Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1922-04-27
BAD WRECK ON o. & T.. TX.
r.. R.-ENGINEER is KILLED

Vile 10 I'dTH0TSDufS Oh tHo ~. q II. !
K. branch of the B. &. o. was
wrecked at Krigbaum's crossing,
u miles south of Philo, at 1920
O'Clock, resulting in the instant-t
death of engineer Elmer Preston,
and II others injured.
The news of the wreck received
at McConnelsville-M Malta about $3.50
in the afternoon sent chill of fear
and horror to everyone. Telephone
lines were busy with the news and
only the most neagre details could
be learned. 1t was learned that
orders had come to send an engine
to the scene, that ambulances and
cots had been ordered, doctors sum-
moned. Rumors of every kind were
circulating as to the number hurt,
and the weight of anxiety and fear
became greater and greater during
the first hour after the news was
received Automobiles were whiz-
zing out of town, but with the con-
dition of the roads it was question
whether they would be able to
reach the scene. AS matter of fact
however, help was soon on the way,
an engine being on the track just
below Malta was soon under orders
and physicians and supplies were
shortly on the scene from this point
while ambulances and physicians
from GAINESVILLE were also on the
spot almost Immediately.
From passengers and from others
early on the scene, the story of the
wreck is gathered. The engine was
thrown from the track at the cross
ing and followed the ties for some
thing like 100 feet when it plunged
down an embankment nose first in
to ravine, it's snout ploughing deep
into the earth. The tender was on
top of the engine, and the baggage
car on top of the tender. The
smoker which carried many passen-
gers hung just on top of the en-
bankment while the rear coach
jerked and reeled then stood still
its front trucks off the rails Had
the engine gone but few feet far
ther before it jumped the track it
would have taken the passenger
coach over the embankment also
and bad as this story is. 1t would
then have been most appalling. The
passengers in the rear coach felt the
car OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and
even in their fright as theiE own
coach jerked, reared and settled it
self saw the engine, tender and bag
gage car piling up in the raylne
ahead and below them. Conductor
Ed Reynolds who was in the last
coach. was out and running to see
what had happened to his crew and
began directing the work OF relief
almost before the dazed and fright
ened passengers could pick them
selves up. Fireman Louis Vain
wright, was found lying free of the
wreck down the side of the ravine
in a puddle of water in washout,
and as it proved was not injured.
He had gone through the cab win
dow head first. Engineer Preston
had sacrificed his life for the lives
of the others. He was caught be-
tween the engine cab and the ten
der as the wreck piled up in the ra-
vine, and was crushed so that death
was almost instantaneous. He
might have saved himself by jump
ing, but an examination of the en-
gine showed that in the short time
Intervening between the derailment
of the engine and its plunge over
the embankment, he had reversed
the levers, shut off the steam, set
the emergency. applied the brakes
and released the sand. At the last
moment, it was evident that he had
striven to save himself and had
gotten part way through the cab
window when crushed into eternity
by the buckling tender. 1t was
with tender, reverent hands his
body was extricated from the wreck
and tears were shed as he was car
ried to a grassy slope, and attended
until the physicians should arrive.
DIR. Andrew Timberman was a
passenger on the train and being
unhurt was able to give first aid to
the injured. Van Brittigan of Par
kersburg, the brakeman was suffer-
ing severely from a wrenched back,
but he too set about the work OF
rescue Notwithstanding. j. j. Cook,
Parkersburg, baggage man. was
reading a paper when the accident
occurred. He was thrown to one
end of his car, trunk almost on
him and corner of it inflicting a
bad cash in his head, and stunning
him. This bloody injury gave rise
to the rumor that he had been kill
ed. Hon. Geo. White of Marietta
had a sprained leg and one foot
badly bruised. S. C. Krigbaum, OF
Marietta, former secretary to Mr..
White, leg bruised; Earl Dougan,
McConnelsville, ankle wrenched; I.
J. Deeren, Marietta, head cut, back
sprained; Clyde Latchaw, Marietta,
head cut, knee badly injured; Harry
Stoneburner, GAINESVILLE. side bruis-
ed; G. w. Clark, Marietta, abdo-
men injured; s. H. Merrill, Mariet-
ia, patient enroute home from
Grant hospital, Columbus, cut and
bruised and suffered from shock.
Those in the train of local inter-
est were Miss Ada HattOn. who was
returning home from three
months visit at Sarasota, Fla: Mrs.
Annie Shafer. who had spent about
q year In California and Nevada;
Messrs. G. q. .Dougan, DR.. j. A.
King, d. c. France and James
Christie, who were returning from
Columbus where they had been to
attend Scottish Rites reunion: Mrs.
Kenner Mcconnell and child, Co
lumbus: others were Miss Pauline
Gillespie, Mrs. Emmett Fayen and
daughter. Mr.. Jerry C0tchall, DR..
"A. ]. Timberman, Judge J. @. Lyme,
Will DevOl, Mrs. Fred Wilson, Mrs.
CRas. Mcclure, daughters Berna-
dine and Theodore. Mrs. Helen Nc
Elhiney Guerin and child of COlum-
bue. Mrs, D. G. Barrell. Miss Mar
garet King, Miss Thelma Lindimore.