Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-09-01
No. 2O7
The Ride TO Death.
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From the Philadelphia Bedger
Mr.. Hanlon was one of the passengers
on the Inflated car of the Reading Gravity
road. He is a well-known resident of
wissahickon. He has given the following
interesting narrative of the fatal trip:
'sThe brakeman, Conductor Rettew,
Lawyer Levan, and myself all tugged at
the air and hand brakes, but we could only
press the brake blocks slightly against the
wheels. After it was about halfway
down the hill the car did not appear to
run as fast rs before, but Conductor
Rettew, who had helped in the attempt to
apply the hand-brakes until one of the
chains broke, said there was no hope of
stopping the car. Then whispered 20 my
wife, Let us jump off the car; yOu take
one of the children and III take the other
but she would not AS soon as the car
left the summit we all knew there was
something wrong. My theory is that one
kind of brake interfered with the other
kind. There is rod through the middle
of the car for the air-brake, and this rod
and the chains of the hand-bral1e we're
attached to one lever, and the air-brake
attachment prevented the hand-braRes
from being properly applied, and this,
think. WAS the cause of the accident. The
journey from the North Curve to the next
station was very rapid, but We still
had hopes that the car might be stopped
on the lower levels. Still ii dashed on at
frightful speed, and before We reached
the next curve Brakeman Helder. think
ii was, leaped from the car. This greatly
excited many, and soon saw the two la
dies Mrs. Hiram Schitier of Reading and
Mrs. Charles Cooper of Allentown, the lat
ter with babe, also leaped from the train.
Nearly all were panic-stTicken at the terri
ble sight.
''The car sped down the mountain, and
We all got to the rear end, and, after had
tried dozen times to apply the brakes,
both the air and hand-bralIes, some of us
crouched down ON the floor of the car, and
waited for the crash that we expected
would come any moment There was very
little spoken, but terror was depicted ON
the countenAnce of every one except Law
/ yer Levan, who said they should not fear:
that all would be well, and they would
reach the end in safety Miss Harriet
Hinkle of Philadelphia was terribly eX-
| cited. and at the request of her companion,
Miss Rosa Peipher. L tried to pacify her
and then returned to the place had
chosen. said to my wife, We will all
/ go together Rettew was standing at his
post holding to the brake. Then Lawyer
Levan sat down in a seat and held on with
both hands. In a moment the car had
reached the fatal curve. The next mo-
ment the car made a complete summer
| sault, smashing the roof and crushing the
passengers down upon the stones, trees.
and stumps. Ny babe was torn away
from me, but my wife had hers and was
lying close by The child that I had was
| lying with Its head wedged in under the
edge of the window of the car, and / had
to break some of it off and then dig away
the ground under its head before / could
get it loose. / saw the lawyer and the
conductor lying dead, and lot of the rest
lying around, but didn't know whether
they We're dead or alive"