Tuesday, July 22, 2008

2 Firemen Killed, 8 Hurt In Fire Truck Crash

On July 22, 1936 Franklin ( Chambersburg) firemen were responding to a fire in a stable about one mile east of Fayetteville when a terrible accident occurred. The engine was only about 60 feet from the fire when the engine veered to the left in the loose stones, the driver Bard Miller, Sr. was unable to regain control of the truck in time to avert a collision with a tree trunk. At the time of the accident 15 men were on board the engine, all but two were either thrown or jumped from the rig when the collision occurred.

David Gabler, 19 was killed instantly and Harold E. Snider, 29 died about 5:00 p.m. at Chambersburg Hospital. Eight other firemen were injured, two seriously. The two firemen that were killed got caught between the rig and the tree crushing them. The fire destroyed the stable causing $600 in damages.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Keep up the history lesson. Another story that I never heard of.

Anonymous said...

Last time I saw 15 or more people on an engine was meeting night at the 52 house and the old 50 ladder truck going on a run.
No standing at the bottom of the pole those nights or you had someone on your shoulders.

Haney said...

Franklin's have something about this hanging on their wall. It's been a while since I've been in their station, so I'm not sure if it's still there.