The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1912-12-13
PASSENGER TRAIN and FREIGHT MEET
HEAD-ON AIT Pen MAR STATION.
Failure to Deliver Orders to Pass
enqer Train Caused Wreck
Cars Piled High On Track.
FIVE KILLED---ENGINEER JACOB II.
THOMSON AND 0CAR BIXLER, BOTH
OF THIS CITY WERE AMONG The
INJURED.

land history took place at Waynes-.
boro, Pa, Monday for the cause OF
the head-on collision at Pen-Mar
Station Friday night, which resulted
in the death of five men and the in
jury of six, practically demolished
two locomotives, reduced eight freight
cars and a baggage car to the trucks
and wheels and tied up the whole
line for nearly "a hours.
1t was again the story of the human
factor. Either the dispatcher at
Hagerstown failed to give correct or
ders to the crew of dead-head east
bound passenger train or If the or
ders were given they were misinter-
preted or forgotten. Officials Of the
road admit that the human factor will
always be fallible and declare that
they could not have averted the
wreck.
A representative of the Interstate
Commerce Commission took steno-
graphic record of all the facts and
members Of the Pennsylvania Rail-
way Commission were present.
The five killed in the wreck We're:
Frank mr. Letter, Highfeld, baggage
master, formerly living at Union
Bridge.
J. L. Helwig, Hagerstown, freight
engineer.
William Eichelberger, Hagerstown,
freight conductor.
William, also known as Harry
Clayton, Hagerstown, freight fireman.
J. McFatlin, tramp, Billmyer, Ian
caster county, Pa.
The injured, none seriously were:
r. J. McWhorter, Jr., Baltimore,
fireman on the second freight engine.
Jacob H. Thompson, HagerstoWn,
second freight engineer, son of Mrs.
Charles Gardner, East Main street.
Coleman Cook, Baltimore, passen-
ger engineer.
P. ]. Burgan, Hagerstown, freight
brakeman.
d. B. Booney, freight brakeman.
Charles, McGunn, Chicago tramp.
Oscar Bixler, Westminster, train
rider.
With the exception of Bixler, who
was sent to the Washington County
Hospital at Hagerstown, all the in
jured were able to 20 home.
Fireman Clayton, alive when taken
out of the wreckage, was sent with
BiXler and died at 10 o'clock Saturday
morning
The collision occurred at exactly
11.43 Friday night, between an east
bound dead-head passenger train OF
empties, running back from Hagers-
town to Highfield, and westbound
fast freight.
The passenger train, running as the
first section Of 204, was in charge of
town, substitute conductor, and En-
@-I re nn nnT~n
lit carried a combination baggage and
mail car and two day coaches.
The freight, extra 757, was being
helped up the grade by Engine 610,
Conductor Eichelberger and Engineer
Helwig in charge, with Engineer
Thompson and Fireman McWhorter
i'm the second engine, four cars: to the
rear. 1t carried Is loaded and "a
empty cars, including 10 cars of ce-
ment from Union Bridge and lot of
flint from Emory Grove.
The passenger train, running two
hours late on it's eastbound trip,
missed it's connection at Highf1eld and
for that reason was taken to Hagers-
town to deliver its passengers. 1t
left Hagerstown at 10 o'clock to re-
turn the empties to Highheld.
General Manager Shepard, of the
Western Maryland, says Engineer
Cook and the passenger conductor
received orders before they started
with the empties to stop at Edgemont
and from two sections of Train 204
on siding receive further orders.
These orders, as now explained, were
to take the siding at Blue Mountain
and wait for the westbound fast
freight to pass.
Engineer Cook Immediately after
the accident said that he stopped at
Edgemont, up to which point his was
the third section of 204, and received
orders to proceed as first section, but
he denied that he had been given any
orders for siding at Blue Mountain.
The passenger train went ahead at
p miles an hour up grade. The
freight train, with two engines work.
ing, was making rapid speed.
Just under the bridge that spans
the tracks and connects the main
road to Pen-Mar they met.
The impact was terrific, and with
it came one hopeless and short blast
from the whistle of the freight en-
CINE. In an instant the engines had
locked, reared, pointed their noses
upward, backed little with the re-
coil and fell. Behind them were eight
demolished freight cars, two cars
crushed in the passenger train, and
under the debris a dozen men.
Engineer Cook, luckily was thrown
from the cab by the shock a consider
able distance. Brakeman Burgan,
standing on top of a cement car, was
lifted, Whirled about and thrown over
on one side Of the deep cut in which
the collision occurred. Neither was
badly injured.
Under the wreckage, choking with
the thick cement that filled the cut,
borne down by timbers and metal, at
least two of the victims were killed
instantly, but two were heard to call
for heIp-which two nobody seemed
to be able to say.
The fifth was Fireman Clayton, who
was caught head downward by his
foot, between his own engine and the
tender and against the hot water boil
-. IT. had been stunned by TO-
blow and in the dark was not discov-
cred for some time.
From the boiler there came cloud
of steam that envelOped him and III
clothing dripped with hot water. He
recovered consciousness sufficiently to
tell those who were trying to save him
not To worry, 81 it could not b. help
ed.
In the meantime front brakeman
fought his way out of the wreckage,
burroWing through cement sacks,