Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-09-08
TWO ARE KILLED
IN AUTO DISASTER
William H. Peck and Ernest
Zell, of Alexandria,
Victims.
A DEADLY CROSSING.
Second Time in the Past Few Years
That Life Has Been Lost at This
Dangerous Point.

The second frightful accident dur
ing the past few years at Hume's
crossing on Mount Vernon Avenue,
about two miles northwest Of Alex
andra occurred shortly after ten
o'clock yesterday morning. On the
first occasion Thomas E. Dulany, a
colored barber OF this city, had his life
crushed out in the twinkling of an
eye, his buggy having been struck by
an incoming train of the Washington
and Ohio Railroad, and tn second
was the killing of William H. Peck, a
prominent Alexandria merchant, and
Ernest Zell, who was in an automo-
bile with him, both having been killed
by being struck by backing train on
the same road shortly after ten
O'Clock yesterday morning.
This latest accident was one of the
most frightful which has occurred in
this vicinity for a long time, and the
details are appalling.
'Fhe machine was driven by Mr..
Peck, the owner, and it was hurled a
distance of ninety five feet. Mr.. Peck
was pinned beneath it's wreckage,
while Mr.. Zell was thrown distance
Of siXty-fve feet.
fZeIl was killed instantly. His skull
was crushed, and a hole was torn in
the. side Of his head. The body of
Peck. pinned beneath the wreckage,
was horribly burned when the gaso-
line tank took fire following the acci
dent, and burned the machine, leaving
nothing but mass of charred iron Of
the large touring car.
The train was brought to stop ll5
yards from the point where the acci-
dent occurred, and the train crew
went back to give what assistance
they could. The automobile was found
to be in a blaze, ten feet below the
tracks Of the railroad. A fire eNtin-
guisher was used by the train crew in
subduinS the fire, in order to get to
the body of Peck. G. A. Hatton, of
Alexandria county, pulled the body
from the debris. The crew then dis
covered that Zell, who was thrown
sixty-feet, had met instant death.
The pilot of the combination car,
which was the end that struck the
machine, was reduced to SplinterS,
and the debris was scattered alona
the tracks for considerable distance.
Forrest Crook. fiagman of the train,
who was standing on the front of the
car when the collision occurred, was
hurled some distance, but escaped
with few minor cuts on the leg.
J. w. King, of St Elmo, Alexandria
county, who was an eye witness to
the accident, says the occupants OF
the machine were unable to see the
approach of the train owing to the
embankment at the point where the
accident happened.
The train was on its way to Alex
antria from what is known as Blue
mont Junction, and the engine wa;
No. 2. It's crew was composed of c
II. barley. engineer; Lee Crockett
conductor; Lewis Smith, fireman, anc
Forrest Crook, fiagman, all of AleXan
dria There were comparatively few
passengers in the coach at the time
ard all were men. They were unawar
of the nature of the accident at first
although most of those in the ca
knew that the train had struck some
thing. AS soon as the train Stoppe
they got out and went to the scene o
the accident;
Engineer Darley stated that at tn
time of the accident his train was GO
ING about fifteen miles an hour. H
said he blew his whistle four time
for a crossing, and the signal for tn
station, he stated, was also blow,
Although he said he felt jar. Il
first intimation he had of the accidel
was the smoke ard fire from the nj
chine.
Dr.. R. y. Yates, acting coroner
Alexandria county, arrived on b
scene short time after the accide
ard viewed the bodies and looked oy
the scene of the accident, after viii
he smpaneled coroner's jury, col
tossl of the following: John Gan