The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-10-08
SCURES KILLED.
A Frightful Disaster on the
Reading Road.
A Crowded Express Train Thrown
Into the Schuylkill River.

Shoemakersville, station on the Reading
Railroad, fifteen miles north Of Reading,
Penn, was the scene Of terrible wreck soon
after o'clock on recent night. Ad7ices
received on the day after the accident report
hat thirty are known to have been injured,
and from forty to fifty killed. Those killed
wero nearly all railroad hands.
The train was what is known as the
Pottsville express, leaving Reading at
SAG p. II. The train was fifteen minutes
late, and it had on board large num-
Der Of people who had attended the
Berks County Fair in Readingi during the
day, and firemen from the coal regions, who
mems Convention in Chester during the past
few days. The train only stops at the most
important stations along the route, and
generally runs at the rate Of forty miles an
hour.
As the train was late, the engineer, it Is
supposed, put on good head Of speed, and
it was flying along the rails at lively rate.
At the point where the accident occurred q
freight train had just run into coal train,
throwing several coal cars over on the track
on which the passenger train was coming
along.
The passenger came along on the track
filed with the debris Of broken coal cars, and
dashed into the mass Of timbers and q small
engine gavc O plunge and then dashed
down the embankment to the dark
snd Var t#e5ty feet "bs5s bsow it foored sai
by the tender, the baggage car, the mail car,
and three passenger cars, all well filled. In
Btantly cries arose from 100 stricken human
beings. Everything was confusion and great
excitement prevailed.
The news Of the disaster travelled with
lightning speed over the country roundabout,
and the villagers and the farmers living in
the surround ng neighborhood focked to
the scene, but they could give very little re-
lief.
The night was dark, the lights Of the train
even went out and the terror-stricken pas
sengers, some Of them imprisoned in the cars,
fought desperately to get out. Some OF the
cars were broken, and the passengers who
were not too badly injured managed to make
their way to shore and grope about for some
relief.
Up to ten o'clock at night six bodies had
been taken out.
Near midnight the body OF Mail Agent
Greepalk was rescued as 1t was floating down
the river. he had been crushed to death in
The mail cor at his post of duty.
1t is o singular fact that SO many OF the
train bands should have met their death
in the wreck. They had no chance
to jump, and went down to theil
death almost unconscious as to their i'm
pending fate. The crash and rush down the
embankment, were oil tho work of an In.
stant when all was darkness and death. To
ward midnight an Italian was detected in
the act of robbing the dead and injured, and
be was promptly arrested.
Physicians and surgeons and force Of SOC
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 proceeded with.
Work was slow and the dead and dying
were taken out with great difficulty.
At2 o'clock no1t morning fifteen bodie:
had been taken out. The number Of injured
is cstimated to be thirty.