The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-01-03
Wrought in Frightfu| Wreck
Near Washington.
THIRTY-EIGHT ARE DEAD
While Sixty Are on List Of Injured,
Trains Crashed in Dense Fog.
Heartrending Scenes
Enacted.

day night at 7 o'clock on the Balti.
more and Ohio railroad at Terra
Gotta, about three miles from Wash
ington, in which 1hirty-eignt per-
sons were killed and over sixty ia
jrred, some of them so seriously that
they will die.
The accident was caused by the col
lision of train No. 6G, due in Wash
ington at 6:25 D. NJ, from Frederick,
Nd, known as the Frederick special,
with a dead-head passenger equip
ment special of eight cars. Over 200
passengers were aboard the ill-iated
train.
The railway officials are unable to
assign any cause for the collision.
AS soon as chc news of the wreck
reached the city ri ainbulances avail
able, with as many physicians as
could be assembled, we're sent to the
scene.
OF the injured seven were taken
to Freedman's hospital, fifteen 10 the
United States Soldiers Home hospital
and twenty were brought into the city
On a special train to be carried to
the various hospitals.
FRANK P. BodlitZ, a newspaper man
of Frederick, Nd, who vas slightly
injured, in describing LIS experience,
said:
Il was in the car next to the smok-
er, talking with a gentleman and his
wife from Detroit, Mich. We were all
standing up, the car beiIg crowded.
Suddenly we heard an awful noise and
then crash. Women began scream.
ing and the next thing knew4 found
myself rolling down an emtanl;ment,
where some Ole picked me up and
l found I was not badly nurt. 1t is
impossible to describe the scene.
Women and children were running
about crying for their parents, and
mothers and fathers were rushing
around trying 10 ind their children.
The dead and injured were strewn
along the track for distance OF
nile."
The dead bodies were iou1d lying
beside the track for a considerable
distance. The wreck occurred a. G:39
p. m. A deGse fog was prevailing and
made objects perceptible but a: few
feet ahead. It was impossible 1T first
to determine the exact extent Of the
catastrophe.
The ill-fateI train runs only on Sun
day for the benefit of Washington
ians who either have country places
or the line or go to visit relatives.
It leaves Frederick at 4 o'clock in
the afternoon and is scheduled to
reach Washington at 6:25 O'clock.
C. w. Galloway, superintendent OF
transportation Of the Baltimore and
Ohio, stated that 1t was impossible yet
to determine the cause of The wreck.
He said:
Eve have on this division the most
modern block system. Just what oc-
CURED We are unable at tlIs hour to
say. Because CT the confusion incl
dent to the collision, Of caring 1or the
dead and injured, we have been unable
to consider the proper causes. We
have not yet interrogated the opera
tors and until we do so we cannot
be certain what the situation was"
It is stated that the danger signal
at Takoma Park, a short distance
from the scene of the accident, was
set when the train Of empties passed.
The train was going at the rate OF
sixty miles an hour, and Engineer
Hildebrand stated that on account OF
the heavy fog he could not see the
signal. His train ran into the Fred
erick train just as it was pulling out
of Terra Gotta, where It had stopped
to take On four or five passengers.