Evening star., 1937-02-16
TWO DIE AS TRAIN
swan, DERA|LS
Fireman, Tossed From Cab,
Has Miraculous Escape
From Death.
n, c Stan Correspondent of The Star.

by Stau correspondent OF Inc star.
DORSEY, Md, February 16.-
Scheduled trafiic over the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroads main line between
Washington and Baltimore had been
resumed today while workers con-
tinued clearing away the wreckage Of
a train-truck crash which took two
lives at . grade crossing here yester-
day.
Derailed by the collision, the four
car passenger train, northbound, up
rooted the roadbed for 100 yards be-
fore the locomotive broke from the
coaches and plunged down a 25-foot
embankment into a shallow muddy
creek here q mile and half east OF
the Washington-Baltim boulevard.
Wreckage of the van was scattered
for 100 yards along the roadbed.
Killed in the accident were Engineer
Elmer C. Pope. So. of Ridgeville,
fatally scalded by steam. and Sol Eli,
%, of Baltimore. driver of the van,
whose body was torn to pieces by the
impact of the crash. Claude Beard,
A, of Frederick, the fireman, was
thrown from the engines cab into an
orchard 100 feet from the crossing.
He was taken to st. Agnes Hospital in
Baltimore, where he was treated for
burns and released. Physicians said
he was not seriously hurt.
Some 80 passengers, escaping injury,
were severely shaken as the coaches
bounded along the track to remain
upright near q bridge crossing Deep
Run Branch. where the locomotive
was mired in the creek bed.
=. Third Death Unconfirmed.
State police and railroad officials
today were unable to confirm a re-
port that a third man had been killed.
They were investigating rumors that
the truck driver was accompanied by
another man when the crash occurred.
Local residents said that the engi-
neer frantically blew his whistle in
repeated blasts as the train bore down
on the huge van blocking the right of
way. Pope's niece. Mrs. Robert Hook.
living only IS feet from the grade
crossing, was standing on her porch
to wave a customary greeting to her
engineer uncle when the crash oc-
Cured.
From her description Of the tragedy
the trucks gasoline tank exploded at
the impact, enveloping the locomotive
in fame. Quoted today by her mother.
Mrs. Harry c. Pope, sister-in-law Of
the dead engineer. Mrs. Hook believed
the engine would careen into her
house and ran inside to snatch her
baby to safety as the train plunged
down the track. Mrs. Pope said she
sensed impending trouble when she
heard the screaming whistle. While a
crew began clearing away the wreck
age shortly after the accident, Mrs.
Pope's husband identified the body of
the engineer, taken from the over
turned locomotive.
Passengers Were Transferred.
Westbound trains were routed over
the Pennsylvania tracks, while service
between Baltimore and Washington
was maintained by trains which oper-
ated to Dorsey from the two cities
and transferred passengers at the ex-
tremities of the accident scene.
Railroad officials said their trains
were moving slowly over the hastily re-
paired track section today, but sched-
uled runs had been resumed.
Several thousand persons gathered
here to watch the railroad employees
work in opening one track of the doll-
ble-tracked roadbed. A detail of State
police kept the curious onlookers in
check.