1905 — May 11, Trains collide, blasting powder explosion, fire, SE Harrisburg, PA — 23
–22-23 Adams and Seibold. Great Train Wrecks of Eastern Pennsylvania. 1992, p. 151.
— 23 Blanchard estimate.[1]
— 23 Gettysburg Compiler, PA. “The Great Wreck.” 5-17-1905, p. 1.
— 23 Railroad Gazette. “May Accidents,” Vol. XXXIX, No. 1, July 7, 1905 p. 3.
— 23 Railroad Gazette. “Train Accidents in…U.S. in May,” Vol. XXXIX, N1, 6-7-1905, 24.
— 23 Titusville Morning Herald. “Another Wreck Victim.” 5-20-1905, p. 1.
— 22 Titusville Morning Herald. “Evidence is All Taken…Wreck.” 5-17-1905, p. 1.
— 22 Macintosh. “Transportation of Explosives.” Locomotive…Magazine. 57/6, 12-1914, 700.
Narrative Information
Adams and Seibold: “The train was the Cleveland and Cincinnati Express…the final death count was 22. The cause of the wreck was, frightfully, obvious.
“The express pulled out of Philadelphia at 11:05 the previous night…The trip from Philadelphia to Harrisburg was uneventful, but when the express reached the south Harrisburg yards, something terrible happened. A switcher was maneuvering through the yards as an eastbound freight train bore down on it. The engineer of the 68-car freighter pulled the air brakes and his train screeched to a halt. As the result of the action, however, a boxcar 34 cars in back of the engine buckled in the middle and leaned into the westbound tracks.
“Its timing, and its cargo, could not have been worse. The express was steaming at breakneck speed, directly into the path of the listing boxcar. The freight train crew had no time to send up a danger signal, it was far too late to stop the passenger train, and its engineer, H.K. Thomas, somehow felt it could clear the boxcar. It could not.
“The boxcar was filled with dynamite. The Pullman car “Socrates” sideswiped the boxcar, and in a flash, a chain reaction of explosions rocked both trains, blowing the passenger locomotive to smithereens and touching off a monumental fire. Like blazing dominoes, the freight and passenger cars were swept by flames. Gas tanks popped, shot through the roofs of the coaches, and the inferno consumed car after car, person after person.
“Many of the passengers had been asleep, and were hard pressed to face the cold, dark night. Still, some nearly naked, those who survived the initial blast scrambled across cinders and ballast to flee the fire. Some of the passengers were catapulted out of the exploding cars and into the Susquehanna River. Some never made it out of their coaches.
“There was no need to summon emergency help. Windows were blown out of houses a mile away, and fire fighters easily pinpointed the source of the explosion. Neighbors responded with supplies and manpower to help in the rescue, but the damage was inconceivable.
“Ten charred and unrecognizable bodies were found in the Pullman, and Engineer Thomas’ mutilated body was found on the bank of the river. He had been blown through the roof of the cab when the boiler exploded….
“By the middle of the night, about 1,000 railroad crewmen were on the scene, laboring to clear the tracks and restore service to the line.
As it turned out, many of the wild reports from the scene at the outset proved to be grossly exaggerated. The initial estimate of 163 deaths was far higher than the final casualty total of 23….
“What was looked upon at first as a wreck which would cost the railroad at least a million dollars in damages wound up costing about one-third that sum. Of course, that total was based on the fact that the average accident claim settled upon with the passengers was $250.
Three passengers were apparently “blown to atoms,” as the reporter so graphically put it in the first story filed from the scene. Their bodies were never recovered, but personal effects and testimony from other passengers verified that they had been on the train before the explosion. Even though the bodies were not found, the railroad settled with their families, and included their names on a monument in the Paxtang Cemetery, where other unidentified remains were buried at the railroad’s expense.
“As for the explosion itself, the bill of lading showed that the boxcar which was struck was filled with ten tons of Judson Rock Chief Powder, a blasting powder consisting of seven percent dynamite. The powder was destined for the H.S. Kerbaugh Co. of Columbia, Pa.
“The cause of the accident was determined to be related to the fact that some cars on the freight trains had air brakes and others had hand brakes. That mixture, experts said, could be dangerous in emergencies.
“The Pennsylvania Railroad was not held to blame for the accident, and all crews of the shifting engine, the freight and the express were exonerated.
“The accident in Harrisburg that day spurred legislators to re-examine the way explosives were carried on American railroads. Railroaders testified at the coroner’s inquest that shippers sometimes concealed dangerous cargoes with innocuous labels.
“Passenger cars and freight cars carrying dynamite were sometimes coupled together, and it was not unusual for explosives to be loosely packed in freight cars.
“Two days after the Harrisburg wreck, a bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate which put more strict regulations on the shipping, labeling, inspection and packing of explosives on American railroads.” (Adams and Seibold. Great Train Wrecks of Eastern Pennsylvania. 1992, 151-155.)
Macintosh: “An east-bound freight-train was stopped by a flagman protecting a switch-engine on the main line at Lochiel, two miles east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on the morning of May 11, 1905. The engineer of the freight applied the air so suddenly that the train buckled in the middle, throwing two or three cars from the track so that they fouled the westbound track. Before a flag could be sent out, the fast Cleveland and Cincinnati express flashed by. The engine and the first few cars passed the derailed cars safely, but the first Pullman struck one of the box cars, which contained ten tons of blasting powder. Instantly there was a terrific explosion, which wrecked both trains and started a fire that spread rapidly. Twenty-two persons, among whom was Mr. Sam Shubert, the theatrical manager, were killed and one hundred and thirty-six were injured.” (Macintosh. “Transportation of Explosives.” Locomotive…Magazine. 57/6, 12-1914, 700.)
Railroad Gazette: “11th, 1 a.m., Pennsylvania road, at Lochiel, Pa., two miles east of Harrisburg, two cars of an eastbound freight train were derailed and were pushed to one side so as to foul a westbound passenger track. A westbound passenger train ran into the derailed cars, one of which contained blasting powder, and there was at once a terrible explosion, killing or fatally injuring 20 passengers and three employees, and injuring 109 other passengers and three employees. The passenger train was second No. 19 westbound. The freight, eastbound, consisting of engine, tender and 68 cars, with 34 cars air-braked, was stopped by a flagman protecting a switching engine, which was occupying the main eastbound freight track; and the application of the air-brakes on the first 34 cars caused two tars, the 35th and 36th, to “buckle.” The 36th car, loaded with Judson powder, was forced to one side so as to partially foul the westbound passenger track. The engine and first three or four cars of the passenger train passed the derailed freight cars without great damage, though it appears that the shock was sufficient to awaken all the passengers in the sleeping cars and to do considerable damage to the engine and first two or three cars of the train. The engineman of the passenger train was probably killed at this time.
“Immediately after the first shock and the. Passenger train having come to a stop, there were two minor explosions, caused by some of the scattered powder being ignited by the fire from the engine. This was followed very closely by a very heavy explosion, caused by the entire lot of powder becoming ignited. There is no truth in the report that the locomotive boiler exploded. The engine was repaired and was put in service in three days. All the cars appear to have been set on fire at once by the explosion and survivors describe the spread of the flames as very rapid. Many of the surviving passengers were burnt and many were cut by broken glass. The Coroner’s jury found that the railroad company and its employees were not guilty of any negligence by reason of which the accident occurred; that the rules of the company in regard to the flagging of trains and the stoppage of trains were strictly observed, and “the company and its employees are to be commended for their actions after the accident in taking care of the wounded and distressed.” This accident was reported in the Railroad Gazette of May 19 and was discussed in the issue of June 2.” (Railroad Gazette. “Train Accidents in…U.S. in May,” Vol. XXXIX, N1, July 7, 1905, 24.)
Railroad Gazette: “The Harrisburg (Pa.) disaster…[23 fatalities; 109 injured] has already been reported in the Railroad Gazette (May 19, page 163, General News Section, and June 2, page 594). No additional facts of importance have come out since except that (1; the train was composed of 68 cars, exactly one-half of which were air-braked; (2) the engineman applied the air-brakes only moderately (5-lb. reduction of pressure), and (3) the grade was slightly descending. Whether or not the car that buckled was weaker than those behind it is a point on which no information is vouchsafed. Since the accident the Pennsylvania has issued revised regulations for the transportation of explosives. Such shipments must be carried only in perfect cars, in trains of not over 30 cars, two-thirds air-braked; near the middle of the train but not within 10 cars of the engine.”) (Railroad Gazette. “May Accidents,” Vol. XXXIX, No. 1, July 7, 1905 p. 3.)
Newspaper
May 11: “One of the most pitiful and appalling chapters of horror, explosion and railroad wrecks in the world’s history was that of the paralyzing calamity at Harrisburg this morning at 1:38 o’clock, when the second section of Cleveland and Cincinnati Express, west-bound, on the Pennsylvania line, plunged into a wrecked freight train, exploding two cars of dynamite and strewing the ground with the dead and mangled bodies of nearly all of thee 169 passengers, and the members of the crews of the two trains….”[2] (Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Ghastly and Appalling Wreck…Many Killed and Burned to Death.” 5-11-1905, p. 1.)
May 11: “Harrisburg, Pa., May 11.–The bursting of an air hose on a freight train caused the loss of about 20 lives, injuring 100 people of a passenger train and the destruction by fire of the passenger train and part of the freight train early this morning on the Pennsylvania railroad in South Harrisburg….” (The Courier, Connellsville, PA. “Express Dashes Into Cars of Dynamite.” 5-12-1905, p. 1.)
May 13: “Harrisburg, May 13.–Two more victims of the wreck of the Cleveland and Cincinnati express on the Pennsylvania railroad at South Harrisburg have died, bringing the total number of victims to 22. Two others are in a critical condition. Sixteen of the dead have been identified. The bodies of the others are so horribly charred and burned that it is doubtful if they will ever be positively identified….
“Mr. [Samuel] Shubert died at the Commonwealth hotel….
“Joseph Eberly of New York and Mrs. Anna Peters of Cleveland are at the hospital and are not expected to live. All the other injured at the hospital are expected to recover….” “Max Stettheimer died at the Harrisburg hospital….” (Evening Record, Greenville PA. “More Victims Dead.” 5-13-1905, p. 1.)
May 16: “Harrisburg, May 16.–The taking of testimony by the coroner’s jury into the cause of the South Harrisburg disaster on the Pennsylvania railroad last Thursday in which twenty-two lives were lost and more than 100 persons were injured, was concluded this afternoon and the jury will render its verdict tomorrow.” (Titusville Morning Herald, PA. “Evidence is All Taken On Harrisburg Wreck.” 5-17-1905, p. 1.)
May 17: “The greatest accident in years on the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad took place last Thursday morning between 1 and 2 o’clock. A Western Express train of Pullman cars was entering Harrisburg at rate of 55 or 60 miles an hour and passed an eastbound freight. As engines passed an air apparatus on freight broke and cars left the track and struck the Pullman coaches of the express. A number of terrific explosions followed, two cars of the freight train containing dynamite. There was an immense wreck and almost instantaneously it was all in a furious blaze. Twenty-three were killed or died from wounds, seventeen bodies having been identified, the others having been burnt beyond recognition, and 57 others were injured.” (Gettysburg Compiler, PA. “The Great Wreck.” 5-17-1905, p. 1.)
May 19: “Harrisburg, Pa., May 19.–Another victim has been added to the list of those who lost their lives on the South Harrisburg disaster last Thursday, making the number of dead twenty-three. The latest victim is J. W. Anderson of Pittsburg, who died at the Harrisburg hospital today and whose body was taken to his home by his widow and family physician.” (Titusville Morning Herald. “Another Wreck Victim.” 5-20-1905, p. 1.)
Sources
Adams, Charles J. III and David J. Seibold. Great Train Wrecks of Eastern Pennsylvania. Reading, PA: Exeter House Books, 1992.
Evening Record, Greenville PA. “More Victims Dead.” 5-13-1905, p. 1. Accessed 9-12-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/greenville-evening-record-may-13-1905-p-1/?tag
Gettysburg Compiler, PA. “The Great Wreck.” 5-17-1905, p. 1. Accessed 9-12-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/gettysburg-compiler-may-17-1905-p-1/?tag
Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Ghastly and Appalling Wreck…Many Killed and Burned to Death.” 5-11-1905, p. 1. Accessed 9-12-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lebanon-daily-news-may-11-1905-p-1/?tag
Macintosh, Pearson. “Transportation of Explosives: How the Movement of Explosives on Railroads has been Surrounded by Safety Precautions – The Bureau of Explosives and Its Work.” Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineer’s Magazine. Vol. 57, No. 6, Dec. 1914, pp. 699-704. Digitized by Google. Accessed 9-12-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=iGFVAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Railroad Gazette. Vol. XXXIX, July-Dec, 1905. Digitized by Google. Accessed 9-12-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=yJxMAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false
The Courier, Connellsville, PA. “Express Dashes Into Cars of Dynamite.” 5-12-1905, p. 1. Accessed 9-12-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/connellsville-courier-may-12-1905-p-9/?tag
Titusville Morning Herald. “Another Wreck Victim.” 5-20-1905, p. 1. Accessed 9-12-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/titusville-herald-may-20-1905-p-1/?tag
Titusville Morning Herald, PA. “Evidence is All Taken On Harrisburg Wreck.” 5-17-1905, p. 1. Accessed 9-12-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/titusville-herald-may-17-1905-p-1/?tag
[1] We use twenty-three rather than twenty-two to twenty-three deaths given the Titusville Morning Herald report on May 20 of the death of a hospitalized victim on May 18 — bringing the total to 23.
[2] One of the most extreme examples of early first-day reporting errors we have seen; shown to demonstrate importance of going beyond a single source.