Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1907-01-04
ANAPPALLINGW WRECK
THIRTY-EIGHT PEOPLE KILLED
NEAR NATIONAL CAPITAL.
And Fifty More Were Injured on Bal.
timore G. Ohio Railroad Near Wash.
ineton, D.c.-Train Of Eight Empty
Passenger Coaches Crashed Into
Loaded Passenger Train.

Loaded passenger rain.
Washington, Jan. IAN appalling
disaster, resulting in the death of SO
persons and the injury of about so
more, occurred about $40 O'Clock
Sunday evening on the Baltimore q
Ohio railroad at Terra Gotta, a suburb
of Washington. Frederick City, Nd.
local train No. sc, on tn point Of
starting from the station, was run into
by train made :p of eight empty
passenger coaches, bound from the
west for Washington.
1t is said the engineer of the empty
train had failed to see the red signal
indicating that another train was in
the block, and plunged ahead on his
mission of death.
A dense fog and a drizzling rain pre-
vailed during the day and the night
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 tragedy occurred is down
ward and the tracks were slippery
The Frederick train, which is run on
Sundays only. is largely for the &C
commodation of those who have gone
into the suburbs on Sunday and for
the benefit of church goers who de-
sire to attend services in Washington
at night. Presumably a number OF
the latter were on the train. The
train is scheduled to reach Terra Cot
ia about 6:15 o'clock, and was about
on time when the crash came.
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 go to Terra Gotta, and many
who had relatives killed and injured
remained at the scene of the wreck
until the special train conveyed the
dead and injured to the city. An
early train that had been dispatched
to Terra Gotta brought the injured,
whose wounds had been hastily
dressed, and they were sent to vari
GUS hospitals. Three died on the way
to the city and one death occurred in /
one of the hospitals.
The engine of the rear train is said /
to be one of the largest and latest
types of passenger engines used on
the road. The fact of it's size prob
| a hl w go, ktouM
the principal damage to it being con
fined to the front of the engine.
Because of this, Engineer Hilde
brand and his fireman escaped
Hildebrand is said to have been a subj
stitute. He and his firemen were arI
rested. No formf charges have been
placed against them, pending an inI
vestigation.
Coaches Reduced to kindIing.
The wrecked train was composed Of
an engine, smoking car and two DAY.
coaches. The two rear coaches werto
reduced to kindling wood and the rear
of the smoker was telescoped.
So great was the impact that th7ft
local train was scattered along th4s
track for a considerable distance. Fo1
tunately the wreckage did not taxi
| fire. Pm
Traffic was delayed by the accidenf "a
and it was after midnight before th1 n
bodies of the dead could be breughyr
to the city. There was an entire a0EO
sence of any attempts at theft. Al be
son as possible the bodies were COZ er
cred and laid aside to await the COM 10
Ing of the trains from the city. ID
Nearly All Killed Outright. r.
From the appearance of the bodily
1t is believed that nearly all OF
victims were killed outright or di'i
within a few minutes after the ac' ar
dent. OF the dead bodies some wei
buried beneath debris, with the resi-
that they were recovered with dill
Guilty. r.
DR.. g. o. Bolt, one of the most pro "'
inent physicians of Washington, III
his sons, Edwin, aged years,
Sinclair, aged 3, were passegers 80
the train. Edwin was killed and u
father and son are missing. ~
feared they are among the list oil TO
identified dead. Ero