The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-29

A SAD DISASTER.
The Railroad Collision on tho Delaware.
Lackawnuna and Western Railroad.
A frightful accident occurred on the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
railroad at station known as Lehigh
Summit, on the Pecono mountain,
twenty miles from Scranton. The regu-
lar afternoon train to New York and
Philadelphia, consisting of seventeen
passenger coaches drawn by three en-
gines, had about twelve hundred pas
sengers on board, principally bound for
the Centennial Exhibition. The train
was two hours behind time, and reach
ing the summit shortly after eight
o'clock, stopped to take water from the
tank. While there heavy coal train,
drawn by three engines, ran into the
rear of the passenger train, telescoping
two Of the cars through and through,
and breaking five others. The scenes
that ensued were heartrending, although
by most miraculous circumstance the
number of killed are few.
It seems that after taking water at
Lehigh Summit one engine became de-
tached from the train. After being
coupled on agein another start was made,
which resulted in breaking off the last
two cars. The two engines and fifteen
cars went back for the stray cars, but IN
coming up missed the coupling. In
backing up again, and when at about
forty yards from the two detached cars,
the long, heavily laden coal train came
driving up at speed OF about fifteen
miles an hour, ran into the detached
cars. and shot those forward into the rear
of the rest Of the train. The two de-
tached cars, standing between the two
trains, we're, strange to say. but little
DANA led, and the rear cars OF the ff-
teen. into which these were Immediately
plunged, also suffered little ; but the
ffth and sixth cars from the rear were
literally knocked into kindling wood.
The fifth car reared and was thrown
right upon the car in front. The rest
of the passenger train in front was not
much injured, and even the engine OF
the coal train which had caused the
damage was very little broken up.
Imagine two cars smashed into lind
ers as by pile driver, the splinters and
blocks thrown into heap in the most
indescribable confusion, and the passen-
gers pitched into this mingled mass OF
wood aud iron, and wedged in such
way tnat the backs of the seats had to
be broken in order to rescue many OF
them, the air filled with the shrieks OF
mon and women, and the groans OF the
wounded, and one has only faint con-
ception of the scene. Some of the
passengers had stepped off the train to
wait for the watering of the engine, and
80 fortunately escaped. These, and the
uniniured on the train itself, Immediate
" set to work to rescue the wounded.
Some of these were 80 tightly wedged
in by the debris of the car that it was
long time before they could be extri-
Gated, and their sufferings were indes-
cribable. To add to the horror of the
scene, one of the cars took fire and was
destroyed.
Surgeons had been telegraphed for to
Scranton, eighteen miles away. and
Stroudsburg, thirty-five miles. There
was one surgeon ct Gouldsboro,
two miles distant, DR.. Patterson, who
was soon on hand and did all he could.
But what could one physician, however
skilled and however humane, do with 80
many wounded? The officers Of the
road did all that possibly could be done
to alleviate the sutferings of thewounded
while awaiting the arrival OF the sur
geons who had been telegraphed tor,
and who, it seemed, would never come.
It was at least two hours before the
Scranton and Stroudsburg corps OF sur
geons arrived. They reached the place
about the same time, and numbered
about fifteen. With them came prob
ably forty persons from the two places,
and all set to work binding up wounds.
The country near Lehigh Summit is
very sparsely settled, and but little aid
could be rendered by the few residents.
As to the cause of the accident. The
road in this section is full of curves, and
the grade at the place of the disaster
which is only a watering place and
telegraph station. ;ne passenger station
being two miles this side-is eighty feet
to the mile. The passenger train left
Scranton with two conductors, the regu-
lar conductor, Mr.. Bush, being on the
front.of the train, and the extra conduc-
tor, Mr.. Carling, on the rear cars. The
rear car had the usual red light signal,
but the crowd on the platform hid the
signal from the engineer OF the front
engine of the on-coming train, so the
latter claims. The curve hid the pas
seneer train until the coal train was
Immediately upon it, and the steep
Grade required all the steam which
could be carried. The actual cause OF
the accident was probably the fact that
the machinists and men laboring IN the
ward at Scranton had been on q strike
about month. this being the third re-
duction of their wages, and, consequent.
ly, the rolling stock is sadly in need OF
repairs. On account of the Centennial,
the road is constantly crowded with pas
seneer and excursion trains, and all the
stock is in constant demand. Two pas
sengers were instantly killed and large
number injured. Several OF the injured
died.