St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-09-21
The Number Of Bodies Taken
Out Of the River Reaches
Twenty-One.
A Heap Of Debris Thrown on
the Passenger Track by
Colliding Freights.
Several Men Killed by an
Explosion Of Gas in
q Mine.

railway dccluenG was GWenGy-0no, ana
the list of injured will reach sixty. Ac-
cording to advices received at the main
office in regard to the cause of the
calamity it appears that two coal trains
left Perry, further up the road, twelve
minutes apart and sOuth-bound. After
proceeding some distance the first train
of cars parted in the middle, and as the
rear half slackened its speed to a stand
still the second tram plunged into it and
threw heap of debris upon the passen-
ger track. 1t was minute and half after
this collision that the ill-fated express
came laundering along. Brakeman
Michael Gill tells this story: II was sit
ting in the front end of the first ladies'
car talking with Judge Stephens, of
Pottstown. We had been discussing
the New York Central strike, and were
arguing the facts of the trouble when
suddenly l felt tremendous shock.
Before l could jump to my feet there
was another, and then, looking out
through the front end of the car, saw
what appeared to be coal train run
ing into our train. For moment 1 was
too surprised to do anything. The win
dow beside which l had been sitting
was open and 1 might have jumped out,
but something seemed to warn me rot
to do it, Had | done so, / would have
been killed. could see the forward
cars of the train being knocked into the
river, and heard the sound of cracking
timbers as they ground together
Like KindIing Wood.
saw the entire side of the smoking
car ahead of mine torn out, and then I
turned my back, thinking that my last
engerS IN our car were screaming. and
several of them had climbed half way
out of the windows. l shouted to them
to keep quiet, and the next instant our
car was struck and upset down the
bank, but was not overturned. Seeing
there was no Immediate danger for
those in our car, jumped out into the
river, which was about five feet deep
there, and worked my way to the for
ward part of the wreck. In one of the
wrecked cars l heard man shouting
for help. Pm not caught and Pm not
hurt, but can't get out he said. He
was penned in the car like rat in a
box, and the wood was blazing all about
him. 1 secured a bucket and began
throwing water on the fire, and l think
the man was saved. had to work
alone for some time, although there was
crowd OF people standing on the bank
above the wreck, to whom | shouted to
come and help me. They refused,
however, and it was some time be-
fore other help arrived. 1 tried to
learn where White, the engineer, was,
but he was pinned down under the
engine and the water was so hot that
we could not get at him. There were
seven cars in the train and five of
them went down the bank. The mail.
express, ,parlor and smoking cars were so
Badly Mashed Together
that could not distinguish them apart,
except the latter, which stood half in
the water and at right angles with the
tracks from which it had been thrown.
Both sides had been torn away, and
many OF its occupants were killed OF in
jured. The two cars behind us, day
coach and Pullman car, had not left the
track, and those occupying seats in
them received nothing more serious
than severe shaking up. When
l saw what appeared to be the coal
train running into US. 1t was really our
own train smashing into the coal cars.
which were piled up across the tracks,
as | afterwards learned" Gill is not
much the worse for his terrible expert
ence. Another train hand says he saw
Gill, while standing up to his neck in
water, throw water ON fire which had
been started In one of the cars. He says
Gill's action extinguished the fire, thus
preventing what would have been an
added horror. The body of an unknown
man who was among the victims of
the disaster at Shoemakersville,
and who was among the last to
be taken out of the wreck, was identi-
fed as George Lambert, of Tamaqua.
| This places the number of fatalities at
| twenty-One. ALI the wrecked cars were
taken out Of the river to night. 1t is
| now believed that there are no more
bodies in the water and that this ends
the death list. The corner subpenaed
a jury to-day, and will hold an inquest
early next week. The tracks have
been repaired and trains are now run
ming as usual. The railroad officials
here say that they will make the most
searching Investigation as to the cause
of the wreck. A number of the least
injured WHO were in the Reading hos
pital were sent to their homes to-day.