Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1907-01-03


one persons were killed and three score
injured in a rear-end collision on the
Metropolitan branch of the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad, about four miles from
Washington, at 6:28 o'clock last night.
Most of the killed and injured were res
idents of Washington and the suburbs.
The collision occurred at Terra Gotta
station, about mile and quarter from
Brookland.
The accident was the most appalling
in the history of Washington. For a
quarter of a mile along the track the
bodies of dead and injured men, women
and children were strewn. The wreck
ed train was No. &c, local carrying
passengers from Frederick, Md, and
other points to Washington. 1t was
made up of three coaches and an engine.
All of the coaches were crowded, many
persons standing in the aisles. That
any of them escaped is almost a mir
acle.
ENTIRE TRAIN TELESCoPED.
Train No. &c had just started to pull
out of Terra Gotta station when train
Of six empty passenger coaches, drawn
by a monster engine, running at full
speed, crashed into it. The engine
plowed through the local, scattering
death and injury on every hand. The
entire local train was completely tele-
scoped.
The scene after the accident was ter
rible. Bodies were hurled on every
side. A heavy fog hung over the scene,
making it difficult to see far. The
many acts of heroism and self-sacrifce
that were performed will never be
known, Mothers were robbed of their
children, husbands lost wives, and wives
husbands. Parents died before the eyes
of their children, and saw their little
ones mangled beyong recognition.
There was little of the wrecked train
left. The monster engine had done it's
work of death and destruction thorough
ly. On either side of the track were
great piles of debris, and buried in it
were men, women and children. A
quarter of a mile from where the COL
lision took place the last vestige of the
wreckage was found. 1t was a high
pile of debris, and buried far under it
were the bodies of two women and a
child. A neatly gloved hand protruded
from the debris.
CAME WITH AWFUL suDDENNEss.
The dead probably never knew what
occurred. There was absolutely no
warning. Crowds of men and women
and little children were chatting, with
no thought of danger. The crash came
in the twinkling of an eye. Some were
killed instantly; others fingered for
several minutes after they were taken
from the wreck. All that was possible
was done for them by willing hands.
1t was only few moments after the
collision that the residents of Terra
Gotta, sparsely settled village, were
made aware of the disaster, and quick
ly all the relief possible was at hand.
Fully three-quarters Of an hour elapsed,
however, before physicians were on
hand to relieve the injured. They were
hurried to the scene from the nearby
villages, and many were sent from
Washington. A wrecking train was
sent out from Washington within few
moments after the news reached the
city; another went from Brunswick,
and still another was sent from Balti-
more.
Many deeds of heroism were perform.
ed as the injured lay moaning from
pain. Rev. Father A. M. Mark, of st.
Anthony's church, hurried to the scene,
and was in time to administer the last
rites to many Of the dying. He work
ed heroically and his words of comfort
cheered many poor souls. The workers
lab red under great difficulties, fol
many OF the injured were wedged be
meath the wreckage, and numbers o.
them died before they could be rescued
The groans of the dying were heart
rending.
TwENTY-THREE DEAD IN ONE SPOT.
Before the wrecking trains reaches
the scene scores had been carried from
under the debris and taken to surround
ing houses or sent to the nearby hospi
tails in wagons pressed into service.
All the police reserves of the cit,
were hurried to the scene as quickly a