The Washington herald., 1912-08-09
RUNAWAY" TRAIN
WRECKS BUILDING
Fireman of Locomotive Of Another
Freight Barely Escapes
with Life.
THREE OTHER MEN INJURED

Thirty cars ran Wild In the Baltimore
and Ohio freight yards in Northeast
Washington yesterday, and with the
tremendous momentum they had gath
cred in their rush down a steep grade
struck another train. wrecked its loco
motive and nearly killed its fireman,
and hurled two Of its cars through the
brick Office building Of the yards, injur-
ing three other men.
The fireman. j. A. Daniels. is in q
serious condition at Providence Hos
pital. Both his feet are mashed, and
may have to be amputated. Daniels
was pinioned between the engine and
tender OF his locomotive. Kari d. Fox,
a clerk In the building. was injured in
the right side, and Paul X. Lee. janitor
of the building. suffered from a frac-
tured ankle. and sustained painful in
juries on the head. They are in Casu-
atty Hospital. Engineman Patrick J.
Collins. who was badly shaken. and
Harry Webber. of 24o d Street North
east, a freight checker. who was struck
on the head and knocked unconscious
by a flying splinter from the wreckage,
are at their homes.
The damage was estimated last night
TO be about $4,000.
Accident Was Peculiar.
The accident, which occurred about 6
O'Clock in the morning. was peculiar.
The thirty cars which ran wild had
stood all night north of the T Street
bridge. The handbrakes were not "on.
as required by railroad rules. railroad
men explained after the accident. and
the air" had gradually leaked during
the night until 1t was insufficient to hold
the cars on the steep grade
a
monster. shook themselves out of night
long stiffness. and slowly started. with
their freight the thirty cars weighed
nearly 1000 tons, II was estimated. and
before they met an obstacle they had
probably attained a speed of forty-five
miles an hour.
With the momentum the cars had
gained they swept into a locomotive
handling" twenty-eight cars near the
freight office building near the bottom
of the grade Fireman Daniels, in the
cab Of the switching locomotive. had
seen the oncoming train just before 1t
struck. With a warning shout to En-
gineman Collins. Daniels leaped.
But he was not in time. and the engine
and tender of his locomotive caught and
held him. The impact which wrecked the
locomotive, carried through the entire
length of its train, and the two rear
cars were Jammed through the freight
Office. The few clerks there had no
warning until the amazing spectacle of
two railway cars crashing through their
Office struck their startled vision, and
they were prostrated by the falling walls
and flying wreckage.
That more persons were not hurt is
due, 1t was said last night. to the fact
that the hour was so early that few of
the yard and office forces were on duty.
Explosion Is Prevented.
Daniels lay pinioned for more than an
hour, suffering agonies. Fox and Lee
were quickly got of to Casualty Hospital
But before Daniels could be removed to
Providence Hospital. fire had to be drawn
fiom the locomotive and water supplied
to the boiler to prevent an explosion.
The two cars punched through the
tuilding had almost demolished it The
locomotive was a tangle of machinery.
Fruit, coal. and bits of iron and wood
and parcels Of freight were scattered
along the track for many yards The
office building was a wild disorder of fur
Eiture, documents. and masonry.
Work Of clearing away the debris was
commenced at once. Wrecking trains
II ON Cumberland and Brunswick were
used. It is expected the yards will be
cleared by early to-day. Traffic was not
delayed.