The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-09-20
TERRIFIC DISASTER.
FEARFUL ACCIDENT ON THE
READING pa RAILROAD.
Entire Train Thrown Down a" tmbank-
ment-Between Forty and fiftv Killed
and Large .Number Injsred-ssenss
Ueartreading and Horrible.

ana n IAfkt
Heart-ending and Horrible.
READING, PA. sept. I9.-A wreck &c.
Cured on the Reading railroad. seventeen
miles above this place, at about 6:o to-
night, and II everything is borne out by
SUBSEQUENT developments, IL IL the worst
wreck that has ever occurred in this section
in the history Of the Reading Railroad Com
pany. The train which met the disaster
( len this city at 6:l0 o'clock, ten minutes
late. 1t was known as the Pottsyille ES-
press. and was running at the rate OF AZ
least forty.iye miles an hour.
n had on board probably lsj TO $50 pas
sengers. and consisted II engine, mail, and
express cars and three passenger cars. ~
Shoemakersyille, about fifteen miles Above
this city, there il "A curve. where the railroad
| /. about eighteen tO twenty feet higher than
the Schuylkill river. Here, shortly before
Il O'Clock. "A freight train ran into coal
train. throwing several ears Of the latter on
the opposite track, and before the tram
hands had time to 90 back To warn any ap-
preaching train Of danger the Pottsyilie eN-
press came around the curve, and ran into
the wrecked coal-cars on its track.
c1ENt Of iOHbVN.
The engine went down the embankment<
followed by the entire train, with its human
freight The scene was one Of great horror,
and can be better imagined than described.
The cries oc the imprisoned passengers were
heartrending. Ii was a scene never TO Dc
forgotten by those who participated ann
survived. some Of the passengers managed
10 crawl out of their prison ana aroused the
neighborhood. Word was teegraphed 20
this city and help summoned, but all infor-
nation was refused at this point by tho
railroad officials.
CLEARING THE WRECK,
Physicians and surgeons and force o.
three hundred wOrkmen were taken To the
spot. and with the aid Of travelling elec-
tric 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
ip 10 ten o'clock tonight SIX
dead and some thirty wounded had
been taken out. OF the latter, some
were brought here and others taken Ia the
Miners Hospital at Ashland. The dead 80
far recovered are still on the ground. The
wrecked train is still lying AT the bottom oil
the river. The exact number OF the pas
sengers lost is not known. and reporter,
who is AT the ground, telephones his BELIEF
that there are still twenty-five or more
bodies underneath the wreck, or were car
red away by the current.
THE KNOWN DEAD.
Following is the list Of killed as far as
taken out up 10 this time: Wm. ID. shome,
Reading: John White, engineer; James
kempln, fireman; Harry Logan. conduc-
tor. David Angstede died after being
taken from the wreck. l.. W. Logan, bag
gage master.
FORTY OR FIFTY KILLED.
Direct communication has just been had
with the scene OF the wreck, and II - re-
ported that the number Of killed will reach
forty or fifty. II is impossible 10 get the ex-
act number, and the full horror Of the
situation will not known before morning,
At II l.. NJ. Mail Agent Greenwald's
body was taken out, followed by the horri-
bly.mangled bodies Of two MahOney City
fisemen on their way home from the Fire
mems Convention at Chester. II is rumOred
that George X. kaercher, the famous law
yer Of Reading. Is among the Killed. SiN-
teen of the injured were brought on spe-
cial tran to the Reading Hospital at TX
O'Clock.
A PASSENGERS ACCOUNT.
\ passenger who went down with the
wreck. and who was but slightly hurt, says;
when the passenger train left Reading the
cars were all filled, many of the passengers
being ladies'. ! sat in the 'front.' part OF the
last car. The train was going at lively
rate OF speed. The passengers appeared to
10 in happy mood, many CT the
ladies chatting and laughing after days
pleasure at the Berks county fair. was
viewing the lovely country through which
we were passing when suddenly there was a
terrible crash. | was hurled from my seat,
while the ears rolled down the twenty
foot embankment, and | was thrown
from one part Of the ear To
the other like boy, when splash went one
end into the water and ! was thrown
agalnst the side OF the ear with force that
partially stunned me. quickly recovered
myself, and managed 10 climb upon the
seats on the end Of the car which lay
against the embankment. ! was pris-
oner in the car, unable to get out,
and while was nursing my sprained anhi"
and dislocated wrist, ! realized that | was
i'm "A scene Of yeritable horror. Around me
were human beings struggling in the water,
screaming IN their fright, and some almost
dragged me back into the water again. "A
few saved themselves as did and the re-
mainder struggled in the water ana then
quietly sank out of sight.
THIRTEEN BODIES RECOVERED.
In to midnight thirteen bodies had been
recovered. The names Of those known nave
already been given. and the remainder are
unknown. Five bodies are exposed 10 view
IN the wreck, but they are pinned under the
! timbers. and have not yet been taken out.
| The wreckers of Cresson and Reading have
! been summoned. and both forces are hard at
work. The number Of seriously injured, ~
tar rs known at this hour, is thirty, some Of
whom are fatally hurt.
Professor Mitchell. Of the Leligh Cniyer-
sity, Bethlehem, is among the injured at the
Reading hospital. The body Of John J..
Miller, Of Cress0n, was taken out at mid
night.