Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-10-20
A DOUBLE CALAMITY.
rouRxILLED AND xANYHURT
TIE rae,ac Expres. Wrecks an Em'sraus
Train en- the usckesssek Mcaeews-A"-
ether Tvas Crashes into sbe Debris.

One Of those terrible accidents which
block signals, stringent rules, and we'll
masured systems seem powefless a
times TO prevent. occurred last evening
on The Pennsylvania railroad few
miles west Of Jersey City. In dense
fog, on the straight track which crosses
the Hackepsack Meadows, where engine
drivers are least spprehensiye OF trou
bic, but fortunately at the coating
station, where all trains slow up with
out reference to signals, west-bounc
express train drove like q cata
putt through the rear OF az
inert emigrant train, scattering
timber and metal and shrieking
humanity ike chat beneath the hail
and numbering the east-bound track
with wreckage. A. mement later ar
east. bound train, never suspecting the
presence Of danger, dashed in among
this diJris. sending another soul or two
to eternity and several more hapless
FEATURES TO beds Of pain and to future
crippled existenccs. Considering the
crowded condition Of the trains. the
only wonder is that the disaster, horri-
bic though il was, was not hundred
fold more uagical. But II was hear'-
rending enough for one nights WORK.
surely.
In the desperate confusion which
prevailed at the scene 1t was well-nigh
,n,ossibIe 10 accurately learn the real
number of killed and wounded, which
At first was greatly exaggerated; but
as All we're brought as promptly as pos
sible by relief trains TO Jersey City,
and dispatched by ambulances to DIFF
ftrent hospitals, the number was
brought down from the first rough esti-
mates Of twenty killed and thirty
wounded. Down to an advanced hour
this morning no definite figures were
available and estimates varied widely.
At least four persons were killed and
eirh, injured. Some Of the latter were
fatally injured and can only survive
few hours.
II seems that the emigrsnt train, with
engine. baggsge-car, caboose, and five
passenger cars, left the Jersey City de-
DOT at ten minutes 10 o'clock. There
was a large load Of passengers on board,
many Of whom were north country peo-
pie who arrived on the steamer Heckla
from Copenhagen and Elder and Donau
from Bremen. They had just settled
themselves comfortably for the night
when the train drew up at the coaling-
station and load Of fuel was
deposited on the tender. Then the
emigrant train started to go ahead
again and broke in two in consequence
of defective coupling. The jerking
of the bell-rope warned the engineer,
and he stopped to ascertain the trouble.
A few moments delay occurred, as is
usual in such cases, and these moments
proved TO be fatal, for at Marion sta
ton the red light on the black signal
station had given place to the white one
and the Pacific express, which had left
jersey City at quarter past 5 o'clock,
started ahead under the impression
that n clear section Of track lay ahead
Of it. AT this time ii was quite
dark, though the halfmoon shoue OBJ
scsrely through the dense fog. When
the Pacific express had reached the
coaling-station it was uader pretty good
headway. The snorting Of the engine
and rumble of the heavy train, solid
with its proud line Of Pullman coaches,
was heard on the emigrant train, and
train-hand with a red lantern started to
20 back and signal, but before be could
get bis light where it could do any good
the great train was upon him.
A TERRIBLE WARNING.
4 shrill Shrek from the whistle and
the grinding Of the air-brakes was the
first note Of warning to the unsupported
immigrants. Before they had time to
collect their senses the monster was
upon them.
Over went the caboose onto the east
bound track as though a cyclone had
struck it. The two emigrant-cars tele-
scoped and the shrieking, terror-strlck-
en- passengers suddenly found them
selves driven hitber and thither. head
long, sideways. every way, through a
furious hail of driving splinters and
broken metal-work.
The air was filed with cries and
groans from the midst of this pair oil
shattered cars but before any one
could escape there came another wild
scream from locomotives whistle, anC
express train No. 3, Of the Lehigh-N al
ley road, coming eastward at twenty
mile rate Of speed, crashed down upor
the derailed caboose, and such wreck
age as followed it would be impossible
TO picture. Over went the huge engin
Of the Lehigh train, bounding across tn
third track and rolling down an embank
ment several feet high, where it lande'
on Its side, dis6gured and shapeless.
smoking, steaming mass Of inert metal
AN OLD ENGINEERS FATE.
Underneath it lay all that was left {
Owen Hall, an old and trusty engineer
and out OF the wreck Of the cab crer
Stewart Bower, the fireman, his hea
cut and his neck wrenched in a dii
tressing manner. The baggage-car (
the Lehigh.Nalley train followed II
engine. The rest Of the train vi
pretty badly shaken up, but the CT
chung TO the track, and the psssenge
were more frightened than hurt.
NISryrpc m Aco<y
When the crash Of the second coll
sion had died away the ears Of the u
injured were shocked by the bedlam
human agony which came out from {
wrecked cars Of the emigrant train.
was q wild chorus, TO which fright lie
fully as much voice as pain, and
which men, women, and children join
with one accord. For few moments
Il seemed an sge--the unhurt We
paralyzed by the sudden force Of
emergency thrust upon them. III
the stronger men got TO work, q
while women turned faint and men
weaker spirit stood idly to one 81
they began to tear away the ruins 4
drag out from their painful impriS
ment the wounded ones. First to
taken out Was q stout woman in im
grant garb, who moaned feebly, and
peared to be more dead than aliy,
more senseless than conscious.
"Great God :" exclaimed the g,
tlsman who found her (; :" both legs h