Morning journal and courier., 1888-10-12
News by Telegraph
 FROM ALL QUARTERS. STORY OF THE COLLISION 1t Was The Fault Of A Care
 less Engineer. FOR HARRISON AND BLAINE, The Grandest Demonstra-
 ton On Record. THE GREAT OIL FIRE. Threatening Attitude of The Chicago Strikers.
STORY OF THE COLLISION.

The Chicago Strikers.
 STORY OF THE COLLISION.
 FrIghtful Scenes at rhe Wreck l Thrilling Narrative by a Survivor
 FortY-Five Victims Already Identi-
 Red-It Was the Fault of a Careless
 Engineer.
 WILKEsBARRE, Oct, 1.-The Father Mathew celebration at Hazleton yesterday
 ended in a most frightfuI disaster, the like of which has never been seen in the Lehigh Val | ley, or indeed in this country. The wreck occurred at Mud Run, about midday between White Haven and Penn Haven Junction. The | first section of train while standing still | was run into by the second section. The last three cars, filled to overfowing, were totally \ wrecked and all the passengers in the rear | car were killed.
 The last two cars telescoped and the pas- \ sengers were either crushed to death or pressed against the boiler and burned to death. The scene was heartrending. It was ! nearly six hours before the first section was able to reach Wilkesbarre, the wounded be- ing conveyed in ambulance from Mill Creek E to the oity hospital.
 I Passengers on the several sections of the ! train tell tales too horrible for belief under any other circumstances. They relate that the third section of the excursion train stood on the track few hundred yards from Mud Run waiting for sections ahead to get out of ! the way. A brakeman, they said, had been sent back with lantern to guard the train in the rear. Suddenly they saw train ap. proach from the rear at g high rate of speed. Several who were on the rear platform jumped off and escaped. One young woman sprang off, but seeing two little boys who ' in hop chi vat OT ha r1o eho climbed back to rescue them and lost her life by her daring.
 In an instant the flash of 8 headlight ilIi-
 minated the interior of the ill-fated rear car. There was frightful crash and the engine plunged her full length into the crowded l mass of humanity. The shock drove the rear I car through the next one for two yards of it's own length and the second into the third. It is not likely that single person escaped from the rear car. The second was crowded with maimed and bleeding bodies and the third car had but few passengers who es- capped.
 Passengers on the rear train state that they saw 8 train ahead when far down the road. They sprang from their seats and started in wonder, expecting to see their train slscken and fireman jumped. Then came the shock. The engine was the Mill Creek, manned by Harry Cook of Fell street engineer, and Hugh Gallagher of Breweryville as fireman. The engineers leg was injured, and Gsllag- hers leg was fractured. The fireman stated to one man that he saw the red light, inform ed the engineer, then jumped. PASSENGERS NARRATIVE.
 wILKEsBARRE, Penn, Oct. 11.-James J. McGinty, recorder of deeds iR~Lazerne county, was on the section that ran into the preceding train. He said:
 '1 was in the second car from the engine and saw the train ahead. We were running at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, should judge. realized that there would be smash-up, but could not help myself. It
 was impossible to get out of the car, and I dld not think it would be serious anyway.
 The crash was terrible one, though none of us in the car in which I was seated were in- jnred, nor were any of us thrown over the seats. But the scene that followed makes me shiver. have heard and read thrilling ac- counts of railroad disasters, but never piotur- ed anything like this. The horror of that moment cannot he expressed in words. We
 ran to the cars in which lay the injured people. One would say, 'Oh, lift that iron and Take me out; for Gods sake help me- An ether would exelaim: My leg is fast; cut of my leg Still others begged for help in var ious ways and with the most piteous appeals. Every few minutes one of the poor victims would die. Some were being scalded by the escaping steam, some were crushed to death
  To look on and be powerless to aid was enough to drive 8 man mad. I hope I may never witness such a scene again" The bodies of the dead are now at White Haven, where they are being prepared by undertakers and placed in cofins. They will be brought to this city this evening andy then sent to their late homes. As the hours pass the crowds that surround the depot grow larger and the excitement increases. The
 loss to the Lehigh Valley railroad company will be over one million. BRINGING HOME THE VICTIMS. At 6:30 the funeral train arrived in Wilkes barre, bearing hfty-seven dead bodies. They
 had been partially prepared for burial and each covered with white cloth laid upon boards placed upon the back seats in three passenger coaches. As the train drew up to the Wilkesbarre depot it took dozen police mep to keep the frantic crowd back. A special coach had been provided for these friends, but they insisted on entering the
 cars containing the dead and were only
 stopped by force and the efforts of five priests who were on the train. One body was re. moved from the cars at WilkesbaEre. The
 train then continued on it's way up the Delaware and Hudson road to Miners Falls.
 FRIGHTFUL. PICTURE.
 Later frantic men in search of friends
 broke down the doors of the cars and began
 frantic search for their beloved ones'
 Clothes were torn from the mangled and
 scalded bodies, revealing the gay uniforms of cadets and other members of societies. Those who knew their relatives were on board also Hooked into the cars and began rearranging the attire or coverings of the corpses. Many were distorted and in horrible attitudes and friends endeavored to lessen their frightful appearance At Miners Mills the train stopped to leave 1 nG . &~oir
 drew up at Pleasant Valley that the most heartrending scenes were enacted. Ropes had been stretched about the depot and guards kept the throng back. The shrieks and screams of stricken friends and relatives were pitiful in the extreme. The first boy carried out was that of Oscar Dibbons, twelve years old, borne in the arms of his brother; then one after another the bodies were carried out and given into the charge of friends. The shrieks and cries of the women mingled with the hoarse shouts and imprecations of the men. When they were out the train pulled out to bear the dead to Scranton and else- where. IT WAS THE ENGINEERS FAULT.
 EAsroN, Penn., Oct 1.-The story of the disaster on the Lehigh Valley railroad last night at Mud Run, as told by an official, is as 1 follows: Eighty-seven carloads of people at- tended the parade at Hazelton from Wilkes barre, Scranton, Carbondale and other places.
 There were eight sections of the train and
 these followed passenger train No. 12, with | orders to run ten minutes apart. These or" | dsrs were also delivered to telegraph opera | tors at all signal stations. The seventh sec- tion cafne to Mud Run ahead of time and was stopped until ten minutes expired. The dan ger signal was displayed at the station and . brakeman was sent back as an additional preeaution. Section No. laid short dis | fanaa hawnnd tha akation No, came thuu- l dering along and the brakeman gave the en- 1 crinaaS tha aional to stan He failed to aaa