Share your discoveries

Please help us spread the word about Record Hunter and the thousands of FREE historical and genealogical records we provide...Use the social media buttons on every page that interests you.

Search Historica

Visit Historica to search over 100 indexes to 1 Million+ birth, death, marriage, obituary, estate, naturalization and military service records. Searching is free, we offer digital copies of the indexed documents for $10 and items are usually delivered within 24 hours.

6 Men Killed on Pennsylvania Railroad

Transcribed from the Altoona Sun May 1, 1874

THE OLD STORY. - On last Wednesday six men were
killed outright and one seriously injured in this vicinity
on the Pennsylvania railroad. The first one the list was an
unknown tramp who was walking on the track, near Huntingdon,
run over and instantly killed by a passing train.

On the same day Amos and Jacob Pardee, P. S. Irwin and
W. W. Irwin, bothers, and Jacob Bowden, all residing near the
Cherrytree, were walking on the track between Gallitzin and Cresson.
Noticing a freight train approaching they stepped on to the other
track to avoid it just in time to be hit by the pilot of the Pacific
Express which had approached them in their rear undiscovered, killing
four of them outright, W. W. Irwin escaping with a broken leg and other
injuries. Bowden was the only one of the number who was married.
These persons were returning from a trip down the river with lumber,
and had left the accommodation train at Gallitzin to walk across the
country, but finding the snow too deep returned to Gallitzin and started
on foot for Cresson, intending at the latter place to take the Ebensburg train.

Keywords/Tags: Amos Parde, Jacob Pardee, P. S. Irwin, W. W. Irwin, Jacob Bowden, Altoona Sun, Cresson, Gallitzin, Pennsylvania Railroad