DEATH LIST TWENTY.

MORE THAN 100 INJURED BY THE BLOWING UP OF TRAIN.

FIRE DROVE RESCUERS OFF.

VICTIMS PINIOINED IN THE WRECKAGE PERISHED IN FLAMES.

Awful Scenes Followed Destruction of Express Train by Explosion of Carolad of Dynamite at Harrisburg -- Survivors, Dazed with Terror, Plunged Into the River -- Scores of Badly Injured Saved Before Fire Stopped Rescues.

Harrisburg, Pa. May 11. -- Twenty persons are known to be dead and more than 100 others were injured in the railroad wreck and dynamite explosion which occurred early to-day on the Pennsylvania Railroad in the southern part of this city. That not more persons were killed is considered remarkable by the Pennsylvania Railroad officials, as a full boxcar of dynamite exploded directly at the middle of the heavy express train.
The train carried a number of prominent persons, and most ot them escaped with only slight injuries. Among those on the train were MR. and MRS. JAMES R. TINDELL, of Pittsburg, the latter the daughter of United States Senator KNOX; MRS. A. J. BARR, wife of the proprietor of the Pittsburg Post, and her two daughters, VICTOR L. CRABBE, son-in-law of ROBERT PITCAIRN, of Pittsburg, assistant to President A. J. CASSATT, of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and SAM S. SHUBERT, one of the prominent theatrical managers of New York. MR. CRABBE died in the Harrisburg Hospital at noon, a few minutes before his father-in-law reached his bedside. MR. SHUBERT was reported to be badly injured, but the others were only slightly hurt.
ALFRED CROSBY, of Philadelphia, the conductor of the Cleveland express, who was terribly burned in the wreck, died late to-night at the Harrisburg Hospital, making the total number of deaths twenty. Up to midnight none of nine bodies at the morgue had been identified. The bodies of MRS. DOUGHERTY, SILVERMAN, KUHLMAN, and BRIGHT were sent to their representive homes late to-night. The Harrisburg Hospital treated 108 persons. Six died, forty-four are still in the institution, and the others were discharged.
The wrecked train was the second section of the Cleveland-Cincinnati express, leaving Philadelphia at 11:05 o'clock last night. It consisted of a combination baggage and smoking car, one day coach, and six sleepers.
Cause of the Disaster.
There are various stories of how the wreck occurred, but the official version is as follows:
About 1:40 o'clock the engine on an eastbount freight train was flagged by the crew of a shifting engine ahead on the same track. The engineer quickly put on his air brakes, and the train, an unusually long one, came to a sudden halt. The strain on the air valves was a severe one, and a connecting air hose in the middle of the train blew out. This caused the middle of the train to "buckle," and the damaged cars fell over on the passenger tracks.
Just as this happened the Cleveland Express came thundering up and "side swiped" the wreck. The express was stopped within its own length, and the third sleeper was opposite the wrecked cars. Before any one could leave the passenger train, which was not very badly damaged, a few slight explosion occurred, and then there was one great flash and roar that shook the earth. The whole affair occurred within the period of a few seconds.
Horrors Follow Explosion.
A scene of horror followed the explosion of the dynamite. The passenger cars and some of the freight cars instantly took fire. As the reverberation of the terrific explosion died away in the hills across the Susquehanna River, the agonizing cries of the injured could be heard. Men and women came tumbling and climbing from the car windows or crawled from under the wreckage. No one for the moment seemed to know what to do, and many of the passengers, momentarily seized with terror, ran wildly about the fields on the north side of the railroad or waded into the shallow waters of the river, which paralleled the railroad on the south. Realizing their safety and the danger still threatening the others, the frightened passengers turned in and began the rescue of the living. As they approached the wreck another explosion occurred, which sent them scurrying away. Fearing that the entire freight train might be loaded with dynamite, no one dared go near the wreck. Finally the railroad men, who knew the contents of the burning freight train, led the way, and the uninjured passengers followed.
The work of rescue was at first slow and it seemed as though the flames would envelop the entire express train before those who were pinned beneath the heavy wreckage could be freed. Everywhere there came cries for help, and the frantic rescuers worked with willing hands. Scores of those who were trapped in their sleeping berths or pinioned under wreckage were taken out an laid in the field badly hurt.
Heartrending Cries of Dying.
The advancing fire drove the rescuers back as they were about to take others from the wreck, and the unfortunates, men and women, were soon enveloped in the flames. The cries of the dying were heartrending in the extreme, but nothing could be done for them. An alarm of fire was sent in, but when the firemen reached the scene the flames had done their work, so far as the victims in the wreck were concerned. The entire train was consumed by fire.
After the victims in the wreck were beyond human aid, most attention was paid to the injured, who presented a pitiable sight as they lay in the field or on the banks of the river. With the firemen came a corps of physicians from the city, and the work of attending the injured began in earnest. As quickly as they were temporarily relieved of pain from burns or other injuries, they were placed on special trains and trolley cars and rushed to the hospitals here.
Not a Whole Body Found.
Several hundred railroad laborers were on the spot within an hour, and at daybreak their number had been increased to a thousand. It was a grewsome[sic] task for the railroad men. Not one whole body was found in the wreck. Either an arm or a leg or all four limbs were burned off the truck, and in several cases only portions of the trunks were found. Ten charred bodies were found under one Pullman car. It is the belief of the railroad officials that if the explosion had not occurred there probably would have been no loss of life.
The dead were taken to BOYD'S undertaking rooms here, which were transformed into a tempoirary morgue. Coroner KROUSE impaneled a jury, which viewed the bodies this afternoon. He will begin taking testimony to-morrow. The physicians and nurses at the Harrisburg Hospital, assisted by the trustees and members of the board of women managers, have been working incessantly since the first of the injured were taken there at 2:30 o'clock this morning. The hospital is crowded to the doors, and row after row of cots now occupy the wards.
Thousands View The Scene.
The sidewalks around the building had been crowded since early morning with persons anxious to see the injured. The crush for admittance was so great that it was necessary to place a policeman at each entrance.
The scene of the wreck was visited by probably more than 50,000 persons. There were at least 5,000 persons constantly at the place. They came from Lancaster and from all the small towns within fifty miles. The authorities had the situation well in hand, however, and kept the crowds back from the tracks by means of ropes stretched along the telegraph poles.
W. B. McCALEB, superintendent of the Philadelphia division, whose offices are in this city, said he was unable as yet to fix any responsibility for the accident. A thorough investigation, he said, is now being made by his men.
The Dead And Injured.
Ninety-eight Persons Treated at Hospitals and Elsewhere.
Harrisburg, Pa., May 11. -- The list of dead in this morning's wreck follows:
V. L. CRUBBE, Pittsburg.
GEORGE ZEIGLER, Pittsburg.
JAMES R. PHILLIPS, Pittsburg.
PAUL BRIGHT, Pittsburg.
MR. SHAW, Pittsburg.
J. L. SILVERMAN, Philadelphia.
MRS. ROBERT G. DOUGHERTY, Philadelphia.
H. K. THOMAS, Parkersburg, Pa., engineer of express train.
C. KUHLMAN, Altoona, Pa.
NORMA MARTINA, seven months old.
ALFRED CROSBY, conductor, Philadelphia.
Nine Unidentified Bodies.
The Pennsylvania Railroad officials to-night gave out a list containing the names of ninety-eight persons who were injured and treated at hospitals or elsewhere. The company also gave a list containing the names of thirty-six persons who were in the wreck and whose injuries are not given.
The following is a partial list of the more seriously injured.
D. R. WHITE, baggageman, Philadelphia, scalp cut slightly, general contusions of body.
HILMA ERICHSEN, New York, left ear drum ruptured.
F. W. BRODE, Memphis, Tenn., face lacerated.
R. G. DEVELIN, Philadelphia, cuts all over body.
MARION D. KANTZ, New York, scalp cut, burns and left shoulder seriously contused.
DR. McCULLOUGH, of Cleveland, left arm out and left shoulder sprained.
B. WARD, New York, left arm cut and left shoulder sprained.
GEORGE A. LOAFFLER, Pittsburg, burns of both arms and neck.
BELIA UDVERSCHY, Newark, N. J., cut on left hand and left side of face.
MRS. ROSE ROMAN, Brooklyn, left hand cut, scalp and forehead cut.
JOHN TAYLOR, New York, laborer, both feet cut.
SOLOMON BOTKIWSKY, New York, right hand cut and left hip bruised.
MRS. CHARLES H. STOW, Bensonhurst, neck burns, sprained neck, contusions of eye.
MRS. HENRY C. YARD, Bensonhurst, N. Y., contusions and laceration of feet and elbow.
JOHN B. MASON, Philadelphia, scalp wound and left leg bruised.
JAMES RAWSON, Trenton, N. J., left knee and right hip contused.
CARL DURKER, Pittsburg, left foot and ankle cut and right arm broken.
H. D. GODFREY, Cleveland, right arm cut and face abraised.
W. H. VANTYNE, Pittsburg, both arms burned and face hurt.
MRS. FRANK ALLEN, Pittsburg, abrosions of body, cuts of face and arms.
MAX KLAUBER, New York, punctured wound of left thigh, arms, face, and abdomen wounded.
JOSEPH GARMAN, Pittsburg, forehead cut and seriously burned.
MRS. W. S. HUZELTON, Pittsburg, numerous cuts about body.
J. W. ANDERSON, Pittsburg, burns of face, legs, and arms.
MRS. A. R. WOODWORTH, Springborough, Pa., right hand and arm cut.
WILLIAM KLINE, New York, burns of face, hands, and legs.
EDWIN L. HARMON, Pittsburg, scalp cut, shoulder, neck, and face lacerated.
HENRY M. KEASBEY, New York, burns of both hands, nose and face cut.
CHARLES DONNELLY, Pittsburg, face and scalp cut, foot and knee injured.
ANNA PETER, Cleveland, face and body burned.
I. H. AMOS, Columbus, Ohio, right knee contused.
H. P. HOPE, Pittsburg, body cut, hands and left eye cut.
W. K. TAYLOR, Pittsburg, back and head cut.
JOHN HAY, Vineland, N. J., both hands burned.
ISADORE KILNERMAN, Trenton, N. J., both hands burned.
RODNEY ALLEN, Philadelphia, right thigh contused, small abraised wound of right thigh.
ROSS PARLEY, Philadelphia, face and chest contused.
E. D. SAUERLAND, Philadelphia, scalp, both arms and both legs cut.
ARDEN POST, Elizabeth, N. J., both hands and feet burned, scalp cut.
GEORGE GRISWOLD, New Yorm, cuts of head, face, chest, and legs.
CHARLES DeFORREST, Cleveland, left leg broken, scalp wound.
W. E. McMILLAN, Wilkinsburg, Pa., left thumb broken, cut on left arm, both legs broken.
DANIEL OLSTOTT, Chicago, scalp cut, arms lacerated, and badly cut.
F. H. ACHESON, Denver, compound fracture of left cheekbone.
GEORGE M. SULLIVAN, New York, burns of face, hands, foot and legs.
A. P. SHUMAKER, Pittsburg, general contusions and burns of body.
ANTONY PETER, Cleveland, both hands badldy lacerated.
G. W. DORAHEIMER, Philadelphia, scalp wound, left hip contused and right leg broken.
JOSEPH EBERLY, New York, burns of face and arms.
SAMUEL SHUBERT, New York, badly burned all over body.
A. THALHEIMER, New York, cuts on head and arms.
J. A. DAWES, Pittsburg, severe contusions of head and back.
MARION D. KENTRA, New York, burns on hands, cut on face and shoulder.
A. G. COPEX, Pittsburg, hands and legs burned.

The Washington Post District Of Columbia 1905-05-12
__________________

Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!