Evening star., 1953-01-15
Some Knew Crash
WasComing and
Braced Against Il
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on the right. All the windows on
the left were broken. You could
see the first car had gone down
toward the lower level after the
engine"
Terminal employees working on
the lower level as the engine
crashed through the ceiling had
their moments of terror.
One of them was Emery Sond-
heimer. an electricians helper
who was working with eight
other men almost Immediately
under the spot where the en-
glne plunged.
Sees Ceiling Falling.
Mr.. Sondheimet said he heard
a loud noise and looked up to
see the ceiling starting to fall
"We ran for our lives.
GAS we ran, the ceiling was
falling right behind u.s." He
said one of the workmen was
trapped beneath shattered cor
crete and debris and was extri-
Gated by his co-workers.
In the station, other witnesses
described the scene which un-
folded as they rushed out of the
waiting room into the wrecked
concourSe.
Mrs. E. H. Powers of 14O5
Mount Vernon boulevard, Alex
andrla, a retired nurse who VOL
unteered her services, said she
went aboard the car in which
most of the injured appeared
to be.
II saw at least three who
appeared to be pretty badly
injured. There was a man who
had back injuries and perhaps
a broken leg. Another man ap-
peared to have broken leg and
a woman seemed to have a
broken leg.
Il think number of people
ran from the train in a dazed
condition.
Enginemen Assisted.
o. w. McHargue, a station
patrolman, helped the engineer
and fireman out of the cab when
he reached the wreckage after
hearing the crash as he entered
the front entrance.
He said the train crew was
opening the right rear door of
the engine, which lay slanted to
the left side, its forward end
almost at the concourse level
and its back end resting on the
lower baggage room floor.
Mr.. McHargue said neither of
them said a word.
A passenger on the rear coach
of the 16-car train, Joseph L.
Miller. 1901 Highland place
NV. a public relations con-
sultant. said. I'VE must have
been going so miles ar hour
coming through the yard, and
every one thought we we're going
to derail.
Then-Wham!"
A sailor en- route to his sta
ton at Pensacola, Fla, said, I'VE
felt the car kind of rocking
about a quarter-mile before we
got here. Robert Whalen, 81,
of Beverly Farms. Mass. said.
1--WE didn't think it was much
until the conductor came in and
told rs to brace ourselves. Then
pretty soon we hit.
Feared 1t Would Tip Over.
"The car tipped and we
thought it was going over. We
all seemed okay except some
older woman in the back. She
was pretty old and was pitched
out of her seat, but I don't think
she was hurt very much
David Solomon of Baltimore.
another f1rst-car passenger, said
the conductor told every one to
run back to the second car just
before the crash came
Barron Richardson of TIA d
street NV, a terminal redcap,
was saved by a matter of sec
onds.
He said he had just left the
redcap waiting room on the
lower level. walked out the door
and looked UP to "see the floor
wavering."
II yelled to the others and
then ran myself"
The engine fell directly in
front of the door only seconds
after the redcap escaped.
Dug Victims From Rubble.
Joseph Taylor. 27, of 1707 West
Virginia avenue NV. a machin-
iSt apprentice, said he was in the
tractor and electric repair shop
directly below the newsstand at
the time of the accident.
"The first thing I knew, rub
bage and stuff hit me on the
back" he said. THE building
was falling in. 1t kept falling in
right behind me as I ran out.
Another boy and I borrowed
a stretcher and dug out couple
of other people. They weren't
buried badly, just covered with
rubble."
William H. Dinsmore of Ar
lington. member of the Arling-
ton detective force; Bill Whit
ford of Baltimore. a student at
George Washington University,
and Kay Hand of 1913 South
Wolfe street, Baltimore, hotel
employe who commutes to work
in Washington. were together in
the first coach behind the loco
motive.
They said they had no warn
ing of the crash.
THE train hit a curve at
what would estimate to have
been a speed of so miles an hour