Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1872-11-29
TIL Il S E N TIN Ell.
SHOCKING RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
Collision on Philadelphia Road.

A few minutes before 2 o'clock on Friday
last, as the train near Wilmington, running
at the rate Of fully thirty miles per hour, there
was heard sudden signal of down breaks
and in few moments all in the cars felt a
violent conclusion, which was followed by
loud crash and terrible outcries for help
All the male passengers on the New York
train Immediately hurried to the front Of .hcir
train, where they encountered a terrible scene.
1t was found that an accident to the ocomo-
tive of the train which ha6 left Philadelphia
at 1870 p. NJ, had detained that train upon
the track at a point just two miles north Of
Wilmington and that whilst standing upon
the track the New York express had run into
the rear Of this train, crushing the end of the
last car and driving or telescoping it into the
forward car, killing two passengers and
wounding fifteen others, one OF whom died
Immediately after being removed from the
wreck. The passengers of both trains who
had escaped injury at once set to work, aiding
the officers and employees of the Railroad Com
pany 10 remove the bodies of the killed from
the wreck and carrying The wounded to the
forward cars that had escaped injury, where
they were made comfortable ms it was possible
under the circumstances, until they could be
conveyed to Wilmington, Delaware, for medi-
cal and surgical aid.
The smoke stack and upper works of the
~
ed offand the engine otherwise badly shattered
in its collision with the rear Of the Philadel-
Ihia train, the force of the collision having
driven it with fearful crushing force into the
rear car, breaking up the latter badly for d
distance Of ten feet or more. The forward
platform Of this last car was Immediately fore
ed under the platform of preceding car, which
was at once split quite open, and then took
place that fearful teescopng process, the hor-
of urh ich cd toll,
till they have once behold such an appalling
scene and heard for themselves the terrif. ing
crash of timbers mingled wiki agonizing
screams of unfortunate victims. When the
force of the collision had spent itself the Phil
adelphia train had been carried some distance
from the point where the first contact took
place and such was the rebound that the New
York cars were separated from their ocomo-
tive and driven backward some hundred feet
or more. The last two cars of the wrecked
train were found to have been driven almost
through one another SO that the seats of
both cars, together with the occupants, were
forced violently into mingled mass, and it
was very difficult matter to cxtricate the
wounded without further adding TO their suf-
ferings Several were so closely damned in
between the timbers and broken seats that it
was only after great labor that theY could be
released In some cases especially the fe-
by leaving behind them the greater, portion
of their clothing. Mrs Fritz, of Wilmington,
who had her foot badly mashed, could only
be extricated by parting with nearly all her
clothing. The groaEs and screams OF the
badly wounded ard their imploring appeals
for succor were most painful to hear, ana will
finger in the memory of those who so earnest
ly worked for their relief, or stood Mortified
spectators Of the fearful scene. A Young col
ored man one account says, be was not more
than nineteen years of age, was caught be-
meath the flooring of the two cars, and in
addition TO other fearful Injuries had one leg
so completely crushed and Uedged between
the timbers, that in extricaling his mangled
body it was necessary to cut off his limb which
was left behind. CHASTITY fragment among
the tmbers. The poor fellow soon blcd TO
death, and survived his eytricatun from the
wreck but few hours An elderly white
man, whose name could not at the time he
asccrtained, was also removed from the wreck
quite dead; also another white man, appar-
emily about forty years of age, who vas I'M
derstood to belong to Wilmington, Del. Sew
eral ladies were also among those seriously
wounded
The cause Of the disaster from accounts given
by various passengers on the wrecked train, it
appears, was, the Philadelphia train an
hour behind time when it reached Chester,
only thirteen miles from Philadelphia, and
when the train was within two miles of Will
niington, the engine gave out. It is also said
that the train had come to a stand only a few
minutes Lefore the New York express came
laundering down upon them.