Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1912-07-12
FATAL REAR.END
TRAIN COLLISION
Double Header" Freight Runs
Into Coach Near Latrobe, Pa.
PASSENGERS HURLED IN AIR
Passenger Train Was Loaded With
Picknickers and Babies-Farmers
to the Rescue-Mixup of Or
ders Causes Collision.

Latrobe, Pa.-Twenty persons were
killed and many others fatally injured
at 8: 40 o'clock, p. M, on the Llgonler
Valley railroad when passenger tram
carrying picknickers was backing into
Wilpen. The accident was due to a
misunderstanding of orders. 1t hap
pened at the fair grounds, about one
and half miles from Ligonier'
The accident was caused by dou-
BILE header freight, which crashed INTO
the rear coach of the passenger train,
telescoping several cars. Only one
passenger on the train escaped injury.
The coaches contained large num-
Der of children who were being taken
by Miss Matthews, nurse at the
home of George Senft, president OF
the Ligonier Valley Railroad, for a
days outing. All the children were
either killed or sustained severe in
juries.
The freight engines ploughed
through the wooden coach, crushing
it as it would an eggshell. The coach
was ripped to pieces. All the occu-
pants were hurled to the roadbed,
some fell in the path of the engines.
while others were imbedded partly in
the cinder and stone ballasting.
The fire engine of the double header
pulling the freight train stopped after
it had passed through the passenger
coach, turned half way around and
fell over on its side. Engineer Frank
McConnaughy was thrown under the
engine and scalded to death by escap-
ing steam. Fireman George Byers
Jumped, but fell on the track, the
wheels of the tender cutting his Eody
in half.
Engineer Smith P. Beatty of the
second freight engine jumped and sus-
tanned a broken leg, while his fireman,
John H. Ankney, fell beneath a car
when he jumped and both legs were
severed. He died while being taken
to the Latrobe Hospital.
Conductor Charles II. Kuhn of the
passenger train leaped when he saw
the impending crash and received q
broken leg. Engineer Dunlap of the
passenger train stuck to his post and
was uninjured.
Farmers near the scene of the acci-
dent and men who were at work at
the Denny racetrack went to the as
sistance of the injured, laying them
on the bank.
A messenger sped with all haste to
Ligonier and notified the residents
there of the accident.
A frantic call for physicians and aid
was sent to Latrobe. Five Latrobe
physicians went to the scene in an
automobile. A special train was made
up on the Ligonier Valley Railroad
and sent to Ligonier to bring the in
jured to the hospital.
The dead:
McCONNAUGHY, FRANK, engl-
neer, age As; scalded to death under
engine
BYERS, GEORGE, fireman, age 2S;
cut in twain.
BEATTY, SMITH, engineer, age Sc;
died on way to Latrobe Hospital.
ANKNEY. JOHN, fireman. age 35;
mangled under engine; died on way to
hospital.
RHODDY, LOUISE, age II years.
RHODDY, ELIZABETH, age IA
years.
BRowNFIELD, SAMUEL, age 4
years.
TOYSH, GEORGE. age 6S. veal
thy farmer of Ligonier township.
years, and her year old baby, of Will
pen.
EDSAL, Miss, age 20 years, of Lii
gonier township.
HOON, Miss, age 20 years, of Lyon
ier township.
ESSE, Mrs. NJ. age "a, of Wilpen.
HUDOCK, MIKE, of Wilpen; side
crushed.
MUIR. THOMAS, age So, of Lat
robe; head crushed.
OVERTON, FRANK, age 10, son Of
John Overton of Wilpen; body crush
ed.
OVERTON, Mrs. JOHN, of Wilpen;
died on train going to Pittsburgh.
Unidentified Italian; legs cut off;
head crushed
HUXLEY, GEORGE W., Pittsburgh,
son of secretary of the Oil Well Sup
ply Company.
NIEPONT. MATTHEW. Pittsburgh.
A majority of the thirty injured per-
sons were residents along the Wilpen
branch. They were brought to hos
pital here or sent to hospitals in Pitts
burgh when it was found they were in
a critical condition.