Evening star., 1949-09-16
! Truck Drivers
Die in Flames in
Fairfax Crash
Trapped Motorist
Breaks Out Through
Rear Window of Car
Pictures ON Page A-3.)

tFCt"eS OU flge Al
Two drivers died this morning
in flaming wreckage as their heavy
trucks crashed at the narrow Cub
Run Bridge on route so, near
Chantilly. Fairfax County. Va.
The dead were identified as:
Chester L. Painter, 26, of 1904
avenue, Edmonston,
Md.
John c. Miller, %, of 1896 Meri-
dian place NV.
Mr.. Painter was listed as one Of
the drivers by the Southern Oxy-
gen Co., 1900 Kenilworth avenue,
Bladensburg, Md, whose truck
was involved. The truck was car.
rying empty oxygen tanks.
Mr.. Miller. a contract driver for
the O'Boyle Tank Co., BIT Michi-
gan avenue NE, was identified by
another driver for that firm. Mel
vim Moran, 723 Silver Spring ave-
nue., Silver Spring. Mr.. Moran said
Mr.. Miller had left Baltimore this
about As minutes ahead
of him with a load of gasoline.
Another Motorist Escapes
John George Markley, 43. Paris,
Va, a carpenter at the National
Memorial Park Cemetery, Falls
Church, narrowly escaped death
in the fire. He gave the following
eyewitness account of the crash
which occurred about 7 o'clock:
Il stopped my Buick sedan be-
hind a panel truck which had
halted to let a west-bound gaso-
line truck cross the bridge. I was
on my way to work.
"The Southern Oxygen truck
passed my car and crashed with
the gasoline truck-not quite head
on-right by my car.
"The oxygen truck was knocked
to the right against my car and
the gasoline truck went to the
other side Of the road and into
the ditch"
Mr.. Markley said he tried to get
out the right door of his car but
it would not open. He couldn't
get out the left door because it
was jammed against the burning
truck. His car started to burn.
II just kept my head. I realized
AZ had to get out somehow SO I
Kicked out the back window and
climbed out" Mr.. Markley said.
Volunteer fire companies from
Herndon, Fairfax and, Chantilly
responded and fought che flames.
It was almost two hours, though.
before DR.. Nelson A. Podolnick.
Fairfax County coroner. could
reach the drivers.
Traffic on the heavily-traveled
highway was forced to detour on
side roads to get past the spot
blocked by the wreckage. Route
so is the road to Winchester.
Loaded With Empty Tanks.
Mr.. Painter was married and
has q 4-year-old son. Chester L..
jr. A native of Kittanning, Pa.
Mr.. Painter came to Edmonston
about two years ago and had
been employed by the Southern
Oxygen Co. for about 18 months.
Mr.. Painter enlisted in the Ma
rines in 1910 and spent five years
in the service, practically all Of 1t
overseas. He fought at Okinaws
and later saw service in Tokyo, his
wife said.
A company spokesman said Mr..
Painter left here yesterday to de-
liver tanks of oxygen to VirginiA
points. He was returning with .
load Of empty tanks, the spokes-
man said.
Mr.. Miller's wife June is en-
ployed as a secretary at the
Southern Diaries here. He was
divorced and had a child by q
former marriage.
Mr.. Miller owned two trucks
which hauled under contract Tor
the O'Boyle firm and other COM
panies. His father, Charles Miller.
drove the second truck for his
son. The dead mans mother,
since remarked, is Mrs. j. X.
Cartwright of the 1000 block Of
c street S.W.
Mr.. Miller was q veteran Of
one years service in the Army.
He received a disability discharge
and had been driving throughout
Eastern States since 1943.
The bodies were taken to Reed
funeral home, Herndon.