The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1912-07-11
Al KILLED \ WRECK
EXPRESS RUNS INTO REAR END
OF LOCAL ON LAcKAWANNA
NEAR CORNING, N. Y.
FIVE CARS DEMOLISHED
Many Victims ExoursIonists Bound to
Niagara Fails-Failed to
See Signals.

Corning, New York. - Forty-one
persons were killed and more than 40
injured when the west-Dound Lacka.
wanna passenger train No. 8 from
New York, due to arrive at Corning
at 4:47 a.. m, composed of W. en-.
gines a baggage car, three Pullmans
and two day coaches was demolished
at Gibson, three miles east of Corning
at 5:25 o'clock by express train No.
IL due at Corning at $40 a. m. Many
of the victims were excursionists
bound to Niagara Falls, who had
boarded the train at points along the
line.
The wreck was the worst in the his
tory of the road. It's couse, according
to Engineer Schroeder of the express,
vas his failure to see signals set
against his train. The morning was
foggy and he said he could not make
them out.
The wrecked train stood on the
main track blocked by a crippled
freight train There was no flag out,
according to Engineer Schroeder. The
signals which he declared it was too
foggy to see. were just around a curve.
The flying express plunged past them
and crashed into the rear of No. 8
bringing the death to nearly two score
of its passengers:
Schroeder had taken No. II at FL
mira Is minutes before. 1t was a few
minutes late. The stretch of track
from Elmira to Corning Is fitted for
fast running and he was sending his
train along at 65 miles an hour. No.
8 was supposed to be half an hour
ahead of him. He had no warning
until he made out the outline of the
rear coach to No. 8 through the fog.
Then threw In the reverse without
shutting off steam.
The jerk threw the train off the
track and the locomotive plunged on
to splinters and two daily coaches
filled with excursionists- and tearing
through the last of the Pullmans.
Schroeder said the impact threw him
from the cab and landed him on his
shoulder on the roadbed, practically
unhurt. The 100-ton Monster con-
tinued its plunge through the middle
OF the train. grinding everything in
it's path.
When finally blocked by the debris
II remained on the roadbed In the
midst of the d~esolation il had caused
while hundreds OF persons rushed In
every kind of vehicle to the scene
1 90 1tff ord - khz IooA &c.. "
tangled mass of wreckage.
Taking advantage of the excursion
rates TO Buffalo and Niagara Falls,
many excursionists, had boarded No.
8 at all points from Hoboken, includ-
ing Scranton, Binghamton and Ell
mira. There were also many pass.
engers for the West. BY the time
Elmira was reached the train carried
go many passengers that a second en-
CINE was attached.
Long before. extra freight train No.
81, bound for Buffalo, had pulled
I through Elmira. When the heavy
grade at Gibson was reached a draw
head pulled out, and No. 81 was Grip
pied. Signals which she put out stop
ped No. 8. The first engine was un-
coupled and set at work to push the
dead end of THE freight train into a
siding to allow No. 0 and No. IL,
which was due In 25 or 80 minutes,
to pass. The work was slow and dur
Ing the wait. many passengers from
the day coaches got out. Meanwhile
the signals had been thrown against
No. IL. These failed to stop the ex-
press and the crash followed.
Rescuers were quickly on the scene.
In what seemed an incredibly short
time hundreds of automobiles had lin.
ed the highway which led to the wreck
and the work of getting the injured
to the hospitals and the dead &c the
morgue was impeded by the blocking
| of the road. Police from Corning did
| their best to keep the rescuers' paths
clear and by s o'clock physicians who
had been rushed to the scene in motor
cars had started all of the wounded
on their ways to the hospitals or were
giving emergency attention to victims
on the scene. The only exceptions
were a few persons who had been
pinned beneath wreckage so difficult
to penetrate that 1t was some time
afterwards that they were released.
Thirteen Of the injured and ter
OF the dead were taken to Elmira or
q special train. All the other dead
we're taken to Corning and the othel
injured were conveyed to the. Cornins
City hospital All the physicians IL
the city were summoned to attend
them while ministers and priest,
we're called to administer last sacra
rnents and receive messages from thu
dying.