New Philadelphia Times
 Tragedy on the rails

September 4, 2006 - Tragedy on the rails: Crash in 1950 killed 33, injured 50

WEST LAFAYETTE – In the darkness of a foggy Coshocton County morning in 1950, a troop train sat on the westbound tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad a half mile east of West Lafayette, stalled by mechanical problems.

It would be a deadly delay.

The men of the 109th Field Artillery, Pennsylvania National Guard, were on their way from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., to Camp Atterbury, Ind., after being mobilized for service in the Korean War.

Their train had been plagued with repeated mechanical problems. The train left Pittsburgh at 1:40 a.m. on Sept. 11. It broke down about 2 1/2 miles east of Dennison when the steam line on the last car of the train became disconnected and was dragging on the tracks. The steam line was repaired, and the train continued on its journey.

Near West Lafayette, the steam line dropped to the tracks again, causing an emergency brake to stop the train.

Farther back on the Panhandle line, William Eller, 65, engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train “Spirit of St. Louis,” was running behind schedule. His train left Pittsburgh at 2:08 a.m., 29 minutes late. At Dennison, it was stopped because of the troop train’s mechanical problems. By the time Eller reached Newcomerstown at 4:35 a.m., he was 40 minutes late.

At that time, according to Malcolm Young of Gnadenhutten, who spent 42 years maintaining signals for the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Panhandle line had the most modern signal system in the world.

As the “Spirit of St. Louis” neared the stalled troop train, it passed Signal No. 1129, which sent a radio signal to the engineer in his cab. The signal was “approach,” meaning he should proceed but be prepared to stop at the next signal. But the “Spirit” didn’t stop at the next signal, located 185 feet east of the stalled troop train. Going 48 mph, it smashed into the rear of the troop train at 4:42 a.m.

Lt. Col. Frank Townsend of Wilkes-Barre, the troop train commander, was standing near the rear of the train with several men, checking to see if any of his soldiers had gotten off.

“We saw the ‘Spirit’ coming almost a mile down the road,” Townsend later told reporters. “The flagman on our train must have been at least 100 yards down the track. We saw him signaling the ‘Spirit.’

“It kept coming on and when we saw it wasn’t going to stop, we started to run.”

The “Spirit” hit the last car on the troop train, splitting it wide open, according to Young, who later worked at the scene of the crash. The impact drove a second car on top of a third one.

The engine of the “Spirit” went down over an embankment, but Eller and his fireman walked away from the crash. Young said that if the engine had been run by steam instead of diesel, the two men likely would have been scalded to death.

Thirty-three GIs died in the crash and another 50 were injured. The seriously injured soldiers were rushed to City Hospital at Coshocton. Some of the injured were taken to Union Hospital at Dover.

Among those injured was 18-year-old Albert H. Williams Jr. of Wilkes-Barre. Only three men in his car survived. Williams never remembered any details of the accident. The first thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital at Coshocton. Both of his arms were broken, his ribs were broken and his back was crushed. Luckily he suffered no head injuries.

After the wreck, the people of West Lafayette and surrounded towns rallied to help out. Harry Schurtz, who owned a farm near the crash site, allowed soldiers to use his telephone to call relatives to let them know they were safe. His wife served eggs, bacon, toast and coffee to the GIs.

Homes in the area were opened to relatives of the victims who traveled here after word of the wreck reached Pennsylvania.

At a hearing of the Interstate Commerce Commission, held at Pittsburgh on Sept. 13, Eller admitted he ran the “Spirit” through a “stop” signal shortly before the accident. Eller, described by media reports as “a spare and graying man,” had worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad for 48 years and had never been in a major wreck before. He was a native of Tuscarawas.

Asked if he slowed down at the “approach” signal, Eller replied, “Yes, but not enough,” as he held his face in his hands. Asked what he did at the “stop” signal, he answered, “Everybody knows.”

The commission ruled that the accident was caused “by failure to operate the following train in accordance with signal indications.”

For soldiers injured in the crash like Albert Williams, it was a long road to recovery. Williams was hospitalized for 17 months. He spent time in a hospital at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, and then he was transferred to a hospital at Wilkes-Barre in time for Christmas. Doctors put a steel bar in his back during this time.

Recovering from the emotional toll of the crash was even harder. Of the three men who survived in Williams’ car, one committed suicide and another went insane, according to area historian Dan Markley of West Lafayette, who became friends with Williams.

Williams was troubled by nightmares about the crash. “His psychiatrist told him the best thing to do would be to go back to West Lafayette,” Markley said.

So, about 18 years ago, Williams returned to the scene of the crash. Williams and his wife, Delores, continued coming to West Lafayette, making about three or four trips each year, Markley said. “He was a wonderful fellow.”

Williams was on hand when a monument to those killed in the wreck was dedicated on Nov. 10, 1990. He contributed money for the upkeep of the marker, to buy flowers and keep the grass mowed.

Williams died last April 5 at age 73.

Markley said Williams’ Army cap soon will go on display in the museum at West Lafayette as part of its exhibit on the wreck. The museum is located in Dale Gress’ real estate office on Main St. and is open when the real estate office is open.

JON BAKER, New Philadelphia Times Reporter - New Philadelphia,OH,USA