The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-10-20
CRIMINAL cARELEssNEss.
An Operators Blunder the Cause of
the Pennsylvania Railroad Horror.
A Careless Cook in Chicago Causes
the Death of Four Persons.
A Smokers Pipe the Cause Of a
Kansas Woman's Deaths

JERSEY CrrY, N. j., Oct. 19--As daylight
struggled through the dense fog this morning It
Meadows, Just beyond that section of this city
known as Marion, where a Lehigh valley express
ran into an emigrant train last night Thousands
of awestruck spectators, emgrants, men, women
wal Mailing n for friends dead, dying and missing
bent and twisted machinery and hundreds of
laborers tearing away the debris in search of hui
man bodies thought to be hidden under the piles
of splntered stuff deep in the mud OF the
Bit by bit the wreckage was torn away and piled
up alongside Of the track where last nights awful
removed the workmen and emigrants who sur
vived the collision peered apprehensivey In for
were the dead bodies found this morning. 1t is
thought that there are others under the wreck OF
the Lehigh Valley engine The task OF removing
it from the mud will take several hours when it is
thought that many more victims will be found. II
is thought that not one of the injured ones now in
Thomas P Pratt, telegraph operator at
Marion was arrested this morning, charged with
having been the cause of the accident. Prattis
26 years old, and an experienced operator He
admits that he did not give the right signal He
says he was advised by his friends to desert, but
tion of the coroner's jury. He resides at No. 1923
5th street with his wife and three children
He aggS as Se Edvg n
nothing. He said he gave the emigrant train three
minutes to clear the Hackensack river bridge, and
tlen SlEndIlcQ IOr GH6 SOulucTu OApT6eS. ITdtG
had charge of the station on the east side of the
bridge and before signalling the express he
should have waited for the return answer =; X,
after the train had cleared the bridge He at
once saw his error, and telegraphed back to hold
the Lehigh valley trains. 1t was too late how
ever, when the despatch reached the signal sta
tion on the west side of the bridge, as the train
had already crossed.
Three more bodies were discovered this morn-
ing, buried beneath the front of the Lehigh valley
engine They were brought here and placed in
the morgue. The remains were those OF q woman
unknown and unrecognizeble, and two poys ap-
parently about 10 years of age. The tracks have
been cleared and trains arc running on schedule
time. All that remains of the wreck is the Ls-
egh fg Se e Mn %sf t@e f
thought that more bodies will then be found.
There have been eight deaths in ALL and nine
wounded, most of whom will, it is thought, die.
The depot here is surrounded by crowd of
spectators, awaiting the news. and great excite
ment prevails. The bodies at the morgue have
not been Identified.
The wrecked Lehgh Valley engine was raised
at 7.30 p. M, and in the mud beneath the boiler
years as Of age enc Roth Roth legs were da below the knees
the right side of the face was crushed in, and the
hands were scorehed Beside this body was
about IL years of age. This limb was incased in
a boot, the number of which does not correspond
moreue and It Is t6ougt another S life had been
lost. This makes total of nine deaths. A pile
of debris still stands where the locomotive lay,
and wOrkmen are carefully searching it.
CHICAGO Oct 19.-The one story and a half
brick cottage at No. sc Vernon Park Place, owned
and occupied by w. S. Bates, was burned this
morning, and four occupants were burned to
death. The family consisted of five persons and
servant girl. All bit two met a most horrible
death. Mr. Bates, who. escaped with severe in
juries, said that at 6 O'Clock this morning the ser
want girl started fire in the Kitchen and went
out door a moment LATER leaving the door open.
On returning soon after, she found the kitchen in
blaze and ran away screaming with freight:
Bates was aroused, rushed into the Kitchen, and
tried to extinguish the flame, but not succeeding
he rushed out and sent in an alarm. The firemen
succeeded in putting the fire out in about five
minutes. when they entered the house they
found the charred bodies of the entire family with
Mary Z. Bates, aged So. Joqn Bates, aged 5, Ed
ward Bates, an infant, and Mrs. Dreylson, aged
20, mother OF Mrs. Bates. The body of Mrs. Bates
was found lying two feet from the front window
on the nrst floor, burned to crisp. The charred
body OF her baby was close by. The remains of
Mrs Dreylson were found up stairs. She had
evidently died from suffocation. The boys body
was found In the ruins of a bed The partitions
and walls OF the house were lined with felt and
when the flames once started the fire spread all
through the house with inconceiyable rapidity.
Nothing was heard Of the servant girl after her
flight
TOPEKA, Kan, Oct. ia terrible accident
occurred near Osamakie, Saturday night. MIR.
Lander, a farmer, accompanied by his wife, two
cnlldren and Mrs Steik, started for home in
among which was ten pounds of powder A short
distance from town, Lander, in lighting his pipe,
dropped spark on the powder, which ignited,
blowing every one out Of the wagon and killing
Mrs. Lander instantly. The four others cannot
live.
Pierre Lorillard, of New York, yesterday
bought lot OF land in Newport, r. l., bounded by
nrnI