Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-03-01
NOT ONE ESCAPES
IN WRECK OF FLYER
EVERY PASSENGER INJURED WHEN
Pennsylvania 1e-HOUR SPE-
CIAL SLIDES INTO RIVER.
PROMINENT CHiCAG0ANS HURT
Only One Man Will Die of Wounds
Rest of Fifty-four Victims
to Survive.

four passengers and a train crew of
about It dozen were injured III the wreck
of the Pennsylvania Special, the fast 49,
hour train on the Pennsylvania railway
between New York and Chicago, which
occurred at Il sharp curve at Black Dia-
mond, Pa, seven miles east Of Johns
town. shortly after midnight. No one
was killed and all the passengers have
been accounted for.
The engine and combination smoking
car remained on the rails, but the three
PullmanS plunged over slNtY-toot EN-
bankment into the Conemaugh river.
/ Fortunately the cars were not sub
| merged.
Only One Fatally Hurt.
\ scene of wild confusion resulted.
Ali the passengers were IN their berths
and were throwl promiscuously around
the cars.
All the passengers on the train We're
| inju- ed more or less. but with the eNcep-
ton of John z. Kline of Chicago it is
said none Of the injuries will prove
fatal.
Exact Cause Unknown.
The train was running fifty minutes
late and was trying to make up lost
time. Nobody seems to know what really
caused the accident, but it is said it was
caused by the springing of bolt con-
meeting one of the rails to the steel tie.
The injured were taken to hospitals at
Altoona, Greensburg and this city. A
majority of them, however, proceeded
west on q special train.
Many Prominent Passengers.
The train was the finest on the Penn
sylvania railway and many prominent
passengers were aboard when the wreck
occurred.
Among these were I. \. Busse post
master of Chicago, Samuel Z. Nixon of
Nixon and Zimmerman, theatrical pro-
prietOrs, NJ. A. Singer. formerly of Mil
waukee, manager La Sale theater. Chi
cago; Lightner Henderson. q civil en-
gineer, George S. Wood, manager Co
lonial theater, Chicago, and ]. ]. Kern,
former states attorney of Chicago.
Entire Fifty-four Located.
Excluding the train crew, there were
ffty-fCur persons on the tram.
A statement was issued by the rail-
way officials. here to the effect that ev-
CrybOdy on the train was injured. The
names of five passengers We're missing
from the list. According to the officials.
however, these i've have continued on
their way west.
Busse Slightly Injured.
Over thirty of the injured passengers
who arrived here on the st. Louis ex-
press were sent III special train. There
are four persons here seriously but not
fatally injured. They are j. Wood Will
son, Marion, Ind; W. Il. Baker, Chi
cago; Thomas Barr, Lafayette, Ind,
and A. r. Urion, Chicago, chief counsel
for Armour Il Co. The three first named
are at the Allegheny General hospital
and Urion is at the Hotel Henry.
Early reports concerning the injuries
of Postmaster BusSe, Chicago, Samuel
= Nixon, Philadelphia and Felix Ismau,
Philadelphia, who are in the Altot ~ hos
pital, were exaggerated.
Train Late; Speed High.
The train was running west about fifty
miles an hour to make up time, being
thirty-tive minutes late. When round
in Il sharp curve at Black Diamond the
whole train sWayed. The engine and
smoking car remained on the tracks, but
the Pullman coaches left the rails and
plunged over Il 6O-foot embankment.
Early this morning Johnstown, Pa,
was practically besieged by newspa-
per men on their way to the wreck.
Trains were few and to reach the scene
it was necessary to take a ten-mile jour
ney of four or more hours around the
mountains.
Accident Was Unavoidable.
The wreck was caused by what is
termed by railway men as an unayoid-
able accident. The brake rigging on the
first Pullman following the combination
coach on the train dropped down and
tore up the right rail for a distance of
300 yards. The engine and combination
coach did not leave the rails. but the
four Pullmans following ploughed down
over the embankment to the river bank
100 feet below, overturning when they
reached the bottom.
The Eighteen hour train" travels at
high rate of speed, coming down the
mountain. When the brake rigging fell
it either stripped the heads off the bolts
holding the rails to the ties or tore up
the rails themselves.
Cars Slide Down Embankment.
Every rail for the distance mentioned
was torn up, however. The four Pull
man coaches tore down over the bank.
The speed at which the train was travel
ing when it left the rails was terrific.
There is curve about where the first
rail was loosened. The cars did not
overturn going down the steep hill.
There were no trees or Instructions III
the way to hinder them and they re-
manned upright until they reached the
bottom. The first car overturned and
slid along on its side for quite distance.
The second car did likewise The third
car turned over completely and had its
top crushed in. The fourth car is on
its side. Most of the passengers on the
train were in their berths when the cars
left the tracks.
Relief Hurried to Scene.
The telegraph tines were torn down
when the train left the track and COM
with railway headquarters
was delayed for rearly an hour. As
soon as possible, Supt. Long of the
Pittsburg division sent relief train
from JOhnstown to the scene OF the &C
cident. carrying physicians and sup
plies.
The Chicago and New York special.
eastbound, arrived on the scene soon
after the accident occurred and the crew
and passengers turned out and gave
their hearty attention to caring for the
injured. Some of the more seriously in
iured were brought t. this city and
taken to the Altoona hospital. A few
were taken to the Memorial hospital,
Johnstown. but the greater number,
whose injuries were slight, continued
their journey westward on special
train. made up and sent out OF Pittsburg
to take the place of the wrecked train.
Water Fortunately Shallow.
The flyer was composed of the combi-
nation parIor car "KokomO.' sleeping
cars "Cresheim' and "Whitford" and
the observation car ''Wanatah.'
When the train left the rails. instead
Of falling over, the cars slipped down the
RUSSIA UNDERBIDs AMERICA.