The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1912-07-11
q DIE IN SMAsHUP
PASSENGER COACH SMASHED BY
DOUBLE HEADER FREIGHT
IN PENNSYLVANIA.
BUT ONE G INJURY,
Large Number Of Injured Are Be-
lleved Likely to Succumb--No
Connected Story of Wreck
Obtainable.


Latrobe, Pennsylvania-Twenty-one
persons were killed and 80 injured, a
senger train on the Ligonier Valley
railroad was smashed from behind by
a double header freight train. Only
one passenger escaped without in
jury.
The accident occurred at the fair
grounds at Wilpen, n and a half
miles from Ligonier, a summer resort.
The passenger train had started
from Ligonier. 1t consisted OF an
engine and coach, the engine push
ing the coach. The freight train was
made up of many coal cars and was
being pulled by two heavy locomo-
tives.
The impact was terrific. The pas
senger coach "a practically laid
open and the passengers either crush
ed or thrown through the air.
1t was the first fatal accident, it is
said, in the history of the Ligonier
road for 40 years.
All the occupants Of the coach were
hurled to the roadbed. Some fell in
the path Of the onrushing engines,
while others were partly imbedded in
the cinders and crushed stones beside
the rails. The first engine Of the
freight train stopped soon after tear
ing through the passenger train, turn
ed half way around, and fell over on
it's side. Engineer McConaughey
was scalded to death, while his fire.
man, George Byers, jumped, only 20
fall on the track ard meet death In
der the wheels.
Engineer Smith P. Beatty of the Sec
ond engine, jumped and sustained a
broken leg. His fireman, John Ank-
ney, fell beneath a car. His legs were
severed and he died enroute to a hos
pital. Engineer Dunlap of the passen-
ger 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. Matthews
a nurse, and the death of. two and
the injury of four children she was
taking to the woods near Wilpen for
an afternoons outing.
Farmers near the scene of tho acct
dent and workmen employed at q race
track in the vicinity were at the
wreck within a few minutes. Mes.
sengers were started at once to Lyon.
Ter, while the others, assisted by En-.
gineer Dunlap and his fireman, were
busy getting the dead and injured
clear Of the wreckage. An hour and
a half after the accident physicians,
nurses and railroad officials had reach.
ed the accident. From that time on
the work Of rescue and tending to
the suffering was affective.
The Pennsylvania railroad, of which
the Ligonier is a branch. sent a spe-
cial train from Pittsburg to Latrobe
to take some of the injured from the
overtazed hospitals here to Pittsburg.
The action was timely as the facilities
here were exhausted.
When the first rescue train reach.
ed here from the accident practical
ly the entire town met it. Every con.
veyance was ready to haul the in.
jured to the hospital.
To obtain a connected story from
any of the victims was next to i'm.
possible at a late hour. But one per
son on the train escaped without in.
jury. He was a railroad employee and
was too busy to talk.
Casualties In Wreck All of Penn.
Mrs. Harry Dillon and baby Of viii
pen, crushed to death; William Cam
bell. Wilpen; Frank McConnaughey o.
Ligonier, engineer, scalded to death;
George Byers, Ligonier. fireman
crushed and scalded; Louise Rhoddy
aged 8, McCane. crushed: Elizabeth
Rhoddy, aged 13, a sister; John M
Ankeny, Ligonier, fireman, died OF
way to hospital; Mr.. NJ Ess, Wiipen
Thomas MUIR, Latrobe, head crushed
George Tosh. Wilpen, body smashed
Mike Hudock, Wilpen, side crushed
Frank Overton, aged 10, Wilpen. mu
tilated; Mrs. John Overton, mother o
Frank, died on train bound for Pitts
burg; George w. Hubley. Pittsbure
body crushed; Matthew Niepont. Pitts
burg, crushed; Mary Hoddy, Ligor
Ter; Frank E. Beatty. engineer. hea'
crushed.