The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-30

was one OF the rarest of railroad ca
lamities. two separate collisions that
involved three trains on two different
tracks
It was s:1s o'clock this morning
when Engineer d. ". Leonard. of the
first section of train No. SIS. the Chi
cago- Buffalo flyer slowed up mile
west OF Amherst on account of what
he believed was block signal of eau
ton. The train proceeded two min
utes later. crawling along at a speed
estimated at less than ten miles an
hour.
The First Crash.
0hscured by the darkness and fog
behind. the second section Of No So.
with Herman Hess at the throttle,
came rushing toward the spot. II
there was red block signal, set sud-
denly and without warning. Hess did
not see It. Nor did he know the train
preceding him had halted. The next
instant, looming up out OF the curtain
Of fog, he saw the rear coaches ahead.
Travelling probably thirty miles an
hour, damned brakes were practically
useless. There was splintering
crash, rending of steel. shattering OF
glass, lurching and turning over of
ties. speeding wheels of an engine
turned turtle. cries of wounded and
frightened passengers.
Papdcmonium Rcigns.
For minute pandemonium reign
cd and then disaster fell for the sec
ond. The FIRST crash had spilled
coaches and debris over the westbound
track, piling up a huiwark Of steel
and human beings that was the target
for another train rushing down upon
the wreck
The thunder of the Twentieth Cen
| ti'ry Limited. racing along at sixty
miles an hour. was heard above the
shrieks Of the wounded and imprfs~
oned. The engineer of the first sec
ton, stunned by the impact from the
rear that had hurled three cars Of his
train across the limited trains path
realized the added menace.
Mechanically he jerked the whistle
cord and gave one short blast that
sFgnsled stop" -~l
The engineer OF the flying Century
answered with n sharp shrek of steam
and threw on the air brakes. But II
was too late To avert the crowning
disaster. The giant engine. drawing
a long line NJ heavy PulImans. making
up the famous palace on wheels
plunged head-on into the overturned
coaches and the debris of the previous
wreck. There was another crash and
a new cry OF agony and terror from
victims struggling in the mass of shat
tered coaches.
The iimiteds engine left the rails
dragging MANY OF the Pullmans with
it. jarring passengers out of their
hertas and all but precipitating them
into TIM Ieatt, fro al Ia
their train crunched through the
wreck OF the two sections of No. So
and did a great deal of the damage,
none of the passengers of the limited
was more than slightly injured.
Identified Dead.
Al Amherst:
Fred Weaver, Detroit, Mich.
Walter Easton, 1909 Airdon street.
Philadelphia
y. Fruchtman 90 Girard street, To-
ronto. Ont
Bert T.. Ash, railroad mali clerk,
Olmstead Falls Ohio.
j. II. Hearn. Gallipolis. Ohio.
Gyorgy oprea. indianapolis, Ind
Rev. Gustav Walyi. pastor OF First
Hungarian Evangelical Lutheran
Church. Detroit. Mich.
Arpad Heltai, manager Of the Hun
garlan Theatrical Association, Hotel
Morland. Cleveland.
Halcinca Bennal, Indiana Harbor.
Ind.
Rosim Obdah. indianapolis.
r. Thomas. Fairmont Avenue,
Philadelphia, Pa.
Harry White, negro Pullman por-
ter. Chicago.
j, Risey. address unknown.
At Lorain:
Edward Leroy St Louis Mo.
Bruce Brownies. Hillsville. Pa
At Elyria.
Mrs. Jennie Haddas. Cleveland
Charles Nelson, Chicago.