Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-07-27

A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT.
TH1sR PEAOMS KaLLs1 AT mt. JOr.
TAe DaagR q sAs Railrosd Croasisg-A
Beeeaved Famssy-Fstai Ind Of .
Midsummer Excursion.
This morning Fairview street crossing,
Mount Joy borough, was the scene Of
terrible railroad accident. The second fast
line east, due there at 5:12, which was
about twenty minutes late, ran into .
covered spring wagon containing Henry
Welsh and vito and Alice Swords. Mr..
Welsh and Miss Swords were killed in
stantly, while his wife after suffering
intense agony for about twenty minutes
died. -. -.-..-.' .
The victims Of the sad accident arc resi-
dents of that place, and made an early start
for the blackberry clearings north of town.
Tho engine struck the team between the
horse and wagon. Mrs. Welsh was
thrown about thirty feet and Miss Swords
several feet farther, between the railroad
and the fences of the lot adjoining. Henry
Welsh's body Was carried by the train
about two squares, close to Shock & Hos
tetter's coal yard.
tanCo gives rise to much comment. 1t is
explained by the railroad authorities that
coming down grade with heavy train on
. wet track it was impossible to stop
sooner. Engineer Hugh Kelly says that
Welsh saw the train coming and whipped
mp tho horse to cross the track. An eye
witness who saw tho accident, heard the
train approaching and saw the engineer
reach for the whistle cord at the gas
works.
The horse was killed and fragments of
the wagon were strewn along the track.
Henry Welsh, aged about forty years,
was laborer and resided with his family
ON West Donegal street. His wife is
twenty. seven years old, aad was formerly
Miss Wright. They leave four little
children.
Alice Swords, aged II years, is daugh.
ter of Mrs. Harry Swords.
Coroner Shiffer arrived ON the news ex-
press and proceeded to Helman's carpen
ter shop close by where the accident oc-
Cured.
The affair has caused great excitement
in the borough and hundreds of people
have visited the scene Of tho accident.
DR.. j. L. Ziegler, who arrived there a
| few minutes after the accident, was on
his way home from a visit in the country.
He was between the railroad crossing at
the west end Of town and the tOllgate
when the train rushed by. He heard the
engine whistle for the crossing and again
when the engineer gave the danger
whistle.
Th0 C0r0ner's Inquest.
H., ~
sisted Of the following persons Stephen
Carpenter, ]. r. Missemer, Samuel Pat
terson, F. A. Kicker esq. They heard
testimony as follows:
David Carpenter, af1irmed-I heard the
train whistle heard the whistle at the
pike, and heard the danger signal.
DR.. J. L. Zeigler, affirmed-The train
whistled up at Myers lat the toll gate,
| quarter of q mile above the scene of the
accidentl it whistled very loudly also
heard the danger signal was not an eye
witness of the accident.
Harry Culp, afarmed-The train whis
| tied up the pike, and again gave the dan.
ger signal right back of Scholing's stable
[about one hundred feet from the cross
ing;l a, u
train whistle up about Myers heard the
danger signal and heard the strike, but
did not see it.
Archie Sales, affirmed-Heard the
whistle up at Myers and the danger signal
but did not see the accident saw only the
consequences of it.
| Josiah Paine, affirmed - The carr
whistled in time saw the horse and
wagon before the train struck it :; the
train did not stop, but drove leisurely
along saw the locomotive strike the
wagon; it was covered wagon the
| wagon was not yet on the track when the
danger signal was given.
Particulars Of the Tragedy.
| A representative Of the INTELLIGENCER,
who went to Mt. Joy this morning, learned
the following particulars Of the terrible
accident:
| Henry Welsh, his wife, and neighbOr
girl named Alice Swords intended going
blackberrying. Welsh hitched up his
horse and wagon, and the party having
provided themselves with lunch, left
Welsh's house on Donegal street for q
days berrying. They intended to
cross tho railroad at its juno
ton with Fairview and HOpewell
streets, in the western part of the bOr-
ough In driving along Fairview street
the cars cannot be seen until the driver is
within few yards Of the track. Il seems
that Welsh thought he could clear the
track before the train reached him, as the
engineer declares tm46B whipped up his
horse and drove n upon the track after
tho warning signal was sounded. The
train was running very fast, probably
forty miles an hour. The cowcatcher
caught the team just between tho
horse and the front wheels of tho
covered wagon to which it was hitched.
The horse was horribly cut up and killed,
being thrown clear out Of the harness, On
the north side of the track. The wagon
was crushed to pieces and Mrs. Welsh was
thrown for q distance of twenty yards,
into the gutter on the south side of the
track. Miss Swords was thrown a few
yards further. When picked up Miss
Swords was dead, and Mrs. Welsh barely
alive She was heard to utter tho words
My God" and died in few minutes
Afterwards. Mr.. Welsh, with part Of the
wrecked wagon, was carried upon the COW
catcher for distance of one third OF
mile. 1t is not known whether he was
killed by the collision or not. Jacob Shrite
says he saw him clinging to part OF the
wagon and he thinks he was alive until
the wreck struck board walk at the
depot which partially detached it and
Welsh fell to the track and was dragged
from the depot to a point oppo-
site Landis' coach works, where
the train stopped. When picked up no