Evening journal., 1888-10-13
HOW 1T OCCURRED.
Engineer Cooks Story of the
Mud Run Disaster.
HE DID ALL THAT MAN COULD


WmKEsBARRE, Pa, Oct. i3-Now that
the excitement over the great railway dis
aster has began 70 abate, the work Of inn
partially investigating the cause Of the catas-
trophe is being carried out in earnest. An
important statement wns made by Engineer
Henry Cook, which win be used before the
coroner's Jury II was Cooks engine that
crashed into the rear Of the section ahead Of
him. The statement is as follows;
II left Penn Haven junction on engine 4h2
as the helper Of engine 400, just ten minutes
behind the section which preceded us, expect
ing 70 make. as did all other engineers on the
excursion trains, the time OF train No. be-
tween the junction and Mud Run, which is
twenty-four minutes FOR the run Of about ten
miles, which would bring us 70 Mud Run at
SOP; and knew, and the men in charge Of
the train ahead Of us must also have known,
Chat the time Of No. i must he made 70
enable us to get out Of the way Of
train No II, which is due at Tenn
Haven junction at i.55, and at Mud Run at
s:l2, a run Of seventeen minutes We werc
running along all right and ! was cohtinu-
ally on the alert FOR caps or other signals
that might be placed for us When we
rounded the curve below Mud Run | shut OH
steam, as our instructions were 20 come into
all stations with engine under fun control,
and allowed my engine 10 DRIFT along. Tom
Major, the engineer Of 46b. whose helper !
was, and who had charge Of the train, blew
one blast of his whistle for 81 mails at Mud
Run. and as the target showed white, "all
right be Immediately blew two blasts for
'sup brakes, go ahead ] supposed Of course
that Tom had applied the air brakes sulii-
cientiy TO control the train. and don't know
that he didn't, but az all events we were then
running az about twelve miles an hour
was on the alert for signals, as is customary
when nearing a station, but saw none. To
see the station flag at the point where we
should be able TO see IT, Il was necessary for
me to climb upon the ratchet, which ! did,
and saw no signal on the station signal pole,
where such signals should hang. Had there
been iiagman there with a signal lantern
We should both certainly have seen it, and, i
not both, it is reasonable 70 suppose that at
lenst one of as would have seen IL as there Is
certainly no cause for excitement until there
is signal of some kind Of danger ahead. The
trouble is there was no signal lantern. nor
even Il cap. east of Mud Run station When
We were about 80 feet from The station was
4 leaning out Of the cab window. and saw a
\ white signal being swung on the station plat
/ form III the manner usually employed 20 stop
4 trains or engines The lantern was being
swung much more violently than when
brakemen are signaling for switching en-
4 gines and / Immediately whistlei down
brakes and applied my steam brake
/ This extended no farther than my
engine, as the other engine had charge
! OF the train and the air brake
I again looked out for the cause of the
| signal. and saw the red signal lanterns on
/ the platforms. and pulled my lever back rs
far as possible 10 reverse, but too late to
4 avoid the catastrophe. | had done all that ]
/ possibly could with brake and steam, and
! could only await the result which | did,
remaining on my engine until she stopped
in the wreck, and then | started TO pull the
/ fire from under the boilers Then Hnghy
came up, after having assisted in carrying
the injured Brakeman POyl TO the station.
and We both worked at the fire until we were
driven from the cab by the steam, and
must have jumped out over the guard rail 70
have injured my ankle and neck as ] did.
AS the target showed at Mud Run station,
and with no signal by lantern or cap east q
the station. we were right in running to two
rail lengths beyond the station by our I'M
structionsn
The funeral Of the twenty-nine victims
from Pleasant Valley took place this morn-
ing. All the temperance societies az Wilkes.
barre went up on a special train 10 attend the
funeral in a body. twenty-five priests were
in attendance
The ease Of Michael Barrett. whose tn,
sons were killed ia the wreck. is a partiru
larry sad one Two months ago one Of III.
sons was killed in a mine two weeks later
another son was accidentally killed On "a,
railroad; shortly after that bis wife died anc
the two sons who lost their lives on Wednes
day night were the last of his family
Following is the revised official list 81
the killed. Peter Mulligan, Olyphant
Cornelius McCne, Miners Mills: Ed
ward O'Malley Green Ridge; John Rogan
Jessup; William Early. Pleasant Valley
Patrick Curran. Pleasant Valley: Bernart
Meehan and his daughter, Polly Meahan
Pleasant Valley John M Coleman and hi
sons. Michael and Patrick. Pleasant Valley
James Hart, Green Ridge; Mamie Atkinson
Pleasant Valley; Michael McAndrews. Pleas
ant Valley: William Kelly Pleasant Valley
Thomas Ruddy, Pleasant Valley. Maggl
Hart, Hyde Park; Annie Curran. Minooka
Lackawanna county: james Flynn, Miner,
Mills. Lu2erne county: Mrs Patrick Farrell
Pleasant Valley; Benjamin O'Brien. Pleas-
ant Valley; Tim Finnegan, OF Providence
Kate Featherstune, Pleasant Valley. Levi
and Abraham Doran, Pleasant Valley
Annie LOTUS, Olyphant Lackawanni
county Mrs Patrick Brohony. Pleas
ant Valley: James jackson, son o
Frank Jackson, Pleasant Valley; jaime
jackson, son Of Henry jackson, Pieasan
Valley: Richard Horrice and wife. Mi
nooza; Feaius Mulberin. Mmnoka; Thoma
roole, inooka; james Connoboy, Minaoka
John 0Hearn, Luzerneborough; William
Cusick Old Forge, Lackawanna county: Mort
Qumlan, Scranton: Kate Quinlan, Scranton
Richard Powell and wife, Min0oka, Jane
Lynstt, Pleasa Valley; James Brochonl
and wife, Pleasant Valley; Charles Gilitz
Pleasant Valley; Katie Clarke, Old Forge
Oscar Gibbons, Pleasant Valley. Mrs NJ G
Andrews and two sSns, Pleasant Valley; JohI
WEIGH, Pleasant Valley, died in the hospital
Owen killcuilen, Scranton, died in the hos
pital: Thomas Moore, Bellevue. near Scran
ton, died in the hospital; Peter Kline, Provi
dence; NJ sullivan, Pleasant Valley; Lizzi
and Mary Murphy, Minooka. This is a com
plete list Of the names of those identified
Five bodies still remain unidentified The
are horribly mangled, and can only be recog
nized by their clothing. One Of them is un
doubtedly tramp, who boarded the TRAN
at Penn Haven.
The ccroners inquest has began Enginee
Major made some startling admissions II
confessed that his train was running twelv
miles AN nour, and had II approached Mu'
Run under control as the rules required, o
running four miles an hour, the acciden