Connellsville train wreck: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|1903 rail accident in Pennsylvania, US}} |
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{{Infobox public transit accident |
{{Infobox public transit accident |
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| name = Connellsville train wreck |
| name = Connellsville train wreck |
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| date = |
| date = {{start date and age|1903|12|23}} |
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| time = 7.45pm |
| time = 7.45pm |
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| location = [[Lower Tyrone Township |
| location = [[Lower Tyrone Township, Pennsylvania|Lower Tyrone Township]], [[Fayette County, Pennsylvania|Fayette County]], near [[Connellsville, Pennsylvania]] |
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The '''Connellsville train wreck''' was a rail accident that occurred on December 23, 1903, on the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] near [[Connellsville, Pennsylvania]].<ref group="note">[ |
The '''Connellsville train wreck''' was a rail accident that occurred on December 23, 1903, on the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] near [[Connellsville, Pennsylvania]].<ref group="note">[https://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/10329/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903-sixty-dead-in-wreck ''The New York Times''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326124804/http://www3.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/10329/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903-sixty-dead-in-wreck |date=2012-03-26 }} stated it happened at Laurel Run, eight miles west of Connellsville as did [https://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/10330/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903-disastrous-wreck ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326124916/http://www3.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/10330/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903-disastrous-wreck |date=2012-03-26 }}, whereas the [https://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/5148/laurel-run%2C-pa-passenger-train-strikes-debris%2C-dec-1903 ''Connellsville Courier''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326125021/http://www3.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/5148/laurel-run,-pa-passenger-train-strikes-debris,-dec-1903 |date=2012-03-26 }} whilst still citing Laurel Run as the location, places it two miles west of [[Dawson, Pennsylvania|Dawson]]. To add to the confusion, [[Laurel Run, Pennsylvania]] is in a different county entirely.</ref> The ''Duquesne Limited'', a passenger train, derailed when it struck a load of timber lying on the tracks. The timber had fallen from a freight train minutes before the collision. The crash resulted in 64 deaths and 68 injuries.{{sfn|Haine|1993|p=31}} |
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==Trains== |
==Trains== |
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The eastbound Limited was travelling from [[Pittsburgh]] to [[New York City|New York]] at a speed of {{convert|60|mph}} with 150 passengers on board,<ref name=OgensburgAdvance>{{cite news| url= |
The eastbound Limited was travelling from [[Pittsburgh]] to [[New York City|New York]] at a speed of {{convert|60|mph}} with 150 passengers on board,<ref name=OgensburgAdvance>{{cite news| url=https://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/7329/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903| newspaper=Ogdensburg Advance and St. Lawrence Weekly Democrat| via=Gendisasters| title=Laurel Run, PA Train Wreck, Dec 1903 - Sixty Three Dead| date=December 23, 1903| others=submitted by Stu Beitler| access-date=June 17, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326125128/http://www3.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/7329/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903| archive-date=March 26, 2012| url-status=live}}</ref> many travelling to catch a passenger liner to [[Great Britain]].<ref name=SixtyDead>{{cite news| url=https://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/10329/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903-sixty-dead-in-wreck| newspaper=The New York Times| location=New York, NY| date=December 24, 1903| via=Gendisasters| title=Laurel Run, PA Train Wreck, Dec 1903 - Sixty Dead in Wreck| others=submitted by Linda Horton| access-date=June 17, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326124804/http://www3.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/10329/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903-sixty-dead-in-wreck| archive-date=March 26, 2012| url-status=live}}<br />{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5844276/sixty_dead_in_railway_wreck/| title=Sixty Dead in Railway Wreck| newspaper=The New York Times| location=New York, NY| date=December 24, 1903| page=1| via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}</ref> The train was composed of [[4-4-2 (locomotive)|Atlantic]] locomotive No. 1465,<ref name=Courier>{{cite news| url=https://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/5148/laurel-run%2C-pa-passenger-train-strikes-debris%2C-dec-1903| newspaper=The Courier| location=Connellsville, Pennsylvania| title=Laurel Run, PA Passenger Train Strikes Debris, Dec 1903 - 70 Dead| via=Gendisasters| date=December 24, 1903| others=submitted by Stu Beitler| access-date=June 17, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326125021/http://www3.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/5148/laurel-run,-pa-passenger-train-strikes-debris,-dec-1903| archive-date=March 26, 2012| url-status=live}}<br />{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5844204/1903_connellsville_wreck_main_story/| title=Seventy Persons Killed in Duquesne Limited Wreck| newspaper=The Courier| date=December 24, 1903| page=1| location=Connellsville, Pennsylvania| via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}},</ref> a combination baggage/smoker, two passenger coaches, two [[Pullman (car or coach)|Pullmans]], and a dining car.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/10330/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903-disastrous-wreck| newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer| via=Gendisasters| title=Laurel Run, PA Train Wreck, Dec 1903 - Disastrous Wreck| date=December 24, 1903| others=submitted by Linda Horton| access-date=June 17, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326124916/http://www3.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/10330/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903-disastrous-wreck| archive-date=March 26, 2012| url-status=live}}</ref> Less than 15 minutes earlier a load of timber had dropped from a westbound freight train of the [[Nickel Plate Road]] heading for [[New Castle, Pennsylvania|New Castle]]. The timber had been loaded three days earlier in [[Friendship, Anne Arundel County, Maryland|Friendship, Maryland]], and it is thought the stakes on the side of the freight wagon gave way as it rounded a curve, sending the timber spilling onto the eastbound track, without knowledge of the train crew.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/10327/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903-victims-total-64| newspaper=The New York Times| via=Gendisasters| title=Laurel Run, PA Train Wreck, Dec 1903 - Victims Total 64| others=submitted by Linda Horton| date=December 25, 1903| access-date=June 17, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326125321/http://www3.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/10327/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903-victims-total-64| archive-date=March 26, 2012| url-status=live}}<br />{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5844236/train_wreck_victims_total_64/| title=Train Wreck Victims Total Sixty-Four| newspaper=The New York Times| date=December 25, 1903| page=3| location=New York, NY| via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}</ref> |
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==Crash== |
==Crash== |
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The engineer of the ''Duquesne Limited'' barely had time to apply the brakes when at about 7.45 pm<ref name=SixtyDead/> the Atlantic struck the {{convert|60|ft|adj=on}} timbers and fell onto its side between the tracks, which were torn apart a distance of {{convert|500|ft}};{{sfn|Haine|1993|pp=64-65}} the tender was 'thrown high into the air over the top of the engine'. The crowded smoking car ripped along the side of the engine, the broken [[steam dome]] catching it at window height. Escaping steam shot through the interior of the car, scalding everyone in it to death; according to the local paper they were 'literally cooked alive', 'Steam blistered the tongues and lips of the victims to an awful size and they protruded in a sickening manner', 'Death came quickly, but its agony evidently was intense'.<ref name=Courier/> Another car was thrown over an embankment into the nearby [[Youghiogheny River]]. On the other side of the river an operator in a tower (signal box) on the [[ |
The engineer of the ''Duquesne Limited'' barely had time to apply the brakes when at about 7.45 pm<ref name=SixtyDead/> the Atlantic struck the {{convert|60|ft|adj=on}} timbers and fell onto its side between the tracks, which were torn apart a distance of {{convert|500|ft}};{{sfn|Haine|1993|pp=64-65}} the tender was 'thrown high into the air over the top of the engine'. The crowded smoking car ripped along the side of the engine, the broken [[steam dome]] catching it at window height. Escaping steam shot through the interior of the car, scalding everyone in it to death; according to the local paper they were 'literally cooked alive', 'Steam blistered the tongues and lips of the victims to an awful size and they protruded in a sickening manner', 'Death came quickly, but its agony evidently was intense'.<ref name=Courier/> Another car was thrown over an embankment into the nearby [[Youghiogheny River]]. On the other side of the river an operator in a tower (signal box) on the [[Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad]] witnessed the disaster. Baggagemaster Thomas Baum managed to avert a worse disaster; despite being seriously injured he set fire to his coat using matches to flag down the next westbound passenger train, which managed to stop just short of the wreck. A relief train was organised which arrived on the scene at 9 pm amid reports that many of the bodies had been robbed.<ref name=SixtyDead/> |
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==Afterwards== |
==Afterwards== |
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Connellsville's local newspaper described the scene in the town the next day, Christmas Eve: "Today the town is in a state of intense excitement. The morgues are crowded with visitors, viewing the unidentified dead. Rumors of identifications are rampant on the streets, each new name added to the list bringing with it a new aftermath of heart-rending sorrow. Early this morning people from all over the country flocked into town, uncertain regarding the safety of their friends known to be in Pittsburg yesterday. In spite of a drizzling rain great crowds are about the morgues, some morbidly inclined, others searching for news of missing friends." |
Connellsville's local newspaper described the scene in the town the next day, Christmas Eve: "Today the town is in a state of intense excitement. The morgues are crowded with visitors, viewing the unidentified dead. Rumors of identifications are rampant on the streets, each new name added to the list bringing with it a new aftermath of heart-rending sorrow. Early this morning people from all over the country flocked into town, uncertain regarding the safety of their friends known to be in Pittsburg yesterday. In spite of a drizzling rain great crowds are about the morgues, some morbidly inclined, others searching for news of missing friends."<ref name=Courier/> |
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At the coroner's court, officials of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad stated that the blame for the accident should be with those who loaded the timbers onto the |
At the coroner's court, officials of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad stated that the blame for the accident should be with those who loaded the timbers onto the Nickel Plate Railroad wagon.{{sfn|Haine|1993|pp=64-65}} |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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{{refbegin}} |
{{refbegin}} |
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* {{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S7t8DW4iYDMC |
* {{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S7t8DW4iYDMC| title=Railroad Wrecks| first=Edgar A.| last=Haine| year=1993| publisher=Cornwall Books| location=New York, London and Toronto| isbn=9780845348444| via=Google Books}} |
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{{refend}} |
{{refend}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* |
*{{cite web |url=https://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/10326/laurel-run-pa-train-wreck-dec-1903 |title=Laurel Run, PA Train Wreck, Dec 1903 |website=GenDisasters |date=2008-12-09}} - contains transcripts of the referenced newspaper articles |
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{{coord|40.052322|N|79.695511|W|region:US-PA_type:landmark_source:dewiki|display=title}} |
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{{1903 railway accidents}} |
{{1903 railway accidents}} |
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[[Category:Derailments in the United States]] |
[[Category:Derailments in the United States]] |
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[[Category:1903 in Pennsylvania]] |
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[[Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania]] |
[[Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania]] |
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[[Category:Railway accidents in 1903]] |
[[Category:Railway accidents in 1903]] |
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[[Category:Transportation in Fayette County, Pennsylvania]] |
[[Category:Transportation in Fayette County, Pennsylvania]] |
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Latest revision as of 00:38, 28 December 2024
Connellsville train wreck | |
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Details | |
Date | December 23, 1903 7.45pm |
Location | Lower Tyrone Township, Fayette County, near Connellsville, Pennsylvania |
Country | United States |
Operator | Baltimore and Ohio Railroad |
Incident type | Derailment |
Cause | Debris on track |
Statistics | |
Trains | 1 |
Passengers | 150 |
Deaths | 64 |
Injured | 68 |
The Connellsville train wreck was a rail accident that occurred on December 23, 1903, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad near Connellsville, Pennsylvania.[note 1] The Duquesne Limited, a passenger train, derailed when it struck a load of timber lying on the tracks. The timber had fallen from a freight train minutes before the collision. The crash resulted in 64 deaths and 68 injuries.[1]
Trains
[edit]The eastbound Limited was travelling from Pittsburgh to New York at a speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) with 150 passengers on board,[2] many travelling to catch a passenger liner to Great Britain.[3] The train was composed of Atlantic locomotive No. 1465,[4] a combination baggage/smoker, two passenger coaches, two Pullmans, and a dining car.[5] Less than 15 minutes earlier a load of timber had dropped from a westbound freight train of the Nickel Plate Road heading for New Castle. The timber had been loaded three days earlier in Friendship, Maryland, and it is thought the stakes on the side of the freight wagon gave way as it rounded a curve, sending the timber spilling onto the eastbound track, without knowledge of the train crew.[6]
Crash
[edit]The engineer of the Duquesne Limited barely had time to apply the brakes when at about 7.45 pm[3] the Atlantic struck the 60-foot (18 m) timbers and fell onto its side between the tracks, which were torn apart a distance of 500 feet (150 m);[7] the tender was 'thrown high into the air over the top of the engine'. The crowded smoking car ripped along the side of the engine, the broken steam dome catching it at window height. Escaping steam shot through the interior of the car, scalding everyone in it to death; according to the local paper they were 'literally cooked alive', 'Steam blistered the tongues and lips of the victims to an awful size and they protruded in a sickening manner', 'Death came quickly, but its agony evidently was intense'.[4] Another car was thrown over an embankment into the nearby Youghiogheny River. On the other side of the river an operator in a tower (signal box) on the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad witnessed the disaster. Baggagemaster Thomas Baum managed to avert a worse disaster; despite being seriously injured he set fire to his coat using matches to flag down the next westbound passenger train, which managed to stop just short of the wreck. A relief train was organised which arrived on the scene at 9 pm amid reports that many of the bodies had been robbed.[3]
Afterwards
[edit]Connellsville's local newspaper described the scene in the town the next day, Christmas Eve: "Today the town is in a state of intense excitement. The morgues are crowded with visitors, viewing the unidentified dead. Rumors of identifications are rampant on the streets, each new name added to the list bringing with it a new aftermath of heart-rending sorrow. Early this morning people from all over the country flocked into town, uncertain regarding the safety of their friends known to be in Pittsburg yesterday. In spite of a drizzling rain great crowds are about the morgues, some morbidly inclined, others searching for news of missing friends."[4]
At the coroner's court, officials of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad stated that the blame for the accident should be with those who loaded the timbers onto the Nickel Plate Railroad wagon.[7]
Notes
[edit]- ^ The New York Times Archived 2012-03-26 at the Wayback Machine stated it happened at Laurel Run, eight miles west of Connellsville as did The Philadelphia Inquirer Archived 2012-03-26 at the Wayback Machine, whereas the Connellsville Courier Archived 2012-03-26 at the Wayback Machine whilst still citing Laurel Run as the location, places it two miles west of Dawson. To add to the confusion, Laurel Run, Pennsylvania is in a different county entirely.
References
[edit]- ^ Haine 1993, p. 31.
- ^ "Laurel Run, PA Train Wreck, Dec 1903 - Sixty Three Dead". Ogdensburg Advance and St. Lawrence Weekly Democrat. submitted by Stu Beitler. December 23, 1903. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2010 – via Gendisasters.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b c "Laurel Run, PA Train Wreck, Dec 1903 - Sixty Dead in Wreck". The New York Times. submitted by Linda Horton. New York, NY. December 24, 1903. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2010 – via Gendisasters.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: others (link)
"Sixty Dead in Railway Wreck". The New York Times. New York, NY. December 24, 1903. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com. - ^ a b c "Laurel Run, PA Passenger Train Strikes Debris, Dec 1903 - 70 Dead". The Courier. submitted by Stu Beitler. Connellsville, Pennsylvania. December 24, 1903. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2010 – via Gendisasters.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: others (link)
"Seventy Persons Killed in Duquesne Limited Wreck". The Courier. Connellsville, Pennsylvania. December 24, 1903. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com., - ^ "Laurel Run, PA Train Wreck, Dec 1903 - Disastrous Wreck". The Philadelphia Inquirer. submitted by Linda Horton. December 24, 1903. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2010 – via Gendisasters.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Laurel Run, PA Train Wreck, Dec 1903 - Victims Total 64". The New York Times. submitted by Linda Horton. December 25, 1903. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2010 – via Gendisasters.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: others (link)
"Train Wreck Victims Total Sixty-Four". The New York Times. New York, NY. December 25, 1903. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com. - ^ a b Haine 1993, pp. 64–65.
- Haine, Edgar A. (1993). Railroad Wrecks. New York, London and Toronto: Cornwall Books. ISBN 9780845348444 – via Google Books.
External links
[edit]- "Laurel Run, PA Train Wreck, Dec 1903". GenDisasters. 2008-12-09. - contains transcripts of the referenced newspaper articles
- Accidents and incidents involving Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
- December 1903 events in the United States
- Derailments in the United States
- 1903 disasters in the United States
- 1903 in Pennsylvania
- Railway accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania
- Railway accidents in 1903
- Transportation in Fayette County, Pennsylvania