Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1916-08-25
Is KILLED WHEN
TR0LLEYS CRASH
Runaway Telescopes Other Gar
at Foot Of Hill.
So OTHERS WERE INJURED
Whole Families of Doubly Celebrating
Groups Dead and Maimed-Motor-
man Dies in Terror.


On their way to two great family
raunoionG twenty-five persons were
killed and siXty-three others injured
il head-on collision of trolley cars
On the Southern Cambria Traction
line, at a point between Echo and
Brookdale, near JohnstoWn, Pa.
It was a disaster unique in some
respects. The motoTman Of the second
or runaway car that caused the coils
ION, being unable to control his trolley
on the steep hill, seems to have faint
ed or fallen dead at his post after
waving his arms and wildly yelling.
His car, running at least forty miles
an hour, crashed into and telescoped
the ether, coming toward him as tif-
teen miles an hour around curve at
the foot of the hill, and what was left
alive Of the human freight was crush
ed into compact masses at the ends
Of the cars opposite to the impact.
The cars in the collision were the
one southbound from Ebensburg, and
another from JohnstoWn, carrying eX-
cursionists to the reunion OF the Rib
blett and Conner families at Wood.
land Park, and the majority Of the in
jured are members oil those families.
Running past the Southern Cambria
car barns at forty miles an hour and
passing q switch with undiminished
speed, the southbound car brought
about tie collision. The exact circum-
stances leading up to the wreck will
probably never be known, but 1t IS
u1Iite certain that Motorman Angus
Warner lost control of his car, or that
he tainted or was stricken dead at his
post.
In the flight Of the runaway the con.
auctof On The rear end attempted to
bring the car to standstill by pulling
The trolley pole from the wire, but the
speed was too great. The runaway
dashed around a curve a short distance
from .2aho, and it was there that the
collision occurred. The force Of the
impact was terrible, and both cars
were badly telescoped and the crash
was heard more than half-m!le away,
residents Of the neighborhood say.
A portion Of the roof OF the Johnstown
car was hurled seventy-fVe feet, and
the steel and wood were crushed as
though they were paper.
The dead are: Taylor Thomas, mo-
torman, Johnstown; Angus Warner,
motorman; Mrs. John LentZ, Jamison,
Pa; John Lentz, Jamison; his son,
aged about seven, head cut off; Frank
RibJlett, fifteen, Pole Hollow; Benja
min =. fibblett, Coopersdale; Mrs. B
Z. Ribbiett, sixty, Coopersdale; Joseph
Rihblett, Coopersdale; Mary Catherine
Ribblett, West Taylor, died at hospit
al; Mrs. Darrell Dishong, Tannery
vile: George East, siXty-four, West
Taylor; Mrs. George East, sixty-fve,
West Taylor George Good, Johns
town; Mrs. George Good, JohnstoWn;
Antonio Comange!o, st. Michael; Da
vid Dishcng, sixty-nine, Tanneryville;
Darrell 1:shong, TanneryTille, died at
hospital: Ella Dishong, died at Mercy
Hcspital; Chester Diskong, died at
Mercy Hospital; James Anderson,
Swissyale; George Boolds, Hagers'
town, Md; Stephen Kuch, Johnstown;
J. Reese, Johnstown; Mrs. Robert Nc
Laaghlin, Johnstown.
The enorts of residents of the neigh.
bornoud to extend aid to the unfortu'
mates borGered on the heroic, and were
most effective. All the dead and in
jured had been taken from the wreck.
rgc before aid could arrive from Cone
mau@h or JohnstOWn.
The injured and dead alike were
placed on the slopes beside the tracks
side by side, one of the MANNED rest
ing his head for time on the litelesa
form OF another.