The daily gazette., 1881-02-16
Ghe 9aily Gazette.
FIRST EDITION.
Freight Trains wrecked.
A COSTLY COLLISION ON THE
DELAWARE RAILROAD,


A TRAMP FATALLY INJURED AND AN
ENGINh AND FREIGHT CARS DLMoL-
IsHED.-THE DETAILS.
Shortly after five o'clock, last evening,
| the most serious accident that has
| marked the operation of the Delaware
| Railroad for number OF years occurred
In the cut just above State Road Station.
As result an engine was completely
| demolished, number OF cars wrecked,
| a large gu antity Of valuable freight lost,
and q tramp neai ly killed.
The Maryland and New York fast
| freight, under charge of conductor John
| Book, lett Middletown at 4. .45 o'clock,
| and passed the way freight at KIRK
| wood. Above State Road coupling
unfortunately broke, and six coal ears, a
local freight and The riding car, became
detached from the rest oI the train and
soon came to standstlll In the cut
| about quarter of a mile above the curve
| at State Road. The Inishap was noticed,
by those ou The fOrwaI d part OF the train,
aud before hall mile hal been travelled
lie engineer stopped his engine and
started back " Iecapture the escaped
cars.
Ouob oo tiC phlLSu TRAM was DDlUg
coupled, the smoke Of the way freight
that had been passed on the siding at
Krkwood was seen on the other side OF
he curve, and the whistle OF the engine
was heard. The engineer of the fast
freight blew his whistle and conductor
Book threw out his danger signais, but
the warnings came too late. The way
freight. drawn by engine No. 53, came
around tile curve at a high rate Of speed,
| and the engineer aud fremen, as we'll
| as those gathered around the rear Of the
other tram, saw that the collision could
not be prevented. Robert Fisher, engi-
neer OF No. IS, ordered ms fireman 10
Jump for his ilfe," and at the same time
lie ShisLled down brakes, reversed the
engine, aud then leaped from the car.
Instantly the collision occurred, and
| No. SO dashed into the rear OF the
standing train. 1t appeared as if the
engine went through the rear car, af-
ter whieh IL was thrown from the track
and plunged into the embankment at
tho east side of the track, where it
stopped, a complete wreck, with all its
machinery broken the steam Kissing
from seams in the strained boiler, and
the cab crushed to atoms. Behind it
was the tender, also ompletely wreck
ed, aud surmounted by portion of
grain car-the first car of the way
freight. Of the train that wlsrnn in-
to the riding car telesc lped with the
local freight car Immediately in front,
and the entire train was driven for
ward some thirty or forty feet from
| the violence OF the shock.
Two OF the six coal cars of the fast
freight were thrown from the track,
but the others remained in position.
or the way freight seven or eight cars
were thrown from the track, and two
OF them were piled up Immediately
behind the engine, while on top of them
rested the broken riding car ofthe fast
freight. One of these cars contained
six live hogs, which were awakened
from a comfortable nap by the rude
collision, but, strange to say, did not
appear to be injured. The first half
dozen cars of the way freight we're
considerably wrecked, and their con-
tents, among which was a cargo of
oysters, were scattered along the track.
A pile of broken timbers caught fire
from the furnace of the wrecked en-
glne, but fortunately the flames were
extinguished before communicating to
the freight cars on the track.
CAUGHT IN THE WRECK.
AT the time fthe collision the hands
OF the fast freight were all out attend
ing to the coupling, and those on the
way freight jumped in time TO save
themselves. Therefore it vas sup
posed no one was injured, until Con-
duetor Jerome b. Clark, of the way
freight, heard groans coming from
some wrecked cars few yards behind
the engine. On examining lie found a
man lying upon the ground, securely
fastened by an upturned Hat car, which
lay entirely across his legs, which
were horribly crushed by the fearful
weight. The fiat car alone weighed
$1,000 pounds, while the best part of
freight car was piled upon it. All at
Uempts to move this wreck proved un
availing, although three jacks were
used, and the man was rescued by ex-
cavatlng the earth beneath him. lie
was taken out in a pltiable condition,
his legs being fairly crushed to jelly,
while in one place bone protruded
several inches beyond the skin. He
was carefully lifted out and placed in
the baggage car OF the northbound pas
senger train, which by this time had
arrived. lie was tramp, and said
his name was Michael Kane, of Red
Bank, N. J.
PASSENGER TRAINS DELAYED.
The track was so obstructed by the
wrecked cars that all travel was inter
rupted, and the northbOund passenger
train, leaving Middletown at sos o.,
clock, came to a halt at State Road.
The engine of this train, meanwhile,
was used to remove the cars still stand
ing on the track to a siding, and also
to remove the wrecked cars as much as
possible, the engine of the fast freight
having been at once despatched TO Viii
mington for wrecking train. On the
arrival at the wreck Of the southbound
passenger train leaving this city at
6:2O O'Clock, the passengers and mails
OF the two trains were exchanged, aud
both trips were finished in this man,
ner.
THE WRECK CLEARED AWAY.
=; 1t was $3.50 o'clock when the wreck
ing force arrived, the fast freight,
meanwhile, having continued on its
way to Wilmington. superintendent
Isaac N. Mills was on hand, and per-
II