Evening star., 1941-12-28

the Baltimore & Ohio train Uds
Der 80, 1906. Reprinted from
Of Terra Gotta and was about to board
the train for Washington. Miss Lippold
was an active member Of the Order OF
the Eastern Star and an officer in Ruth
Chapter, No. l. She was employed in
the Bureau Of Engraving and Printing
and her untimely death was greatly
mourned.
Clarence A. Proctor who, with Mrs.
Proctor, was injured in this wreck, was
a native of Washington and an athlete
of some prominence, having once been
we'll known as trick bicycle rider and
AS once having held the one-mile cham
pionship bicycle title of the District. He
was far a while a professional baseball
player and played for short while on
the Washington team. In this city he
held several departmental positions and
finally went with the Engineer Depart
ment of the District, from which he was
drafted in 1903, by the city of Detroit as
an expert to take full charge of the city
works in laying asphalt pavement. Prior
to this he married in Washington, Nam
ME Leatherman, daughter of DR..
Leatherman of Frederick, Md, and it
was while they were visiting Maryland
and the District, during the holiday sea-
son of l9O6-l9O7 that they were return
ing from Mrs. Proctor's old home in
E1roGpripE n Nv Drnotnr'e ralo tiuac ;f,
Washington and got in the Terra Gotta
wreck
Mr.. Proctor, a portlv man, had his
leg so severely crushed that it was some
time thought that amputation was nee
essary, but this was prevented by mis-
surgeon, Drs William Philips Carr of
this city. Subsequently Mr.. Proctor re-
turned to Detroit and resumed his post,
which he retained until February %,
1910, when he died suddenly on his re-
turn from Florida.
Many will recall the Terra Gotta
wreck. but none more so than 1t. How
ard S. Fisk, who still writes for The
Star and who covered this tragic ac-
cident in 1906. which. he says was a
scoop. in that it beat all the other
Washington newspapers. in telling the
story to the public. Mr.. Fisk in talk
ing to the writer Of this wreck says it
was an event almost too horrible to de-
scribe and one he will never forge
When he first learned of the accidenG
he hurried to the scene and was able
to get direct wire TO The Star and IN
this way beat the other papers to it.
Identifying Victims.
1t was a night of thrills to Mr. Fisk
who was accompanied by Officer Jere-
miah F. Sullivan, then a bicycle police
man, but now captain of No. 6 Pre-
cinct, as they passed from body to
body, laid out in rows on the ground,
in their efforts to identify the dead and
wounded, and how in their search tnay
Eckhardt, The Stars auditor, and iden-
titled it as his by notes written by MI {.
Eckhardts daughter and found in his
pockets. Mr. Fisk remained actively
with The Star until the first World
War, when he became lieutenant III
the Navy. He still reports citizens as
sociations meetings and contributes
other items to this paper.
OF course Washington has suffered
other calamates beside the Terra Gotta
wreck the greatest of all, no doubt,
being the Knickerbocker Theater dis
aster of January %, 1922. in which 81
persons were killed and 1873 injured.
How strange it seems as the writer
was looking over his notebook for this
memorable accident he came across an
other incident he recorded under date
Of February 6, 1922. which sounds so
familiar, and is particularly interesting
at this time. The item reads:
The International Conference for the
Limitation of Armament closed today in
Continental Memorial Hall, with an ad-
dress by President Harding. Among the
treaties agreed to and signed today were
the Naval Limitation Treaty, the Supple
ment to the Four-Power Pacific Treaty
the Poison Gas and Submarine Treaty
the Nine-PoWer Treaty Reorganizing
the Sovereignty of China, and the
Chinese Custom Treaty. The Four
Power Pacific Pact Treaty was signed
several weeks ago. They complete the
list of treaties emanating directly from
the conference. Secretary Hughes an.
nounced that the Sino-Japanese treaty
on Shantung was signed the 4th instant
These treaties are believed to make
peace for the world for years to come
Yes, for years to come; but only abou'
% years, as it so happens. Truly, treatie!
are but scraps of paper with some coun'
tries.
Explosion Killed Fl.
But to return to the disasters. Few
still remember the explosion which tool
place at the old arsenal and Greenlea
Point on June IT, 1864, when the lives O.
"21 women were snuffed out in the twink
ling of an eye.
The explosion took place at 10 min.
utes to IL in the main building of th'
laboratory, one-story structure, which
had been divided into four rooms, ant
in which 108 girls were at the time EN-
ployed making cartridges for small arms
The accident, it is said. was due to tn
placing OF q large quantity Of Rex
Star" fireworks. IN course Of prepara
ton, out IN the yard attached to th'