared, how
ever, that the man will die.