Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1907-01-05
ANAPPALLINGWRE
THIRTY-EIGHT PEOPLE KILLED
NEAR NATIONAL CAPITAL.
And Fifty More Were Injured on Bal
timore & Ohio Railroad Near Wash
ington, D.c.-Train of Eight Empty
Passenger Coaches Crashed Into
Loaded Passenger Train.

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 4
Ohio railroad at Terra Gotta, a suburb
Of Washington. Frederick City. Md,
local train No. &C, on tn point OF
starting from the station, was run into
by a train made up of eight empty
passenger coaches. bound from the
west for Washington.
It 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 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 ac-
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 we're 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 its size prob
ably saved it from total destruction,
the principal damage to it being CON
fined to the front of the engine.
Because Of this, Engineer Hide
brand and his fireman escaped.
Hildebrand is said to have been a sub
stitute. He and his firemen were ar
rested. No forme charges have been
placed against them, pending an in
vestigation.
Coaches Reduced to Kindlinu.
The wrecked train was composed of
an engine, a smoking car and two day
coaches. The two rear coaches were
reduced to kindling wood and the rear
of the smoker was telescoped.
So great was the impact that the
local train was scattered along the
track for a considerable distance. For
tunately the wreckage did not take
fire.
Traffic was delayed by the accident
and it was after midnight before the
bodies of the dead could be brought
to the city. There was an entire alb
sence of any attempts at theft. AS
son as possible the bodies were GOV.
cred and laid aside to await the COM
ing of the trains from the city.
Nearly All Killed Outright.
From the appearance of the bodies
it is believed that nearly ALI of the