The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-09-25
DOWN A HIGH BANK.

A Read,ng Railway Passenger Train
Piunges Into the Schayikill at Shoe
makersvilie. Pa. - between Fifty and
Seventy Persons Killed and Many In
jured.
READING, Pa, Sept 2O.-Shoemakers-
vile, a station on the Reading railroad
fifteen miles north OF this city, was the
scene of terrible railroad wreck at 6:15
dicate that between fifty and seventy
persons were killed and that an equal
number received injuries more or less
serious. Thirteen bodies have been
taken from the wreck, some OF which
have not yet been identified.
The ill-fated train is No. 3 express,
better known as the cannon-ball train.
which leaves Philadelphia at 4 o'clock
in the afternoon. It left ON time FRI
day at Philadelphia, bu. was several
minutes late leaving the outer sta
tion here owing to the large crowds
who were returning homo from the
Berks County fair and who had
gathered at that station to take the
train. Seven moro cars had to be add
ed to the alrcady-filled coaches, and q
delay of fifteen minutes was caused.
When the train was once beyond the
numerous side-tracks about . mile
north OF the city the engineer
began making up the lost time and in
q few seconds the train was running at
lightning speed. Suddenly there was a
crash, q rumbling Of the passenger
coaches over the ties, and down went
the engine, tank, baggage, express, and
parlor cars and the passenger-coaches
into the creek which borders the road
at that point
The sight was a heartrending one.
The escaping steam from the locomo-
tive added to the horror, and but for
the baggage and express cars which pre-
ceded the passenger coaches hundreds
would have been literally cooked alive.
The crash was heard for great dis
tance and hundreds Of people from the
village and tho surrounding country
were soon at the scene of the wreck.
The accident was caused by number
of wrecked coal-cars which had been
thrown in the way OF the passenger
tr ain.
lision between freight and coal train.
The coal train had pulled past the sta
tion at Shoemakersville, going south,
and was running at moderate rate Of
speed, part OF her train having torn loose,
when suddenly freight which followed
came laundering around curve, and
before the engineer could stop his train
1t crashed into the rear of the coal
train and threw number Of loaded
coal cars across the north bound track
The cannon ball express was then due
and before tho danger signal could be
given it came in sight. Engineer
John White did all he could to
svoid the accident, but without avail,
and when the engine struck the wrecked
coal cars 1t left the track and carried
the cars as above mentioned down a
steep embankment and precipitated
them into the creek thirty feet below.
Then followed an awful scene. Women
screamed, children cried and men
moaned. Willing hands at once set to
work, and within q short time thirty
injured had been removed and several
killed were also taken out The dead
taken out up to midnight who have
been iden titled, are as follows:
William d. Shomo, Reading badly mangled
John White, engineer. Poitsvilc, Pa; James
Tempiiu. fireman. Pottsyilie, Pa; Harry
Logan, conduc or, Pottsville Pa. David Aug
stadt. Mahoney City, died after being taken
from the wreck; his head and body were
crushed. T.. w. Logan, baggage ge-nastcr, Shen-
andoah; Mail Agent Greenwalt; two iiremen,
names unknown; John L. Miles, Cressona.
Tbirty-nye of the wounded have been
identified. The railroad officials at
once sent special train from here to
the scene of the wreck with a dozen
physicians and coaches for tho relief ot
the injured. The train arrived at the
wreck about half an hour after
it happened, and the injured who
had been taken out before the
special arrived we're first attended
to and placed in the baggage coaches
brought for that purpose. One after an
other was taken from under the wrecked
cars, bleeding, until the scene resem.
bled q battlefield. Legs were crushed
and broken. arms broken. ribs crushed
in and bodies terribly bruised by
the timbers of the wrecked
coaches. The attention of the
wreckers, who arrived half an
hour afterwards, was devoted to hoist.
ing the wrecked cars out of Schuylkill
creek, into which they had been thrown,
and the work of rescuing those pin
| ioned fast in the wreckage was begun.
The railroad officials refuse to give
any information whatever beyond the
faot fhot tbap0 ~
wreckers will be unable to clear the
tracks before noon. About 400 men are al
work rescuing the injured and dead. and
word comes from the scene that there
are still some fifty or sixty people under
the wrecked cars. Every hour swells
the list OF injured and killed. Tue
Schuylkill at the point where the wreck
occurred is about eight feet deep, and
the work of removing che dead is .
difficult task. How many were act
ually killed will only be disclosed with
the removal of the engine and car.
from the bed of the river. Super
intendent Cable, of the Reading road
has given every order necessary TO
the comfort o. the injured.
TEN KILLED IN MEXICO.
CITY OF MEXICO, via Galveston. Sept
20.--A terrible accident happened Fri
day on the Mexican railroad. Tw,
trains going in opposite directions raj
into each other at Rincenada, and tn,
cars were piled on one another and com
pletely wrecked. len persons wer.
killed and several others wounded.
-
A Woman Assassinated.
THREE RIVERS, Que, Sept 20-Mrs
Cervais, Of Po:nte Du Lac, nine mile
from here, was shot and killed whil
sitting at the supper table with her hus
band Thursday evening. The shot wa
fired through the window. There is n
clew to the party who did the shooting
and NO cause can be assigned for the act
Noted Elevator Inventor Dead.
BUFFALO, N. Y, Sept 2O.-Rober
Dunbar died here Thursday, aged Z
years. He was the inventor and in
PRODUCER OF the machinery now used il
grain elevators, and built tho first ele
vator at this port
Sentenced to Death.