The sun., 1890-08-23
HURLED TO THEIR DEATH.
FRTGHTFUI ACCIDENT ON GRAVITY
ROAD DOWN A MOUNTAIN.

A Car Containing About Twenty Exour-
sionists Becomes UneontroiIabie and
Acquires n Speed of Mach Moro Than
Milo n Minute-It Breaks from tho
Track at Curve aud All on board
are Killed or InJured-Four Found Dead.
READING, Aug. 22.-By an awful blunder on
the part OF some person not yet lxed upon an
accident took place this forenoon on the Mount
Penn Gravity Railroad, which resulted In the
instant death OF four persons, the fatal injury
Of at least three. and severe and painful in
juries to moro than dozen. A closed excursion
car containing about twenty passengers, and
drawn by q locomotive left the Gravity station
at 10 o'clock and proceeded up Mount Penn
The ascent is made gradually Az miles TO tho
summit, about 1900 feet above sea level
Tho train reached level about 500 feet from
the summit. whore 1t stopped. The engine
according to the custom, uncoupled, ran ahead
to switch. and returned to get behind the car
to push 1t to the summit
During this time 1t was noticed that tho
brakes of the car did not hold 1t, and chooks OF
wood were placed under the wheels to prevent
It rolling backward. The train hands fell to
work to repair the brake. and when Engineer
Kendall was ready to push, the report was made
to him that all was right and he pushed
the car up to the summit, and there let 1t go,
since the car from that point descends the
mountain alone eight miles by a circuitous
roRe, and by gravity Instead OF stopping for
q While at the summit tower, to allow passen-
gers to view the scenery the car went right
ahead. the crew being unable to stop 1t. 1t
rapidly left the summit and 30 quickly dlsap-
peared that the engineer, who saw the trouble.
started his engine to catch the car. but was un-
able to overtake 1t.
On sped the car, increasing Its velocity every
second. It proceeded a mile, safely turned
the north curve. and then with its acquired
momentum. began q frightful descent Con-
duotor Rettew fully understanding the situa-
tion. turned to the panic-stricken passengers.
told them all control Of the car had been lost,
and that they could Jump for their lives II they
wished. but that he would stick to the car.
By this time they were descending at the
rate OF nearly milo minute. Women and
children screamed and caught hold Of their
husbands and fathers, implorinG them not to
jump. Frantic efforts were made to operate
the brakes. but all in vain. The road Is skirted
with stumps and rocks, and TO Jump implied
probably instant death.
Finally Brakeman Frank IIelter, seeing An
tietam curve ahead. leaped from the car. He
landed on his back and lay as II dead. This
aad Mrs. Cooper OF Allentown. the latter with
bidding all q hasty, good-by. they leaned
forward. and. to the intense horror OF
s4s .ss they sw bssd ss
Us u.s. II dead. Fasser and faster the cal car HeW lew
making the four miles iravorsed. Another
mile remained. Conductor Kettew looked
ahead and saw Cemetery Curve very near.
get around that sharp turn. Still he remained.
as dtd the re- others m The me- next instant ,tI the car
noise, it broke from the rails and Went Went
crashing down forty-ioot embenkment
peopie into the stumps Gs and locks. The heaVy IVY
frlRhtiul was the velocity of its descent; Then
were heard groans OF the manRled and dying
bock up the 6i from I'll the % place OF st starting ]
and stopping, and In a few moments a crowd
lad gathered and set to work getting out the
The con duotor, Charles Rettew. aged So. with
a wife and several children, was found dead
hurled against a tree. iris6tiul cash was in
his left forehead and all his limbs were broken
Under the rear end of the wrecked car wedged
friRhtfuly manRled body Of Edgar NJ. Levan.
q young lawyer. He had been Killed Instantly.
aged woman with her skull crushed sho was
Identified as Miss Harriet Hinklo,, aged 81. on
visit visit h here from Philadelphiiaa Near her her the
ea sGo % to be % Rose 1isa spe WSs
Lad Miss f Hnke m to theS the niS
About these dead persons lay, over dozen
peopIe almost in q heap and all badly In
Mrs. william 4. #. schmehl wife of Read
ing lawyer. suffering with concussIon OF the
head cut, sewers bruises about the body, and
61f d expected oS to survive Mile her l4yeHr-
Mrs. Hiram Schiller, the wife OF, Reading
liyeEyman, scalp torn from the back OF her
bruised very severely; Mrs, Mary Guthrie,
Wilmington. Del. head badly cut and lace
accompanied her. on the gravity! railroad trip;
bead and limbs RFuised; Bessie Kelly. Vest est
EeS k' sister guests 81 sssfo MIS- Gsn'Rsss RSsa
skull fractured. expected to die: Mr. ana Mrs.
two children, 2 and 8 years Old. MIR. Hqpion
los midway between The Enoe and ankle. fhes he
head and face. and the youngest child has con-
cussion Of the brain and may die. This family
erouched upon the car floor when it went down
Weller daughter Of John Weller Of Allen,
town, very severe body bruises
Parties were sent out to bring the, people in
and Unconscious where they fell Mrs. Cooper
had seYere scalp wounds and was hurt inter.
nally. Her babe was bleeding fIom the stom-
ach and It Is thought 1t will die. Mrs. Nathan
scheter has gashes in the face both arms are
lacerated, and there are wounds on the head.
Brakeman Helter was Internally injured.
Mrs. Sohmehl 10 reported dying tonight.
Doctors and ambulances quickly removed nll
the victims to the city. Coroner Holman and
his Jury are now investigating. Thelcompany
has been experimenting with air brakes, and
the fatal car had one of these attached.