Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-07-25
FRIGHTFuL ACCIDENT.

The Fearful Work Caused by Couple OF
Runaway Coal Cars on the Lehigh Val
ley Road-A Passenger Train Cut
Through Though the Cars were Egg
shells-Ths Dead and the Wounded.
SHAMoKIN, Pa, July 1S.-A frightful
accident occurred on the Lehigh Valley
railroad, a mile east of this city last
evening by two runaway cars colliding
with a passenger train. The dead are;
Aaron Shipe, single.
A carpenter at Hickory Swamp col
Eery, killed by being crushed between the
tank of the locomotive and platform OF
car.
John Roush, married, carpenter at
Hickory Swamp.
The wounded are: Norton Weaver,
legs and face fearfully lacerated; Lev:
Albright, head cut, and leg broken; lr-
win Kashner, both legs broken and head
cut: John Baker, slate picker, shoulder
broken; unknown Hungarian wo-
man leg and wrist broken
and head badly cut; Jas. Hodge, leg
broken and face Gut; Patrick Britton.
legs frightfully mangled-will probably
die; Mike Britain, back broken. sup
posed fatally; VIM. Lideman, conductor,
bruised about the body and face cut;
Engineer Albert Seed, legs injured and
face and head badly cut; Michael Gable,
head cut and badly bruised; Mrs. John
McHugh, serious internal injuries; John
Miller, Polander, collar bone broken; Joe
Fredericks, back broken-will die; Jacob
Kulp, head, face and legs cut aud
bruised; John Darott legs mangled;
John Thomas, jaw and face cut.
The cars were loaded with miners.
slate pickers and women. At Coal Run
switch the road branches on to the main
line, which had heretofore been hidden
by chain of mountains. After the train
gained the main line, miner sitting on
the rear platform saw the two runaway
cars dashing down the track at lightn ing
speed. With a cry of warning, he jumped
OF and rolled down an embankment In
safety. The fagman, John Metz, fol-
lowed, and placed q number of railroad
ties on the track, through which the cars
passed like a shot.
BY this time the inmates of the two
passenger cars, which were literally
packed, beheld the danger, and a wild
scene of confusion ensued. A simultan-
eous rush for the do ors was made.
few succeeded in gaining the platforms
and safely jumped off. Then a jam oc-
Cured in the door. A number escaped
through the open windows and rolled
down a steep embankment. Mrs. John
McHugh, about to become a mother.
leaped from her seat and shouted to the
men in the rear car: ''Clear the way for
mel" Instantly the men who were fight
ing like demons to get out, cleared a pas
sage through which the woman ran out
to the platform and jumped off the flying
train into the creek. A second later the
crash came.
After the runaway cars struck they
passed through the passenger cars like
bullet, the coal flying about like bat
terry of Gatling-guns playing on regi-
ments of massed troops. The scene that
followed was terrible. ALI this time the
wrecked train kept the track. and rushed
on to Luke Fiddler station with lightning
like swiftness, two miles down the line.
Then the engine left the track and the
cars telescoped. Here is where the most
damage was done. After the vast clouds
of dust cleared away, the work of
rescue commenced and in an hour the
dead and wounded were taken out. The
cars that caused the wreck started from
the Excelsior colliery, two miles east OF
Coal Run switch. There were four cars
standing on the siding below the colliery.
and it is supposed that some boys, in
order to obtain a ride, uncoupled the two,
and 1oosed the brakes. When nearing
patent switch leading to the main tracks
the brakes were put on, but the boys be-
ing unable to tighten them enough, be-
came frightened and jumped off and took
to the woods. Wrecking crews are now
on the scene of the disaster and will have
the road open for traffic by morning. The
road will sustain loss of $50 900.