Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-09-20
PLOTTED BY DEATH.
The Grim Terror Bestrides the
iron Horse
AND REAPS A CHASTITY HARVEST
The Reading Railway the Scene of =
Frightful Carnage of
Humanity.

Forty to Fifty Passengers Meet n Sudden
and Awful Doom-Three Trains Piled
in Ruin, the Last PIunging into the
schuyIkiu River - Eighteen Corpses
Recovered from the Wreck and an I'm
known Number still To He Found
Thirty Wounded Rescued-Details of
the Horror.
READING, Pa, Sept 20.-A wreck oc-
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 occurred in this sec
ton in the history of the Reading Rail
way company. The train which iset with
disaster left this city at $40 o'clock, ten
minutes late. 1t is known as the Potts
vile express, and was running at the rate
of at least forty-fve miles an hour 1t
had on board probably 125 to $50 passen-
gers, and consisted of the engine, mail
and express cars and three passenger
cars. Above Shoemakersville, about fif-
teen miles above this city, there is scurve,
where the railroad is about eighteen to
twenty feet higher than the Schuylkill
river.
Three Trains Piled Up in Ruin.
Here shortly before o'clock a freight
train ran into a coal train, throwing
several cars in the latter on the opposite
time to 20 back TO warn any approaching
train of the danger, the Pottsville express
came around the curve and ran into the
wrecked coal cars on its track The en-
CINE went down the embankment, fol-
lowed by the entire train with its human
freight.
A Scene of Awful Horror
The scene was one of great horror and
can be better imagined than described.
The cries of the imprisoned passengers
were heartrendng. 1t was scene never
to be forgotten by those who participated
and urvived. Some of the passengers
managed 10 crawl out of their prison and
arouse the neighborhood Word was tel
egrsphed to this city and help summoned,
but all Information was refused at this
point by the railroad officials.
Six Dead and Thirty Wounded.
Physicians and surgeons and a force of
800 workmen were taken to the spot, and
with the aid of travelling electric light
plant, the work Of clearing away the
wreck was at once r,-oceeded with Work
WAS slow and the dead and dying were
taken out with great difficulty. Up to 10
O'Clock last night six dead and some
thirty wounded, had been taken out OF
the latter some We're brought here and
others taken 10 the miners hospital at
Ashland
Long Roll of Victims.
The dead and wounded taken out up to
the above hour were as follows: Killed:
William D. ShOme, Reading; John VIE,
engineer, r-',vt-ss Il,S, D. james Temple
fireman, POttsville. Pa; Harry Logan,
conductor, Pottsville, Pa: David Aug
stedt, Mahoney City died after being
taken from the wreck: T. w Logan, bag
gagemaster, Shenandoah.
Injured: Harrison Riland. Phi ladel phIa,
leg broken and internally hurt Joseph
Southwood CentraIia, badly cut and in
ternally hurt: james =. Merkle. Bethle-
hem badly cut about head and internally
hurt: John Thornton, LeespOrt. badly cut
about head and body, seriously injured
Joseph Noll, Shenandoah, cut about head
and left shoulder broken; Frank B. Holl,
manager of Frank Mayo's Dramatic COM
pany, cut about head and body, bruised
about arms and legs; John Carroll st.
Clair, back and internally injured Joseph
A Asfeld, Mahoney City, bruised about
body and legs; Robert Cotton, Pottstown,
injured internally; Samuel Shollenburger,
injured internally; B. w. Cithler, Girard-
Vile, foot and leg mashed; John Coolick,
Mt. Carmel, hurt internally and hands
mashed; W. w. Johnston, Shenandoah
head badly cut and leg broken; George
Sanders, Reading, badly hurt about back
and neck; Benjamin Franklin Beecher
Shenandoah, left hip badly cut and leg
hurt; james Bernhard Shenandoah, left
hip crushed and legs hurt; John Hess,
Mahony City, legs badly hurt; David G.
Young, Mahoney City, head badly cut
and legs sprained: Lyman Dick, Ham,
burg, both legs broken; DR.. 3. f. Saloda,
New RinRgold, right arm badly hurt; Ja-
cob Timer, Pottsville, both legs broken:
Samuel Comb. Mahoney City, badly hurt
about body, and legs broken; William
SINNERS, Ashland, hurt internally; Will
lam Glassmair, Port Clinton, badly cut
about breast; Thomas Cooney, Philadel-
phia. head aud legs injured