The evening world., 1888-05-11
The Newark Local Tele.
scoped by an Express.
Twenty Of the Passengers Injured
in the Smash-U
Rescuing Them from the Wreck.

A terrible collision occurred near the West
End station of the Erie road shortly after Q
o'clock this morning, just outside the Bergen
Hill Tunnel. A way train from.Newark was
at q standstill about three hundred ynrds
from the western end of the tunnel, waiting
for a main line train to pass through, when
the Greenwood Lake express came rushing
round the dangerous curve on the branch
line and completely telescoped the rear cars
of the local train. /.
There are but two tracks in the Bergen Hill
Tunnel and they are operated on the block
system. Only one train is allowed in the
tunnel at one time, and main line trains have
preference to those on the branches.
Train No. l04, which left Newark at 8
o'clock, vas eight minutes late, and when she
reached the Hackensack bridge she had to
come to q full stop to allow the 8. 10 main
line train to pass eastward.
The latter train got into the tunnel and the
Newark local. in obedience to signals, crossed
the bridge and took up a position within 500
yards OF the westward end Of the tunnel.
| The train was mt o stand still for about two
minutes, and no signal came telling the en-
gineer that the line was clear.
1t was the busiest hour of the morning,
when every train was crowded and when
every, minute another crowded passenger
| train became due.
The whistle of the Greenwood Lake express
was heard in the distance, but as all trains are
accustomed to slow up on approaching the
Hackensack bridge, no alarm was felt by the
engineer.
Onward came the express train, also o few
minutes overdue. 1t rounded the sharp
curve without any apparent stacking Of
| speed.
There was a slight fog, and the other train
was not seen until fatally near.
The engineer did his best to bring his
train to a %standstlll, but the disaster could
not be averted. 1t is said that tine air brakes
were not i'll working order.
The heavy locomotive of the express out
its way into the passive bulk of the local,
piling the cars on top of each other and
completing telescoping the two rear ones.
The last car. the one which received the
first force of the collision, was completely
crushed, and the splintered seats and broken
glass inflicted ugly wounds ON the passengers.
The second car was also wrecked. The
locomotive of the express was partly
thrown from the track and the fore part OF
the boiler was broken In.
As soon as the panic among the passengers
had subsidized prompt efforts were made for
the rescue of the injured.
The following were taken from the ruins
| of the smoking car
LEWIS HgxTABLR,. Of Belleville, cashier for
oeerndorn 4 Co., ia Franklin street, N. Y. So
E BuRiIsG, woodside, Newark, legs broken and
head cut.
I MIL AhLIvN v IVY
broken.
FREDERICK BROWN, Newark, cut in head snd
arms.
JAMES WENDELL, OF % wakeman avenue, New
ark, head cut.
ThEoDoRE BALL 81 Kearney avenue, Newark.
JOHN CLARK, franklin, N. j.. internal Injuries.
O.. II. HOBART, Franklin, N. j., arm badly
crushed.
F, q. HOBART, brother or last namsd: Lex
broken.
JOINS j. sILvERMAS, Franklin, n. j.; leg and
ankle crushed.
Z. Z BROW Essex, Nj; injuries to legs and
chest demolished.
Ambulances were promptly called, and the
sufferers were carried to the Jersey City Hos
pital.
The names of the other injured persons
have not yet been ascertained, but there are
said TO be twenty wounded.
The debris of the shattered carriages Ia be-
ing removed by a gang of men from the
Jersey City depot.
The passengers on the Orange express and
the %uninJured passengers of the local were
conveyed to Jersey City by special train.
Supt. Barrett, of the Eastern Division, was
very un~communicative when seen at his
office in the Erie Depot this morning.
The accident couldn't have been the
fault of the brakes" he said. " for we only
use those of the best make on our trains.
They never fail To work"
1t is alleged that the draw was open on the
branch line and made the Newark train five
minutes late, and that II did not COM 10 q
standstill until five minute after the Orange
train came round the curve.
There will be an investigation to fix the
responsibility for the disaster.