Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-02-09
COLLISION AND FIRE,
A rreishf and OIL Train Collide in New
Jersey City-A Faithless Tele.
graph Operator.

u. ..
A collision occurred between a freight an,
An Oil train on an iron bridge on the PennsyI
vania railroad, spanning the Raritan river a
New Brunswick, n. j., shortly before three
CLOCK thls morning, resulting in the loss o.
| 1our lives, the destruction of two locomotive e,
and many cars, the partial wreck of one spar
OF bridge and the burning of two factories
SIX dwellings and one hotel in New Bruins
wick. The damage is placed between $780,
600 and 81, ,OO0, 900.
| The collision. so far as can be ascer
tanned, was due to the csrelessness of the
| conductor of the forward train This trair
consisted of freight and oil cars, the latter
being IN the rear, and was eastward bound
For some reason at present unknown. the
train stopped on the bridge, with the last car
standing on the shore span. No fagmen, as
is alleged, were sent back to warn approach
ing trains of danger The result was that the
locomotive of a fast bound freight
train plunged into the rear of the oil train.
The shock was terrific, and caused an explo-
sion of the oil cars. Streams of burning oil
speedily overfiowed the bridge and ran down
on the street below, igniting every combusti-
ole IN It's course. Two brakemen of the
oil tam fell through the bridge to the street
with the car on which they were and were
burned to death. The engineer and fireman
OF the rear freight train jumped from the cab
al Eeorge street crossing. seeing that a col
lision was inevitable, and saved their lives
The shock of the explosion aroused the
people of New Brunswick from their slum-
bers, and attractad by the bright light of the
burning cars, hundreds ran to the bridge and
attempted to stay the progress of the flames
The entire fire department was also out
promptly, but the the cutters were filled with
blazing oil which could not be turned aside
from its course towards the river, and soon
Janeway Co.'S immense wall paper factory
close 10 the bridge, caught fire. The chief
OF the fire department telegraphed to Eliza
beth and Jersey City for assistance, but be-
fore steamers from those places arrived Jane
ways factory was all ablaze, and was burned
to the ground. John Dougherty, an en-
ployee, entered the office of this building to
try and save the books, but was overcome by
the heat and persisted.
The fire next extended to the large factory
of the New Brunswick Consolidated Fruit Jar
Co., which war quickly enveloped in a sheet
of flames, and totally consumed.
Next, the stream of oil reached the row of
dwelling houses on Washington street, and
they were burned, together with totel ad-
joining.
At six o'clock the firemen, with the aid of
the out-ot-t0wn steamers, succeeded in get
ting the flames under control. BY the de-
struction of the two factories more than
two thousand men are thrown out of en-
plovment.
Among the care burned were two, each
containing twelve horses. All east and west
bound trains on the Pennsylvania road are
cut off from all direct communication with
Jersey City, and are compelled to make
vide detour. Wrecking trains have been
sent to the scene of the disaster from Jersey
City, and the superintendent of the division
this morning said that all trains would be
running regularly by noon. Only one span
of the iron bridge is damaged. and this is due
mainly to the warping of the rails and twist.
ing of the irons by the intense heat. This is
one of the finest bridges along the line of the
Pennsylvania railroad.
The carelessness which caused the accident
seemed to be attributable to the telegraph
operator on the east bank nf the Raritan. who
operated the block signals for the section on
which the accident occurred. He cannot be
found. -Four blocks away from the scene of
the accident the engineer and fireman say
that they saw the white light of Ego ahead"
Two blocks away the red light lowered into
view but the engineer could not reduce the
speed of the train in time to avoid the collis-
ion.
New BRUNSWICK, Feb. 8.
Streams of water have been playing all day
on the ruins of Saturdays great fire. The
search for the body of Patrick Dougherty in
the ruins of Janeway & Co.'S building has
been futile.
Fully 1000 strangers in this city this af-
ternoon, farmers from adjoining towns and
business men from Trenton, Newark, New
York and Brooklyn. to view the ruins