The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1890-09-24
a RIDE 70 DEATH.
Terrisis Aseiaens to Reading Ex-
press Train.


REspIxs. P.., September e1.--Above Shoe
makervile, Bcrks county, Pa. about tiiicen
miles above Reading, tlsre Is curve where
the Reading Railroad Is about eighteen or
twenty feet higher than the Scbuylkin river.
Here, shortly before 6 O'clock last evening.
freight train ran into coal train, throw
several cars Of the latter on the opposite
track. aud before the train hands had time
TO go back to warn any approaching train Of
the danger the Poftsville Express came
around the curve and ran into the wrecked
coal cars On the track. The engine went
down the emhanknent into the river, fol-
iowel BY the entire train with rs human
freight.
The scene was one Of great horror. Some
OF the passengers managed to crawl out Of
their prison and arouse the neghborhood.
Word was ielegraphed 10 Reading and help
summoned. Physicians and surgeons and q
force of three hundred workm were taken
to the spot by the company. and with the
aid OF travelling elecsric-ligh, plant the
work Of clearing away the wreck was at once
proceeded with Work was slow and the
dead and dying were taken out with great
difficulty.
One of the passengers who went down with
the wreck and escaped without serious in
jury says: The passengers Appeard happy
crowd, chatting and laughing after the days
pleasure at the Berks county fair. was
vfauring fha ssor M ~ -, r,ara
passing, when suddenly there was terrific
crash. was hurled from my seat while the
cars rolled down the twen,y-foot embsnk-
meni, and was thrown from one side ofthe
car 10 the other like boy, when splash
one end went into the water and / wa spar
italy stunned. | quickly recovered myself
and managed to climb upon the seats on
that side Of the car which lay against the
embsnkment. / was prisoner in the car un-
able to get out, and, while was nursing my
sprained ankle and wrist out Of joint, /
realized that ] was in scene of veritable
horror. Around and about me were human
beings struggling in the water, screaming in
their fright and some almost dragged me
/
themselves. as | did, and the remainder
struggled in the water and then quietly
sank out of sight
Among the killed are William ID. Shomo.
one of Readings wealfhiest citizens, badly
nangled John White, engineer Pottsville,
Pa; James Tamplin, fireman, Pottsville,
Pa Harry Logan. conductor, Pottsville,
Pa David Augstadt, Mahanoy City, died
after being taken from the wreck. his head
and body were crushed Z. w. Logan, bag
gagemaster, Shenandoah; Green A. Wald,
mail agent; two Mahanoy City fremen,
names unknown, on their way home from
Chester Convention and George r. Kaerch-
er, Esq, the eminent railroad lawyer. Of
Pottsville, who has also law office in Phil
sdeIphia- A number of other bodies are
still in the wreck In addition there is
large list Of wounded, many having arms
or legs broken.
When daylight dawnei, on the scene of
last highs wreck on the Philadelphia &
Reading Railroad. near rShoemakersville, the
full realization of the indescribable horrors
of the night before were first fully revealed
and the sickening spectacle of the wreck and
its victims was presented in startling pic
ture and terrible scene.
There lay the engine in four and a-half
feet Of water, while the body Of the engineer
John White-was still pinned underneath
the heavy iron wreck, his arms extended in
an appealing manner above the water The
engine is all battered out of shape. and its
machinery bent and twisted like plsything.
| Next lay the tender on its side, and then the
baggage and mail cars and passenger coaches
| in the succession in which they left the
track; the iimbers broken and the cars over
turned, pinning the unrescued victims in a
death embrace at the bottom ofthe river.
The speed at which the train was running
can be imagined when it is stated that the
distance from where the engine left the
tracks going down the twenty -fve-foot EN-
bankment and then dashing over the rocky
bed of the river is fully one hundred and
fifty feet. The work Of searching for bodies
continued all night and up to O'Clock this
forenoon number more had been taken
out now making the total number recovered
about twenty. There is no longer any doub.
as to the fate of George B. Kaercher, general
counsel OF the Reading Railroad. His body
was taken out OF the wrecked parlor car
early this morning. almost unrecognizsble
and badly disfgured
The scene on the banks of the river was a
gbsstly one. There lay long row of the
dead. which were increased as one af er
another of the bodies were brought out ofthe
water. The force employed by the railroad
company is sufficiently large, but it will be
a difficult work TO move the ponderous cars.
Thousands ofpersons have aocked 70 the
scene of disaster. and while they are willing
to work their aid is of very llttle service
where experienced men are required.
The wreck occurred in this way: A down
coal train separated above Shoemakersville
Another coal train, following after, ran into
the rear section. Two loaded cars were
thrown over on the other track just as the
passenger train came dashing past, and the
engine striking this obstruction, the wreck
Of the passenger train followed.
1t is claimed the passenger train followed
50 soon after the crash Of the two coal trains
that the employees had no time to go back
70 warn the approaching passenger train,
which crashed into the wreck while going at
the rate of sixty-fve miles an hour. The
coal regions were more heavily afflicted than
any other section along the Reading Rail-
road, and large majority Of the victims,
both dead and injured came from that re-
gion.
This forenoon a delegation Of Mahanoy
City citizens arrived to take charge of their
dead. A melancholy coincident is presented
in the fact that the ili-fatea train--the Potts
vile Express-is the same which was wreck
ed at Tuckerton on the down trip on the
sd of June last Up to 10 O'Clock this fore
noon total of twenty bodies had been
taken cut and the list ofinjured is now
about 6fty.
Science BaffIed.
CHcAeo, September ls.-Pauls "a. John