The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-07-06
Twenty-seven Now Reported
to Have Been Killed in
Pennsylvania Wreck Fri
day at Latrobe.
THIRTY WERE HURT,
A FEW ARE DYING
Engine Dashed into a Single
Passenger Coach, for the
Most Part Filled with
Youngsters.
National News Association

LATROBE, Pa, July 6.-Twenty
seven instead of 21 lives were crushed
out in the Ligonier Valley excursion
horror late yesterday, according to
passenger agent Adams Twenty-one
bodies had been recovered up to 9
a. m.
OF the thirty injured some are SO
badly hurt that they probably will die
The accident, which occurred when a
passenger train collided with a heavy
double header freight near Wilpen
piled up debris in such mountainous
heap that wreckers were still unable
to say this morning whether any more
dead bodies remained beneath it.
A single passenger coach crowded
almost to the doors, mostly with little
ones from Ligonier. who were on an
outing, was crushed like an eggshell
between the two heavy engines of the
freight train and another engine that
was pushing the coach along. The loss
of life was terrible. Not a single pas
senger on the illfated coach escaped
death or injury.
Wrecking crews from Ligonier and
Pennsylvania railroads are working
with feverish excitement at the deb
ris in search of the dead or injured
still pinned down by the wreck.
Parents Are Frantic.
Watching the wrecking crews and
assisting all they can are frantic faith.
ers and mothers whose little ones
were on the coach and have not yet
been accounted for. A score or more
physicians from here and Ligonier
who rushed to the scene in automo.
biles when the word of the wreck
reached them are still here They are
giving attention to the injured road
from the wreckage and sending them
to hospitals in Ligonier, Pittsburgh
and Latrobe.
The passenger coach and it's so or
more passengers left Ligonier late
yesterday afternoon bound up the
branch road to Wilpen. The train at.
tracted considerable attention from
the happy actions of the merry chill
dren who were being taken up into
the mountains to gather flowers and
romp in the green woods. The coach
which was pushed along ahead of the
engine at a fair rate of speed was
rounding a sharp curve just near the
Denny racetrack when the crash came
The heavy coal train drawn by two
big engines met the coach on the
curve and crushed it like paper.
The double force of the engines
plowed on through the coach and its
human cargo and wrecked the engine
behind it. Both the freight engines
were derailed by the terrific force OF
the collision. The first freight engine
turned half way around and then fell
over on it's side.
Engineer Is Killed.
Frank McConnaughey, it's engineer
was caught beneath it as it fell and
was scalded to death by escaping
steam. George Byers the fireman
jumped, but missed his footing and
fell beneath the wheels of the tender
which crushed out his life. Engineer
Smith P Beatty of the second freight
engine jumped when he say the COLI
sion impending and escaped with q
broken leg but his fireman who also
| jumped fell beneath the wheels of q
car and had both legs cut of
The Wilpen branch of the Ligoniel
Valley R. r. is an outlet for the mines
of the Wilpen coal company. The road
is used mostly for hauling the outpu'
of the coal mines and the passenger
train, consisting of an engine and 6
combination coach and baggage car
makes two trips day over the ten
miles of railroad. The railroad is con
trolled by the Mellon interests Of
| Pittsburgh.