The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1912-08-09
HEAD-ON COLLISION.
BLUE MOUNTAIN EXPRESS RUN into
by LIGHT ENGINE 796.
Nine Persons We're Hurt. 0. Rine-
holt, Engineer Of Express, is
Seriously Injured.

OGllUuOIJ Albul6u'
Carrying more than 100 passengers,
the Blue Mountain Express of the
Western Maryland Railway, while
running 80 miles an hour on the way
to Baltimore from HagerstOwn, crash
ed into pusher engine 736, westbound,
on a single track near Chewsville,
Washington county, at 6.34 o'clock
Saturday morning.
Five passengers and nine railroad
men received injuries.
All the injured passengers live in
Hagerstown, while several of the rail-
road men reside i'm Baltimore. The
passengers hurt were
Mrs. w. J. Bemisderfer, cut about
the head.
Mrs. M. B. Dumford. wife of the
chief train dispatcher OF the Western
Maryland; nose cut and bruised about
the body.
Mrs. P. c. Gardner, cut about mouth
and head.
w. H. Bryson, cut about head.
Mrs Edith Roland, cut about nose
A majority Of the railroad men
injured live in Hagerstown and were
taken to their homes as soon as pos
sible The Baltimore men injured
were
E. O. Rineholt, 913 East Chase
street, engineer on the express; cut
about the head and scalded on both
legs. Taken to HagerstOwn Hospital.
NJ E. Brooks, Is North Bentalou
street, fireman on the express; in
jured about hip and head cut. Taken
to his boarding house in Hagerstown.
L. J. Lightner, baggage master on
the express; injured about chest and
hips.
George Hardesty, 933 north Patter-
son Park avenue, conductor on eX-
press; cut about head.
8. z. Hammerslea, OF Hagerstown,
engineer on the pusher was thrown
from the cab and bruised about the
body. He is a cousin OF Detective
Harry M. Hammerslea, Of Baltimore.
The Blue Mountain Express drawn
by Engine 156, left Hagerstown about
6.15 O'Clock. After picking up pas
sengers at Chewsville, the engine
steamed iahead at a rapid rate. About
800 yards east Of Chewsville is a
curve, with trees growing near the
mile clip, Engineer Rineholt was as
tonished to see engine 736 bearing
down on him.
Rineholt stuck to his post, and,
while he probably save the lives of
scores, he was painfully injured. He
threw on the emergency brakes, and as
he did SO the whistle blasts of the
two engines screeched their warnings
in ip hro a1o
so suddenly on the train that some
passengers were pitched forward
over their seats, while others fell on
the floor.
Engineer Hammerslea, OF the noun
tain engine, likewise threw on his
brakes, but a few seconds later the
two big locomotives came together
with a crash that was heard for a
considerable distance. Both engines
left the rails, while steam spouted
from broken pipes.
The impact threw Hammerslea and
his fireman from their cab. Engineer
Rineholt and Fireman Brooks, Of the
express we're thrown from their cab
also, the engineer being caught under
tons of coal from the tender.
For a while the other railroad men
forgot their injuries and went to the
aid of the engine crews. Baggage
Master Lightner, who was in the bag
gage car, narrowly escaped being
crushed to death. He was thrown
from one end Of the car to the other,
but managed to escape before the car
was splintered. The engine, tender
and baggage car of the express left
the rails, but the passenger cars re-
mained on the track.
Much excitement prevailed among
the passengers, none OF whom was
seriously injured.
A few minutes after the accident
DR.. ]. Mop. Scott, Mayor of Hagers-
town and chief physician of the West
ern Maryland, was notified and hur-
ried to the scene In an automobile
with a corps of surgeons. Engineer
Rineholt was taken to the Hagers-
town Hospital in an ambulance.
The second accident of the day In
which the Blue Mountain Express
passengers were concerned occurred
about noon near Mount Hope Station.
Train No. 1, with engine 154, which
reached the wreck at Chewsville took
on board the express trains passen-
gers and started with them back to
BalC1mOre.
As it was on it's way and a short
distance above Mount Hope the for
ward trucks of the tender left the
track. The train was moving at a
good speed and the derailed tender,
dragged along for couple Of hum
dred yards before the train stopped
tore up the roadbed On both sides Of
the track.
The frightened passengers got their
second shaking up OF the day and
lost no time in getting from the train
when, after a long series OF bumps
and jolts and jars, the disabled string
OF cars came to a standstill.
a large number of the occupants
OF the three coaches walked down the
tracks to Mount Hope and across to
Park Heights avenue, where they
completed their journey to Baltimore
by trolley.