The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1907-01-03
50 DEAD 50 HURT
An Appalling Disaster Occurred on the
Baltimore and Ohio, at Terra
Gotta, Near Washington.
LOADED COACHES SMASHED
An Engine and Eight Empty Passen.
ger Cars Going 60 Miles An
Hour Crashed Into Rear of
Crowded Train.

Crowded Train.
Washington, Dec. 31.-An appalling
disaster, resulting in the death, as
far as could be learned at midnight
Of 38 persons and the injury Of abont
50 more occurred about $40 O'clock
Sunday night on the Baltimore e
Ohio railroad at Terra Gotta a SUI
burb of Washington. Frederick City,
Nd, local train No. &C, on the point
Of starting from the station, was run
into by train made up OF eight
empty passenger coaches, bound from
the West for Washington.
It Is said that 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.
No railroad accident within great
many years, in the district of Colum-
bia, has approached It in ragrYi-
tude. A dense fog and a irizzling
! rain prevailed during the day and the
night and the inability Of the engi-
neer Of the rear train to see the sig.
nal 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 desire
to attend services in Washington at
night, Presumably, a number of the
latter were on the train
More than 200 passengers were
aboard the illfated train. The rail-
way officials late Sunday night were
unable to assign any cause for the
collision. AS soon as the news of the
wreck reached this city, all ambu-
lances available with as many physi-
clans as could be assembled were
sent to the scene.
District Attorney Baker, who was
injured and who walked a mile and
quarter to drug store, in describing
his experience to representative Of
the Associated Press said:
81 was in the second car from the
end and coming from my home in
Germantown. | was four seats from
the end of the car and just as the
train left Terra Gotta station the crash
came. We were carried in the wreck
age for some distance. | do not know
how I got out of the wreckage.'
Shortly before midnight a hospital
train that had been sent from Wash
ington arrived at the scene of the
wreck and the work of taking on the
injured and the bodies of the dead
was begun. The unidentified dead
will be taken to the morgue,
Wullc Tic DOulCo vi thOoS WIN nave
been identified will be conveyed to
their late homes.
1t has been proved that the danger |
signal at Takoma Park, short dis
lance from the scene of the accident |
was set when the train of empties
passed The train was running sixty |
miles an hour and Engineer Hide
brandt stated that on account of the
heavy fog he could not see the signal
The train ran into the Frederick train
Just as 1t was pulling out Of Terra
Gotta, where it had stopped to take
on four or five passengers, two of
whom were among the killed. Both
engineer Hildebrant and the fireman
On the train of empty freight cars
were placed under arrest and brought
% Washington.
About 300 workmen are engaged in
clearing the wreckage. All traffic
If the division has been stopped. |
rTduh L. DOullIh, newspaper HAL |
# Frederick, Md, who was slightly in
ured, said:
'T was in the car next to the
moker with a gentleman and his
wife from Detroit, Mich. We were all
tanding up the car being crowded.
we heard an awful noise and
hen a crash. Women began scream.
ng and the next thing I knew I found
myself rolling down an embankment
yhere someone picked me up and
ound that was not badly hurt. 1t was
impossible to describe the scene. Wo-
1en and children were shrieking and
rowned the groans of the dying.
,hildren were running about crying
Or their parents and mothers and IA
hers were rushing around trying to
Ind their children. The dc:d and in
ired were strews along the track for
mile"
Found $500 in kindling.
Wichita, Kan, Dec. 27.--Ben Ban