The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-07-10
FEARFUL WRECK
WREN TRAINS CRASH

Corning, n. Y, July 4.-Westbound
Lackawanna passenger train, No. g.
from New York. due to arrive at Cor
ming at i.47 A. NJ, composed of two
engines, baggage car, three Pullmans
and two day coaches, in the order
named, was demolished at Gibson.
three miles east of Corning, at 5.25
o'clock this morning by express train
No. IL, due at Corning at $40 A. NJ.
Forty-one persons were killed and be-
tween fifty. and sixty injured.
Many of the victims were holiday
excursionists bound to Niagara Falls,
who had boarded the trains at points
along the line.
Roads Worst Wreck.
The wreck was the worst in the his
tory of the road. It's cause, according
to Engineer Schroeder, of the express.
was his failure to see signals set
against his train. The morning was
foggy and he said he could not make
them out.
The wrecked train stood on the main
track blocked by crippled freight
train. There was no flag out, accord
ing to Engineer Schroeder. The sig
nails which Engineer Schroeder declar-
ed 1T was too foggy to see were just
around a curve. The flying express
plunged past them and crashed into
the rear of No. 8 bringing death to over
two-score Of it's passengers.
Making Up. Lost Time.
Schroeder had taken No.. IL, at Ell
bura, 10 minutes before. 1t was "a few
minutes late. The stretch of track from
Elmira to Corning. is fitted for fast
running and he was sending his train
along at Go miles IAN hour No. was
supposed to be half an hour ahead of
him. He had no warning until he
made out the rear. coach of No. 9
through the fog. Then he threw the
reverse without shutting off steam.
The jerk threw the train off the
track and the locomotive plunged on
to splinter the two day coaches filled
with eNcursionists and tore through
the last of the Pulmans. Schroeder said
the impact threw him from the cab
and landed him on his shoulder on the
roadbed practically unhurt.
The 100-ton monster continued its
plunge through the Iaiddle of the train
grinding everything in it's path. When
finally blocked by the debris, 1t re-
mained on the roadbed in the midst of
the desolation it had caused, while
hundreds Of persons rushed in every
kind of vehicle to lift and pry the dead
and injured from the tangled mass of
wreckage
Taking advantage of the holiday ex-
cursion rates to Buffalo and Niagara
Falls, many eXcursionists had boarded
No. at all points from Hoboken, in
cluding Scranton, Binghamton and Ell
mira. There were also many passen-
gers for the West. BY the time rIlmira
was reached the train carried so many
passengers that a second engine was
attached long before extra freight
train No. 61, bound from Buffalo, had
pulled out of Elmira.
Dead" Engine Blocks Track.
When the heavy grade at Gibson was
reached, a drawhead was pulled out
and No. 81 was crippled. Signals which
she put out stopped No .. The first
loI nd
freight into siding to allow No. 8,
to push the dead" engine of the
and No. IL, which was due in 20 or 80
minutes, to pass. The work was slow,
and during the wait many passengers
from the day coaches got out.
Meanwhile the signals had been
thrown against No. II. These failed
to stop the express and the crash fol-
lowed.
Rescuers were quickly on the scene.
In what seemed an incredibly short
time, hundreds of automobiles had
lined the highway which led to the
wreck and the work of getting the in
jured to the hospitals and the dead to
the morgues was impeded by the block
ing of the road.
Scenes OF Horror.
At the Corning Hospital, which has
accommodation for only forty pa
tients, some of the injured had to lay
upon the floors until physicians could
give them attention. Those who Wis
tied the scene of the wreck. before the
hospital forces had time to finish the
work of removal, witnessed many
scenes of horror.
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