Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-10-23
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT.

senRer Trains Collide Near Jersey
City--Detalls Of the Accident.
NEW YORK, Oct. l9-The news OF
the morning is Of a terrible railway
accident on the Pennsylvania line.
Although the collision occurred soon
after eight o'clock last evening the
meagerness Of the details twelve hours
afterwards proves that we have a
bowling wilderness in Jersey Mead
ows, only three miles from the city
hail, Is impenetrable and as distant as
the Sierra Nevadas, though there are
no fewer than eight railway tracks at
the point in question. There is not a
habitable house in either direction
for miles. The precise spot of col
lision was under a coal chute
beyond the west end of Hackensack
bridge. An express train ran into an
emigrant train, knocking the caboose
that was on the rear Of the latter
across the east bound track. Both
trains were bound west. Before the
track could be protected across which
the caboose had been thrown, a pas
senger train Of the Lehigh Valley road
came laundering up the east track. It
splintered the already dismantled ca
boose and was itself derailed, the en-
gine plunging down a steep embank-
ment and topping over into the mud,
in which it settled four feet. The bag.
gage car followed the engine half way
from the bank and the smoking car
left the track. The emigrant train
was filled with passengers, many OF
them women. Their cries mingled
pltifully with the Kissing steam and
the crash of timbers and iron. After
the immediate shock many Of the pas.
sengers Joined the train men in search
for the hurt, to whom they were
guided by the cries Of the victims. As
the area of disaster was not more than
the length Of two cars, the searchers
were not long in finding the injured.
Two were Immediately pulled out
from under the caboose. One was a
woman, whose head had been cut off;
the other was the body of a man
crushed beyond recognition. His head
was shapeleSs and the body was like
pulp. A man with his head bleeding
crawled up the bank over which
the engine had toppled. He
was named Owen Hall, engineer Of
the Lehigh Express. Others were
found in the cars. A woman lay on
the floor near the rear door of car
that Immediately preceded the caboose
on the emigrant car, which was teles-
coped. AS men raised her, her leg
dropped out of her dress. It had been
cut off at the thigh. Word was sent
to Jersey City soon after the accident,
and at $50 O'Clock a relief train ar
rived at the scene Of the wreck. The
wounded were still moaning and
shrieking; three Of them had been car
ried in the smoking car of the Lehigh
Valley train, the woman who had lost
her leg laying in one corner. The
other two persons were a dead man
and a woman who was insensible
from fractured thighs. The
other two bodies lay on the bank,
and the wounded were scattered
in the cars in which they had been
hurt, their friends caring for them the
best they might with the scant ap-
planes for their comfort. The relief
train, with three persons on board,
were at once returned to Jersy City
and another arrived taking its place,
and at 10 o'clock went back with the
rest Of the dead and wounded. Then
the emigrant train, detached from the
splintered caboose, moved onItowards
New York. The express train was
drawn back a mile to freight switch
and proceeded to Philadelphia, and the
of the Lehigh Vally train
walked around the wreck. and took
coaches that had been sent for from
Jersey City. Wreckers were in
Iole possession by 1890 o'clock. They
ound that the engine belonging to the
Express train had leaped the track and
vas pointing over the embankment,
The collision with caboose had knock
ID off the engines pilot. But SO far
IS could be seen no further damage
lad been done. The Pullman car
TODD on the track behind the engine.
except ia wrenched coup.
ings. Engineer Covert and his Gre
nan with the engine. Both had been
'adly shaken up, but neither was hurt.
There was no sign Of the emigrant
rain, except the caboose, which the
Vreckers were removing by tearing
apart. Splinters Of wood strewed |
he track for several feet beyond the
aboose. Part Of them were from the
ar in front Of the caboose, whose rear
lad been crushed in. An ambulance
rom st. Francis hospital, Jersey City,
waited at the wreck until all the in
ured had been removed. The accl-
ent was caused by the delay Of the
migrant train in getting out Of the
Vay. 1t had left Jersey City at $50,
he express following at 8:l5. The
migrant train stopped at the chute
or coal, had loaded and was backing
lowly, when the express came along,
lot having been warned by the opera
or at Block station at Marion.
The first relief train reached Jersey
jity a few minutes before IL o'clock,
nd desnita the effect of the innlina q