The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-07-06
II KILLED. 80 HURT
IN ANOTHER BAD
R. R. WRECK
Freight Crashed Into Crowded
Passenger Coach
PASSENGERS HURLED OUT
Victims Were Excursionists Return
ing from Fourth Of July Cele-
bratlon at Latrobe, Penn.

Latrobe, Penn, July 5.-SeVenteen
persons were killed and thirty injur
ed at 3:4O o'clock this afternoon when
a passenger train on the LigonieI
Valley railroad was smashed from be
hind by double-engined freight
train. Only one passenger escaped
without injury.
The accident occurred at the Fair
Grounds at Wilpen, summer resort
one and a half miles from Ligonier.
The dead are:
Ankney, John NJ, fireman, Ligoniei
Byers, George, fireman, Ligonier
Campbell. William, Wilpen.
Dillon, Mrs. Harry, and baby, VIII
pen.
Esse, Mrs, NJ, Wilpen.
Hudock, Mike, Wilpen.
McConnaughey, Frank, engineer
Ligonier.
Nun, Thomas, Latrobe.
Overton, Frank, aged 10. Wilpen.
Operton, Mrs. John, mother OF
Frank, died on train bound for Pitts
burg
Rhoddy, Louise, aged 8, of Nc
Canoe; crushed.
Rhoddy, Elizabeth, aged 13, sis
ter of Louise.
Tosh, George, Wilpen.
Two unidentified men.
Unidentified boy.
A majority of the injured were res
idents along the Wilpen branch. They
were brought to hospital here or
sent to hospitals at Pittsburg when
they were found to be in a critical
condition. Among them are: DR.. j.
b. Johnson of Ligonier who is hurt
internally and will probably die; DR..
C. A. Hamill of Ligonier. Miss Els
Their NJ. Mathews, nurse, employed
at the home of George SENT of Liz
onier, president of the Ligonier Val
ley railroad. and Walter Serena of
Mex eesport, clerk in bank at that
place, who is in a precarious condit-
ion.
The injuries of the others were all
severe, consisting Of broken legs and
arms and Commissions.
The train was well crowded. every
seat being occupied with persons re-
turning from a Fourth of July holi-
day 1t had started from Ligonier
and consisted of an engine and coach,
the engine pushing the coach. The
freight train was made up of many
coal cars and was being pulled by
two heavy locomotives.
The impact was terrific. The pas
senger coach was practically laid
open and the passengers either crush
ed or thrown through the air on to
the roadbed.
The coach was ripped to pieces.
Some of the occupants fell in the
path of the onrushing engines, while
others were imbedded, partly in the
cinders and crushed stones aside the
rails. The first engine of the freight
train stopped soon after tearing
through the passenger train. turned
half way around, and fell over on
its side.
Engineer McConnaughy was scald-
ed to death, while his fireman, George
Myers, jumped, only to fall on the
track and meet death under the
wheels. Engineer Smith p. Beatty
of the second engine jumped, break
ing his leg His fireman, John Ank'
ney, fell beneath a car. His legs
were severed and he died en- route
to a hospital. Engineer Dunlap of
the passenger train. and his fireman,
remained at their posts and escaped
with slight injuries.
A pathetic feature of the wreck
was the injury of Miss Esther NJ
Mathews, a nurse, and the death OF
two and the injury of four children
, she was taking to the woods. near
Nilpen, for an afternoons outing.