The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-02-01

when passenger train No. ,, running
at high speed. crashed into the sta
tiOnary coaches.
The pilot OF the oncoming locomo-
tive plowed for twenty feet through
the vestibuled private car, Instantly
killing every person in that part of
the coach without a seconds warn
ing
Mr.. Harahan's body was tossed
through u hole In the roof OF the
car and he was dead when picked
Up about dozen feet from the
Wrcckage.
His body was fearfuIIy cut and
bruised and many bones were
| broken. Within a few feet OF Har-
ahan's body lay the lfeless re-
mains OF Pierce. The bodies of
Melcber and Wright were found
partially pinioned beneath the de-
bris of the wrecked car.
Railroad men began tearing away
the wreckage in the hope that a spark
of life fingered in the bodies beneath
the twisted steel and beams, but life
was extinct in both when they were
recovered.
Many Passengers Injured.
The front end of the Harahan car
was telescoped into the coach ahead
and twenty-five passengers, asleep in
their berths, were injured.
The fireman of train No. leaped
when he was within fifty feet of the
standing train.
A wrecking train was sent out from
Centralia, twenty minutes after the
tragedy. bearing doctors and nurses.
The bodies of the dead were
placed in the baggage car OF
train bound for Chicago that left
here at O'Clock. A temporary
hospital was erected i'm an open
field beside the railroad track
and the injured were treated
there by the surgeons who ar
rived ON the hospital train. A
number or emergency operations
were performed by the pickering
light of lanterns furnished by
railroad hands. The boiler of the
locomotive of No. 3 was pune
tured and clouds of scaIding
steam burst out endangering the
rcscuerS who were ploughing into
the debris.
From beneath the broken
coaches screams of pain came
from the passengers pinned under
the wreckage.
Volunteer crews, armed with crow
bars and railroad ties, made into bat
tering rams, worked frantically.
As each newly discovered victim
was removed the crowd, which had
loud cheer and the rescue work was
renewed with redoubled energy.
A number of women were asleep in
the Pullman coaches ahead of the
Harahan private car.
Three women were found pinioned !
beneath the broken remnants OF the |
rear vestibule.
They were removed from the /
wreckage uninjured. although they
had a narrow escape.
The cold weather caused keen suf- |
fering among the scantily clad sur
vivors, who huddled alongside of the |
tracks. and among the wounded. who |
were carried on improvised stretchers
Harahan was one of the best known |
railroad men OF the country He be-
gan his career as a freight clerk i'm /
the offices OF the old Boston and !
Providence Railroad in Boston.
Born January u. 1S43. in Lowell |
Mass, he entered the public schools |
there and began his railroad work at \
the age OF seventeen.
Four other persons in the private /
car. Thomas Busby. attorney of the 4
Rock Island. At Little Rock. Ark; /
Byron Curry. secretary TO Vice Presi-
dent Melcher. and two negro porters. /
Francis and Hubert. were severely in
jured. Robert stuart. engineer on |
the second train, was severely hurt /
and may die.
several passengers were hurt ON /
No. 3. the Panama Limited. Most Of 1
them were in their berths.
Twenty-Five were taken from the I
wreckagc. but none Of them was ia 4
tally injured.
Some OF the injured were taken TO
a hospital i'm Centralia. Others were /
cared for in homes i'm Kinmundy.