History of Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA

Altoona, a thriving post-village of Blair county, Pennsylvania, on the Central railroad, 244 miles W. from Philadelphia, and 160 miles E. from Pittsburg. It stands at the eastern base of the Alleghany mountain, where the railroad begins to ascend it, and contains the principal depot and work shops of the railroad company. The village was laid out in 1849, and contained in 1851, 80 houses and several large machine shops.

Altoona, Pa., May 28. - Last night as the fast line west was nearing Kittanning Point the wheel of a car on a train cast burst and the car crashed into two passenger coaches with terrible effect, killing instantly four men and injuring many others. Telegrams were immediately sent to this city for physicians and all that could be procured hurried to the wreck.

The killed are as follows:
D. GRAHAM, son of ex-speaker Graham, Allegheny, Pa.
J. H. STAUFFER, of Lewisville, O.
WYMER SNYDER, a one-legged man, of Shamokin, Pa.
JOHN DORRIN, a newsboy, of East Liberty, Pa.
FRANK McCOE, of 75 East Thirty-third Street, New York City, will die.
CHARLES BEIDELMAN, of Brinfield, Noble County, Indiana, is dying.

The injured are:
A. AGEN, Fayetteville, N. Y., head and side, not serious.
CLARA ALBERT, of Flint, Mich., slightly.
REV. JOHN ALFRED, of Beaver Falls, Pa., slightly.
HATTIE DICKETT, colored, of Alexandria, Vt., not seriously.
REV. E. H. PORTER, colored, of Detroit,...

Altoona, a city of Blair co, Pa., on the Pennsylvania Railroad, at the eastern base of the Alleghany Mountains, 117 miles E. of Pittsburg, 237 miles W.N.W. of Philadelphia, and 132 miles W. by N. from Harrisburg. Here the railroad begins to ascend the mountain by a grade so steep that two locomotives are attached to each train. A branch railroad extends from Altoona southward to Henrietta. Locomotives and railroad-cars are manufactured here in extensive machine-shops belonging to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Four daily and 6 weekly newspapers are published here. Altoona is supplied with water by hydraulic works which cost about $500,000. It has 21 churches, viz., 2 Baptist, 4 Catholic, 1 Church of God, 1 Dunkard, 1 Episcopal, 1 German Lutheran, 1 German Reformed, 2 Lutheran, 5 Methodist, 2 Presbyterian, and 1 United Brethren; also 2 convents, a high school, a public library, 2 national banks, 2 other banks, a rolling-mill, several planing-mills, iron-works, &c. Pop. in 1860,...

Altoona, Pa., Oct. 20. - One of the most serious fires that has ever occurred in Altoona started in the new five-story furniture building of OLIVER ROTHERT, and before it was brought under control property to the amount of near $500,000 was destroyed. The ROTHERT building and the new theatre of I. C. MISHLER were entirely destroyed, and the new building of the Order of Elks, which had not yet been completed, was badly damaged. The Altoona Trust company structure and the office building of the Pennsylvania Railroad company, which are on the opposite side of the street, were damaged slightly by fire and water.

The ROTHERT building carried an insurance of $155,000, MISHLER $50,000 and the Elks $20,000. The telegraph and telephone service in the neighborhood of the burned area is interrupted.

After the fire MR. MISHLER announded that he will handle his MISHLER theatre bookings at his Eleventh ave. Opera house here this winter.

Frederick Maryland 1906-10-20

Altoona, a city of Blair co., Pa., on the Pennsylvania R., at the eastern base of the Alleghany Mountains, 117 miles E. of Pittsburg, 237 miles WNW. of Philadelphia, and 132 miles W. by N. of Harrisburg. Here the railroad begins to ascend the mountain by a grade of 90 feet to the mile, and in 5 miles' distance is carried over the famous Horseshoe Curve. Altoona is situated at an elevation of 1180 feet above the sea. Locomotives and railroad-cars are manufactured here in extensive machine-shops belonging to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, which cover an area of nearly 150 acres and give employment to 6000- 7000 hands. Over 300 locomotives, besides several hundred passenger coaches and 5000 freight cars, have been turned out here in the course of a single year. Pop. in 1860, 3591 ; in 1890, 30,337 ; in 1900, 38,973. The city is situated in a bituminous coal region.

Altoona, Pa., (AP) - LUKE A BOYLAN, aged 48, of 142 Portage Street, Lilly, a Pittsburgh division locomotive fireman, was killed instantly this morning at 7:18 o'clock when struck by an eastbound passenger train in the Altoona Yard near the Fourth Street Bridge.

Dr. Daniel M. Replogle, Blair County Coroner, and his deputy, Edgar M. Walls, who investigated the fatal accident, reported that the body was found between the No. 3 and No. 4 tracks. Injuries included the mangling of both feet, a broken right arm, possible fracture of the skull and internal injuries.

The report of the accident prepared by Pennsylvania Railroad officials and corroborated by Coroner Replogle after questioning of train crews and yard employees, indicates that MR. BOYLAN, fireman for Engineer L. S. Dodson of 104 Chestnut Avenue, had gone to the nearby Wertz tower to learn when his freight train would depart for the west.

He was presumably returning to the locomotive to report to the engineer when struck...