The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1913-01-03
Chesapeake Beach Train In Wreck

As the result of head on collision
| between engines drawing a Chesa
peake Beach Railroad passenger trair
| and a Baltimore and Ohio freight train
near Hyattsville about 8:45 Friday
morning four men were injured, one
of them seriously, two engines were
practically demolished and passenger
coach was wrecked.
The injured are:
E. E. Morrisett, SO years old. en-
gineer of Chesapeake Beach train
crushed about chest and leg and may
be internally injured removed to Cas-
ualty Hospital Washington.
Preston Marcus, aged 35 years, break
man on Chesapeake Beach train, ugly
cut under right eye and left leg crushed
and bruised; removed to his home, at
Chesapeake Junction.
Thomas Frank H. Darnall, 32 years
old. the only passenger on the, Chesa-
peake Beach train, leg and ankle
sprained; sent to his home in Hyatts-
Vile.
w. H. Hodges, brakeman on freight
tram, forehead lacerated; able to re
turn to his home in Baltimore.
Conductor Charles Long and ]. E.
Wood, baggagemaster, were on the
rear end of the Beach train when the
collision occurred. Fireman Walter
Leonard escaped by jumping, and i'm
mediately after the crash assisted En-
gineer Morrisett from his cabin. En-
gineer Morrisett and Brakeman Marcus
were removed to the home of Consta-
BILE Thomas E. Garrison, near the scene
of the wreck.
DIR. Guy w. Latimer made hasty
examination of the engineers injuries
and pronounced them serious. Nor
risett's chest had been crushed and his
leg badly lacsrated and bruised. He
was pinned in his wrecked cabin about
three minutes and suffered great agony.
DR.. f. V. Bruoke, chief surgeon of the
Chesapeake Railroad, was on the scene
promptly, looking out for the injured of
his company, and ordered the removal
of Morrisett to the Washington Hos
pital. With him were Drs. L. H.
Walker and Lewis ]. Battle.
The collision occurred on the Alexan
dria Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, whose tracks the Chesapeake
Beach uses at Alexandria Junction,
near Benning, D. c. directly in the
rear of the grocery of Herman E. Bur-
CESS. The crash was witnessed by Mrs.
Charles L. Erwin and Mrs. Thomas H.
Garrison, who say that owing to cur
vature in the single track near their
homes it is impossible for engineers
to see each others train until they get
within so of each other. The Chesa-
peake Beach train was on its way from
the Bay, in Calvert county, to Hy yatts-
vile, the terminus of the road, and had
discharged number of passengers en-
ployed in Washington at the District
line. Thomas F. M. Darnall was the
lone passenger when the crash came.
The train was running about 20 miles
an hour and had just come out of
switch to allow freight to pass. One
of the members eff the crew said that
the crew of this freight gave no warn
ing that another freight was follow
ing. Marcus, the brakeman, heard the
engines whistling, and just as he placed
his hand on the knob of the passenger
coach to go outside the crash came, and
ne was knocked Is or 20 feet over the
seats. The freight train, with Engi-
aeer, L. H. Heck at the throttle, was
on it's way to Alexander, Va, and was
running down grade at the rate of
Is miles an hour.
The railroad officials are slow to place
che blame for the collision. bnt it is
quite certain that orders were misun-
ierstood or not adhered to. 1t is said
that the freight train was occupying
the tracks at the time the Chesapeake
Beack train was due in Hyattsyille,
out the presumption is that, knowing
the incoming train had been switched
for a previous freight, it was assumed
chat the Beach train would wait until
Engineer Heck's train had passed. The
crew of the Beach train claim they
knew nothing of the approach of the
second freight and were running into
Hyattsville practically on time.