OBIT: John E. McNELIS, 1908, Altoona, Blair County, PA

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Disastrous Wreck near Cresson, Pa.
Passenger and Freight Train Collide near Crossing of Pike on C. & C. 
Branch
Engineer John McNelis, of Altoona, Fatally Injured
Dies the Same Evening in Altoona Hospital

  The worst wreck that has occurred on the Cambria & Clearfield Branch 
of the PRR for the past fifteen years took place a short distance west 
of the crossing of the Pittsburg pike about a mile west of Cresson on 
Monday morning last.
  From all the information at hand it appears that the northbound 
passenger train, the scheduled time of which to leave Cresson is 9:20, 
was that morning about an hour late in taking its departure, having, it 
is reported, orders to run to Munster siding and there switch over for 
[two words faded] Susquehanna freight, on the time of which it was then 
running.  By one of those unaccountable occurrences which often take 
place, the freight engineer, John McNeelis [sic], had orders to run to 
the Cresson yards, thus overlapping the orders of the passenger train 
which, hauled by two engines, pulled out from Cresson at a good rate of 
speed to make up for lost time; but when near the end of the Cresson 
siding, emerging from a piece of woods sparsely timbered, on a down 
grade, on a left curve to a sump near the crossing of the pike where 
once stood a steam saw mill, from which towards to Luckett's station, a 
sharp right curve, the view across which is obstructed by the timber 
left standing from the lumbering operations of forty years ago and a 
considerable undergrowth of young timber, when the trainmen were 
apprised of impending danger by a trackhand sent by sub-division boss, 
Thomas Karns, to flag the train.  Karns at the same time sending 
another man to endeavor to stop the freight then rounding the curve 
from Luckett's on the down grade into the sump before mentioned.  
Instantly the brakes on the passenger train were applied and this 
prompt action doubtless prevented the piling up of the passenger cars.  
To slacken the speed of the heavy coal train was a more difficult 
matter, as it was being pushed by an engine, the view from which across 
the curve was obstructed by the woods mentioned and the engineer was on 
the outside of the curve and the trains went together with terrific 
force, as may be judged from the annexed cut.
  The impact of the collision aroused the passengers of the train to 
the realization of the fact that an accident had occurred and no one 
was seriously injured; with one impulse, they alighted from the coaches 
which remained on the track and began the search for the injured 
trainmen of both trains.  The three engines were found to be a mass of 
wreckage, one of the passenger engines as will be seen in the picture 
being piled on top of the wreckage of the other two.  One baggage car 
was smashed to flinders and several coal cars had been thrown bodily 
forward, the coal covering the wreckage of the engines.  From 
underneath the debris, John E. McNelis, the engineer of the pulling 
engine of the freight train was taken.  Both feet and one arm had been 
crushed, the hand lying under one of the wheels of his engine.  As he
was being lifted up he is reported to have directed one of the 
bystanders to get his orders as they would show that he was not to 
blame.  Rev. Father James Graven, of Summit, administered to him 
spiritually, after which he was, with some of the other injured 
trainmen, hurried to an Altoona hospital where he died about 5 o'clock 
the same evening.
  The other injured trainmen were:
  Ralph F. Dewalt of Cherry Tree, McNelis' fireman, scalds of face and 
contusion of right leg, in Altoona hospital with condition more serious 
than at first supposed.
  Joseph E. Sharkey of 1718 Union Ave., Altoona, brakeman on freight 
train, lacerations of face and scalp, scalds of face, hands, arms and 
neck, contusion of back and fracture of fifth rib, in Altoona hospital, 
condition serious. 
  S. Grant Johnson of Cherry Tree, aged 42 years, engineer of passenger 
engine, lacerations of the left shoulder, at the Altoona Hospital.  
  Theodore Haney of Barnesboro, fire man on passenger engine, left side 
contused and body bruises sustained in jumping.
  J. A. Eselman of Cresson, baggage master, back and legs injured and 
body bruised.
  C. C. Baker of Cresson, engineer of passenger engine, lacerations of 
face and body, contusions and bruises. 
  Horace Ross of Cresson, riding in baggage car, slight contusions and 
bruises of body.
  A. J. Wylie of Cresson, mail clerk, lacerations of head and body 
bruises and slight contusions.
  John E. McNelis, the dead engineer, was a son of Anthony McNelis and 
Catharine McNelis, the latter now deceased, and was born in Johnstown 
forty-seven years ago, but the family subsequently removing to the 
mountain in the vicinity of Wopsononock, where the father for many 
years conducted farming operations and vegetable gardening for the 
Altoona markets on a large scale, he grew to manhood there.  Twenty-
three years ago he went to Altoona and secured employment from the PRR 
and since that time resided in that city, his late residence being 2322 
Beale Avenue.
  He was, for nineteen years, an engineer and was considered a most 
reliable and trustworthy man at the throttle, careful at all times, and 
had met with success in his calling, having but few accidents to his 
long career.  He was held in high esteem by his follow trainmen and his 
death caused regret among his wide circle of friends.  He was a member 
of Sacred Heart Catholic church, a member and past chief engineer of 
Jerry C. Burley Division, No. 287, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers 
and the Pennsylvania Railroad Relief Association.
  He was married on May 27, 1890 at Loretto to Miss Olive E. Topper, 
who survives with eight children:  Clair, Catherine, Bernadetta, Mary, 
John, Francis, Gerald, and Olive, all at home.  He is also survived by 
his aged father, Anthony McNelis of Coupon, Pa., and these brothers and 
sisters:  James of Hastings; W. S. of Altoona; Mary, Annie, Bernard and 
Joseph of Coupon; Frank of Gallitzin; Peter of Barnesboro and Catherine 
of Altoona.
  He was a cousin of Hon. E. T. McNeelis [sic] of Johnstown and was as 
well and as favorably known throughout his native county as in Blair.
  The funeral of Engineer John E. McNeelis [sic] whose death in the 
Altoona Hospital on Monday evening resulted from injuries received in 
the terrible railroad accident near Cresson the morning of that day, 
occurred yesterday morning after a high mass of requiem in the church 
of the Sacred Heart, Altoona, of which he had been a member.

Cambria Freeman, Ebensburg, Pa., Friday, February 14, 1908