Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1919-02-04
FRlGHTFUL ACCIDENT AT
BERRYVILLE.

One of the most shocking TRACE.
dies in the history of Berryville oc-
CURED Wednesday morning when q
southbound Norfolk & Western pas
senger train No. Is, crashed into an
automobile truck at the Main street
grade crossing, killing two persons
almost outright and severely injur-
ing two others, one Of whom died "a
hours later.
The dead are:
AMOS CHAPMAN, driver of the
automobile truck; head scalped and
skull fractured: body badly cut; died
about an hour after accident; age,
about 80 years.
MARGUERITE ERICKSON, O
daughter of Mr.. Elmer Erickson, of
near Bluemont; head, face and body
badly mangled; killed almost instant
ly; she was II years old.
HAZEL MEADE, step-daughter of
Mr.. Erickson; cut across the head
and ear split in two; skull was frac-
tured. She was Is years old. She
died Thursday morning in Winches-
ter Memorial Hospital.
MAY ERICKSON, daughter of Mr..
Erickson, suffering severely from
shock and conclusion of the brain
it is said she may die. She was IA
years old.
The accident occurred about $50
o'clock. Mr.. Chapman, who is driv-
er of Mr.. Erickson's motor truck was
bringing a load of railroad ties and
the three school children to Berry
vile. The three little girls occupied
the truck seat with him. Just as
the truck pushed upon the main track
of the railroad, the train rushed up
on them and struck the motor car
squarely in the middle.
The force of the collision was ter
rife. Little May Erickson, the least
injured of the four, was hurled from
the truck seat and landed about so
feet away on the cinders alongside
the track. Mr.. Chapman was carried
about fifty yards and hurled to the
concrete sidewalk. When picked up
he was unconscious, and during the
short time he laid on the sidewalk
he covered the ground with his blood.
His scalp was almost torn from his
head. Marguerite Erickson was car
ried about rs yards up the track
and when her body was hurled from
the engine she was apparently dead.
When picked up she was dead. She
was terribly mangled about the face
head and limbs.
Hazel Meade had a miraculous es-
cape from instant death. She was
carried on the engine humber near
ly to the railroad station, 200 yards
from the crossing. When taken
from her seat she was unconscious.
One of the remarkable features of
the accident was the complete demol-
ition of the motor truck. This big
vehicle, a Bethlehem, was as totally
destroyed as though a ton of dyna-
mite had been placed under it and
blown up. 1t was simply reduced to
pieces of twisted steel and kindling
wood. The truck body was carried
about a hundred yards up the track
and hurled to one side, pieces of it.,
however, being scattered from the
point of collision to a point near the
railroad station. The cross ties in it
was hurled aside like cord wood, one
of them being almost broken in two.
The cow-catcher of the engine was
torn off and hurled down the embank-
ment on the eact side of the track.
The pilot wheels left the tracts, and
one end of the left steam box was
torn off.
The children were on their way to
the Berryville High School. They
had been living at the Showers house
on Main street this winter, doing
light housekeeping, so that they
would not be compelled to make the
long ride from across the river to
Berryville.
They took advantage of an oppor-
tunity to go home Tuesday to spend
the night, and it was upon their re-
turn to Berryville Wednesday morn
ing that the accident happened.