Middletown transcript., 1914-05-16
TWO TRAINS COLLIDE
Locomotive Overturned and En-
gineer Pippin Seriously Injured
DISASTROUS WRECK SATURDAY

DISASTROUS WRECK SATURDAY
A disastrous wreck occurred on the P.
B. & w. railroad, here, about 11.45 A.
NJ. Saturday last, when fast freight
train crashed into train which was
standing upon the same track. The To-
comotive was derailed and the en-
gineer was fatally injured as it fell down
steep embankment.
A freight train was standing at the
station on the northbound tracks taking
water, when a work train bound in the
same direction struck it. The last three
cars were demolished and the force of
the collision hurled the crippled locomo-
tive down the bank near St. Anne's
curve.
Engineer Robert Pippin, of Clayton,
was badly hurt, being pinned down when
the engine rolled over, though he was
not crushed. His right leg was badly
broken and he was scalded and suffered
greatly from shock. He was attended
by DR.. E. G. Clark, after which he was
taken to the companies offices, at Clay
| ton.
Fireman N. J. Boggs, whose home is
also at Clayton, saved himself from in
jury by jumping as the locomotive went
over. Only the engine and tender were
derailed.
Three cars were wrecked.
The work of cleaning away the wreck
occupied the greater part of Sunday
and was watched with great interest by
hundreds of spectators from this town
and the surrounding community.
After O'Clock two wrecking crews,
one from Clayton and one from Will
mington, arrived on the scene, each
with large 6j-ton crane and proceeded
TO work. First a large empty coal car
which was lying on top of the heap,
vas removed by each crane taking
lold of it and it was set on the tracks
with apparently no effort at all. The
frame of the cabeose, which had caught
rire and burned completely up, was
next removed in the same manner;
then the smaller debris was cleaned
up.
The big job and the one that>kept
the large crowd of spectators waiting
was that of putting the demolished en-
gine on the rails again. 1t was lying
on its side. down steep bank at least
20 feet high, but it was no mor1 trou-
BILE to the crews to handle than was
the smaller wreckage. 1t was hoisted
up onto the main track and laid on its
side in the same position and then turn
ed and set right up on its own Trucks
and taken away. 1t was still hot and
smoking when righted.
The watch of the injured engineer
was found under the middle part of the
engine and had stopped at 11.19 1-2
clock, which was just the time the
accident happened.
An investigation was made by the
officials and from what can be learned
from the few railroad men who would
talk, the engineer who was injured,
Robert Pippin, was ordered out behind
the frei yht to take the work train and
several carloads of cinders to a point
on the New Castle cutoff, to repair a
threatened washout He sal to have
entered the block below Townsend
under green signal, which means
proceed slowly and at own lookout"
The engineer Of the freight train had
cut his engine loose from his train and
left it at point below Brady's cream
cry, with the rear end nearly at St.
Anne's crossing. The fagman had not
time to get more than 400 feet from
his train when he saw the work train
coming around the curve. He tagged
the train, but too late to prevent the
accident. Engineer Pippen, it is un-
derstood, blames no one for the acci-
dent, and told one spectator who was
among the first on the scene that he
did not see the freight train until it
was too late. The lever on his engine
was found to be jammed back on tle
reverse to the last notch. Workmen
riding on his train say the application
of the brakes and the impact of the
collision were as close as two shots,
and one man standing in the car with
his hand on the frame had his fingers
badly mashed by the door suddenly
slamming shut on them. The inju ed
engineer was taken Immediately to his
home at Clayton after the accident and
was removed to Wilmington on the ex-
press about 4 o'clock to the Delaware
Hospital where he died Monday after
noon.
A section of about $50 feet of track
was torn up and in some parts ties and
rails were carried down the embank-
ment. Some rails were twisted and
bent to the shape of horseshoe. Sew
eral people were present with cameras,
but were warned by employees of the
company not to take any pictures of
the wreck, notwithstanding which com
mand several good pictures were taken.