The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1912-08-06

allied With Pis iron. coupled behind
the box car
sesieee 20 Death
Archie Gibson. baEEAeeman on the
Passenger. sad one OF the most popa-
lar veterans In the service Of the 3.
a q. met hts death In a fashion no,s-
Ing short OF remarkable Aocordins
20 the story told b. members Of the
crews. Gibson was unhurt when The
mail car piled up IN a mass Of spiii,-
tered wreckage twenty feet above Al.
passenger engine tender. but in At
tempting 10 crawl out OF his pre-
oarious Iosiiiou lie Was ca.Ight in n
cloud OF hot. Kissing steam from the
bursted boiler and scalded 80 paddy
that death was a matter OF only a ,ex
hours.
Mrs. Margaret Patterson. OF Coon
Island. near West Alexander. WAS an
eye witness to the wreck. Mrs. Pat.
terson was riding horseback along the
National pike. two hundred feet above
the curve at the time. and was horri-
fed upon looking down TO see the two
trains speeding toward each other. less
than hve hundred yards apart. with
the sharp curve around the hill cut
N--N Oh th'AA VIC" vi Out duOlntTs ClC
waived her arms and screamed frant-
ically at the crew OF the onrushing
passenger train but the signal passed
unnoticed. One moment later came
the crash. Not waiting to note the
result Mrs. Paterson turned her
horse in the direction of Claysyille
"H' hse Paul Revere in Revolution
airy days, rode like mad for Claysville
aNHar
ming sobbed out I'm a torrent OF tears.
that first acquainted the Claysville
officials with the catastrophe. Within
fifteen minutes every doctor in the
community was on the scene. include
ing DR.. j. VI. Sprouts. DR. c. &. Cracraft.
DIR. +. L. Knox. DR. r L. Johnson and
Or. George Calder. attending TO the
injuries of the wounded. In the
meantime the engines from two
freights. lying on the siding at Clays-
vile. were hurried 70 the scene and
the injured were placed in the cab
doses and rushed to Washington,
where they were taken 20 a Washing
ton city hospital for treatment. Glib
son. the baggage master. died shortly
after arriving at the hospital
Special trains were made up and
Sao'Ae4tiAtA NiAt idHHtuEtTN 10 W ASH
ington and 10 Wheeling. The wreck
trains from Pittsburgh and Benwood
arrived later and began the work OF
clearing the single track in order that
traffic might be resumed. The work
was delayed. however. while Yer
berger's body was being removed from
the wreckage. which required several
hours. II appeared late last night
that IL would be early morning before
the track would be open again.
Though the officials OF the road
positively refuse 10 discuss the ques-
ton OF responsibility. II is believed
that the burden
Rests Upon the Operator
at West Alexander II is said that
the freight was To have been side
tracked at West Alexander TO allow
the fast train 10 pass. However. the
freight passed West Alexander nj
3:li without being tagged. and though
the passenger was due 10 leave Claws
vile. six miles distant. only seven
minutes later. the freight crew. evil
IDENTIFY thinking the passenger was
late. proceeded mp the track az a rapid
rate. Ten minutes later the +nisstep
had spelled death for two In one OF
the most spectacular wrecks the PITTS
burSh division has ever experienced.