Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-10-13
Lehigh Valley Wreck.
LATEST PARTICULARS OF THE Aw
Full RAILROAD DISASTER.
PATH OF FUNERAL TRAIN
Frantic Crowds of Friends and Relative
Gather at Stations to Meet Their
Notwithstanding scenes-The
Quincy Disaster.

q luueTAl tTalu arrived IN WllkeSDaPre,
bearing ffty-seyen dead bodies. They
have been partially prepared for burial
and lay upon the boards placed upon the
back of the seats in three passenger
coaches. 1t was an awful sight to look
through the long coaches at the bodies,
each covered with a white cloth. Here
the form of a boy Of 10 years, and BESIDE
it a stalwart man. AS the train drew
up to the Wilkesbarre depot a dozen
policemen were required to keep back
the frantic crowd of friends and relatives,
who had come from Scranton and Pleas
ant Valley TO meet the dead. A special
coach had been provided for these
friends, but they insisted On entering the
cars containing the dead, and We're only
stopped by force Inc the efforts of five
priests who were on the train.
One body was removed from the cars
at Wilkesbarre. The train then con-
tinued on its way up the Delaware and
Hudson o to Miners Mills and Scran-
ton. The people in the special coach
again began to clamor for permission to
enter the funeral cars, but were again
refused, it being alleged that no one had
the keys. Several who were in search
for missing friends became desperate,
and soon broke down the car doors and
began a frantic search for the loved ones.
The clothes We're torn from the mangled
and scalded bodies, revealing the gay
uniforms of the ST. Aloysius men, cadets,
and other members of the societies. Those
who knew their relatives were on board
also focked into the cars and began re-
arranging the attire and the coverings of
the corpses. Many were distorted ard
in horrible attitudes, and their friends
I e~ndeavored to lessen their frightful APP
!, pearance.
AT Miners Mills the train stopped to
leave the body of James Flynn. No
lights could be obtained, and most of the
work was done in partial darkness.
1t was as the train drew up at Pleas
ant Valley that the most heartrending
scenes were enacted. Ropes had been
stretched about the depot, and guards
kept the immense throng back. The
screams and shieks of stricken friends
and relatives were pitiful in the ex-
IRENE.
The first body carried out was that of
Oscar Gibbons, 10 years of age, borne in
the arms of his stalwart brother. Then
one after another, forty-six white-sheet-
ed bodies were carried out and given into
charge of friends. The shrieks and cries
of women and the hoarse shouts and i'm
precautions OF the men made a terrible
scene.
When all were out the ira in again
pulled out to bear the remaining dead to
Scranton, Minooka and points eyond.
The burned and mangled remains of six
ty-fve persons have already been taken
outfrom the debris, and many are missing,
who, 1t is feared, were burned to ashes.
At the hospital in Wilkesbarre are forty
persons brought in by q relief train.
Eighteen of them seriously injured, ten
of them certainly fatally. In the railway
station at Mud Run q woman lies at the
point of death, too weak to be removed.
This number does not include all the
fatalities, for many of the injured were
taken home by friends. The number OF
deaths will probably not fall short OF
100. There are ten bodies unidentified.
1t is impossible to give the number of
wounded.
Superintendent Mitch ell, in his forma,
statement of the accident, says. ''Ont
section was standing waiting for the one
ahead to clear, ten minutes, according tc
the rules under which it was running
The order wa all right and the trair
WAS standing its required two lengths
behind the station, and the red lights
were on the rear. The real man was
also back with a red light. The follow
ing train had full view of the lights ant
of the forward train for half a mile, bu
ran into it. Each train had two engines
Mr.. Mitchell said that the responsibility
for precautions was equal with the crew
of each engine in cases where they raj
double.
Engineer Foote says that he did no
see any danger signals. AS soon as h,
saw the train ahead he put on the air
brakes, but the second engineer, push
ing, did not obey signals and kept a full
head of steam. This story is not be
lieved, and the general impression 4
that Foote was asleep.