Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-01-08
TRAINS CRASH IN FOG.
FATAL COLLISION ON 3. & o.
NEAR WASHINGTON.
Thirty-Eight Persons Are Killed and
Fifty lnjured-Three Coaches de-
About Like Chan.

About Like Chaff.
Thirty eight people were killed and
at least fifty injured at O'Clock Sun
day evening in rear-end collision at
Terra Gotta, small way station on
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, about
three miles from Washington, d. c.
While the Frederick local. crowded
with Sunday passengers, was standing
on the track at the way station a heavy
train made up of eighty passenger
coaches crashed into it at terrific speed.
Three coaches of the local were split
asunder like kindling wood and the
mangled bodies of the passengers were
thrown in all directions Over 200 per-
sons were on board the Inflated train.
Trains Crash in Fog.
At the time of the catastrophe the
fog was so thick that objects could
scarcely be seen a dozen PAGES away.
The crash, therefore, came without a
seconds warning.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is
equipped with the most perfect block
system of signals known to the railway
world Engineer Hildebrandt of the
empty train, it is said, failed to see the
red signal at Tacoma Park. indicating
that another train was on the block,
and plunged ahead on his mission Of
death. He was running at the rate of
sixty miles an hour.
The Frederick local, upon which the
victims rode is train run on Sunday
only and is patronized exclusively by
Washington people who have homes in
friends outside the city with whom they
spend the Sabbath.
Many acts of devotion were perform
ed by the survivors in the first few
agonizing minutes following the crash.
Those of the passengers who were able.
as soon as they recovered from their
bewilderment. set about giving succor
to the injured. IS there are only two
or three houses at Terra Gotta, not
much outside aid could be given at
first.
Walks with Heel Cut on.
One of the most heroic acts was per-
formed by United States District At
torney d. w. Baker, who, despite the
fact that his heel had been cut off,
walked three-quarters of mile to
Brookland and gave the alarm. A
RELIEF train with nurses and surgeons
was immediately sent from Washing
ton. TIE injured were taken to Wash
ington IS soon as they could be taken
out of the wreck.
At first it was reported that Senator
Redfield Proctor of Vermont was
among those killed in the wreck. Sen
ator Proctor was not on the train.
The dead bodies We're found lying
beside the track for a considerable dis
lance The wreck occurred at $50
D. m. A dense fog was prevailing and
made objects perceptible but few feet
ahead.
Those passengers in the forward
coach who were but slightly bruised
heard the groans of the dying and
wounded and did what they could to
give aid. A number of the passengers
started to walk to Brookland, three
fourths of mile away
Accident AppaIs Capital.
Nothing since the Ford Theater dis
aster, which occurred about fifteen
years ago. when large number of
government clerks were killed by the
collapse of a portion of the building,
has produced such a shock as this dis
aster. No railroad accident within a
great many years in the District of
Columbia has approached its magni-
tude.
A dense fog and a drizzling rain pre-
vailed throughout the day and tonight,
and to the inability of the engineer of
the rear train to see the signal showing
that another train was in the block is
attributed the cause of the accident
The grade at the place where the trag-
edy occurred is downward and the
tracks were slippery.
At first, owing to the impenetrable
fog it was impossible to determine the
extent of the disaster and early rumors
placed the number of killed at higher
figures than those which proved later
to be accurate. When the news reached
washington people began TO journey
toward Terra Gotta, and many who
had relatives who had been killed or
injured remained at the scene of the
wreck until the special train conveyed
the dead and injured to the city.