Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-09-27
A RAILWAY HORROR.
A Reading Express Train Plunges
Down an Enbanlzment.
Nearly Thirty People Killed and rs Many
~. More Badly NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Corpses Taken From the
a Wrock - List OF the

Cured on the Reading road seventeen
miles above this place at about GAS
o'clock last night II everything is
borne out by subsequent developments,
it is the worst wreck that has ever oc-
Cured in this section in the history OF
the Reading Railroad Company. The
train which met with disaster loft this
city ut 6:10 o'clock, ten minutes late 1t
is known as the Pottsville express and
was running at the rate of at least forty
five miles an hour. 1t had on board
probably 1875 to 150 passengers, and con-
sistoI Of an engine, mail and express
cars and three passenger cars. Above
Shoemakerville, fifteen miles above this
city, there is curve where the railroad
is about eighteen to twenty feet higher
than the Schuyllill river Here shortly
before six o'clock freight train ran
into coal train, throwing several cars
in the latter on the opposite track and
before the train hands had time to go
back to warn any approaching train of
around the curve and ran into the
wrecked ccal cars on its track.
The engine went down the embank
ment followed by the entire train with
its human freight. The scene was one
of great horror, and can be better i'm
agined than described. The cries OF
the imprisoned passengers were heart
rending 1t was scene never to be for
gotten by those who participated and
survived. Some of the passengers man
aged to crawl out of their prison and
aroused the neighborhood. Word was
telegraphed to this city and help sum-
at this point by the railroad officials.
Physicians and surgeons and a force
of 800 workingmen were taken to the
spot and with the aid of travelling
electric light plant the work of clear
ing away the wreck was at once pro-
ceeded with. Work was slow and the
dead and dying were taken out with
great difficulty.
READING, Pa, Sept 22.-The inde-
scribable horror of Friday nights wreck
on the Pennsylvania & Reading railroad
near Shoemakersville was more fully
revealed Saturday. The engine lay in
four feet of water with the body of tho
engineer, John White, still pinned be-
meath it. The engine was battered out
OF shape and its machinery bent and
twisted like toy. The tender, bag
gage, mail cars and passenger coaches
laid in the succession in which they left
the track, the timbers broken and the
cars overturned, pinning the unrescued
victims in death embrace at the bot
tom of the river. The distance from
the point where the engine left the
tracks, going down the steep twenty
five-foot embankment and then dashing
over the rocky bed of the river, is fully
$50 feet, showing that the train at the
time of the accident must have been
going at a terrific speed.
The wreck is said to have occurred in
the following manner: A down coal
train separated above Shoemakersville
and another coal train following after
ran into the rear section. Two loaded
coal 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 pas
senger train followed 1t is estimated
that the passenger train was running at
speed of sixty-fve miles an hour. A
large majority of the victims, both dead
and injured, belonged in the coal region
along the Reading railroad.
THE DEAD.
Following is list Of the dead taken
from the wreck:
John F. Miller. Cressona; George Green
wale, mail asent Pottsyille; john White
man, Pottsville: William d. ShoIno, Read
ing; Harry Jacoby stone cutter Potts
Town; Joseph Becker, chief burgess. Ma
Mrs. Edward j. Fox, Pottsville: Edward j.
Fox, Pottsville; George r. kaercher. Potts
vile; Harry Loughlin. co ductor OF express;
erlcks, Pottsville: j E Fredericks: Joseph
Badsman Philadelphia; n. C. Vanderslyce,
Phoenixville; john Sheedle, Philadelphia, +. &
II. engineer: Michael Summers, Mahanoy City;
Frank Hassman, Maharcy City; George Lam
bert OF Tamaqua.
LIST OF THE INJURED.
The injured are:
Joseph Noll, Shenandoah cut about head and
left shoulder broken; Frank b. Hall, manager
OF Frank Mayos Dramatic Company. cut about
head and body bruised about arms and legs;
John Carroll, ST Clair, back, and internally in
jured; James Carroll son OF John Carroll, back
bruised about body and legs; William X. Glass
moyer. Port Clinton, badly cut sbout breast;
Thomas Cooney, Philadelphia. head aud legs in
jured; Robert Cation, Pottstown, injured in
ternally; Samuel Sholenterger. Hamburg legs
injured. Harrison Rylanu, Phila elphia. leg
broken and internally injured; Joseph South
wood, Centralia, body cut and internally in
jured; John Thornton, Leesport, badly cut
about the head and body, severely injured; 3.
w. Eithler Girardvilie, foot and leg mashed;
John Kulick, Mount Carmel, hurt internally
and hand mashed; w. ] johnson, Sh nandoah,
hand badly cut and leg broken George Souders,
Reading. badly hurt about back and neck;
Frank Conklng Beecher, Shenandoah, left hip
badly cut and legs hurt; James Bernhart, Shen.
andoah. left hip crushed and legs hurt;
John Hess Mahoning City, legs badly hurt;
Joseph j, Didoung, Mahanoy City. head bad
~ cut and legs sprained; Lyman ID ok, Ham
burg, both legs broken; DIR. d f. Soaliday, New
Ringgold, right arm badly hurt; Jacob 'Ulmer,
Pottsvi lie, both legs broken; Samuel Comb,
Mahanoy City, badly hurt about the body and
leg broken William Somers. Ashland, hurt;
Robert Collin, parlor car conductor very badly
bruised; Edward Logan. baggage master, Potts.
Vile. badly injured In the back and head;
Strouse, PottsYlle, badly bruised; G. F. Mer.
kle. Cressona, instructor of civil engineering at
Lehigh University arm broken and hurt in
ternally John M'Donough, OF Shenandoah. bad.
ly hurt; John Straub sehuylkill Haven, injured
FRANCE has 3S,OOO,ooO OF population,
1905 doctors, while it graduates 624