The Globe-republican., 1890-09-24
FEARFUL DISASTER.
Shocking Calamity on the Read
ing Railroad
Passenger Train, Running at a High Rate
OF Speed, Dashes Into a Freight Wreck
Many Persons Killed and
Injured.

disaster-the worst in the history of the
Reading Railroad Company.
The train which met with the disaster
left this city at Cos o'clock, ten min
utes late. 1t was known as the Potts
vile express and was running at the
rate of at least thirty-eight to forty
miles an hour. 1t had ON board pos
sibly 125 or $50 passengers and consist
ed of engine, tender mail and express
cars and three passenger coaches.
Above Shoemakersville, this county,
about fifteen miles from this city, is
sharp curve, where the railroad is about
eighteen to twenty feet higher than the
Schuylkin river. Here shortly before
six o'clock freight train ran into a coal
train, throwing several cars Of the lat
ter on the opposite track.
Before the train hands had time to go
back to warn any approaching train OF
the danger the PottsvIile express came
around the curve and ran into the
wrecked coal cars on its track. The en-
zine went down the embankment into
the river, followed by the entire train
with its human freight.
Some of the passengers managed to
crawl out of their prison and arouse the
aeighborhood. Word was teIegraphed
to this city and help summoned, but all
information was refused at this point
by the railroad officials Physicians
and surgeons and force of 500 work
men were taken to the spot by the COM
cany and with the aid of travelling
electric light plant the work OF clearing
away the wreck was at once begun.
Up to midnight thirteen bodies had
been recovered Five bodies are ex-
posed to view in the wreck. They are
pinned under the timbers.
Conservative estimates place the
number of killed at from forty to fifty.
1t is almost impossible to estimate the
exact number and the full horror of the
situation will not be known before
morning.
At eleven o'clock Mail Agent Green
wald's body was taken out, followed by
the horribly mangled bodies of two
Mahanoy City firemen on their way
home from the Chester convention.
The killed so far as identified are as
follows: John L. Miller. of Cresson;
William ID. Shome. Reading, badly
mangled; John White, engineer. Potts
vile, Pa; James Templin. Pottsville.
Pa; George r. Kaercher, Pottsville, Pa;
Harry Logan, conductor, POttsville, Pa;
David Aughstadt Mahanoy City, died
after being taken from the wreck. His
head and body were crushed; E w. Lo-
gan baggagemaster, Shenandoah.
George r kaercher, Esq, the eminent
railroad lawyer of Pottsville. who has
also a law office in Philadelphia, is
among the killed. Persons who were
we'll acquainted with him have identi-
fled the crushed body in the debris of
the Pullman car.
William ID. Shome, one of Readings
wealthiest citizens, was passenger on
the train and was one of the first per-
sons reported killed.
RECOVERING THE DEAD.
READING. Pa, Sept 2O-At two
o'clock this morning the situation was
as follows: Three hundred men were
still at work. but were making slow
progress. Fifteen bodies had been
taken out. None OF the bodies have
been taken from the scene Of the di-
saster.
1t is still believed that twenty or
more are underneath the wreck. Who
they are is not known, because it is not
known who was on the train, and how
many were actually killed will only be
disclosed with the removal OF the en-
CINE and cars from the bed of the river.
STORY OF A SURVIVOR
READING. Pa, Sept s0.-One of the
passengers who went down in the wreck
and who was but slightly injured, and
was one of the sixteen of the injured
brought on a special train TO the Read
ing hospital at eleven o'clock. says that
when the passenger train left Reading
the cars were all we'll filled. Among
the people were many ladies. He
sat in the front part of the last
car. This IS his story: The train
was going at a lively rate of speed. The
passengers appeared happy crowd.
many of them ladies, chatting and
laughing after days pleasure at the
Berks County fair. l was viewing the
country through which we were passing
when suddenly there was a terrible
crash. l was hurled from my seat
while the cars rolled down the twenty
foot embankment and l was thrown
from one side Of the car to the other
like toy, when-splash, one end went
into the water and l was thrown against
the side of the car with force that par
TALLY stunned me. quickly recovered
myself and managed to climb upon the
seats on that side of the car which Law
agains: the embankment was pris-
oner IN the car unable to get out and
while nursing my sprained ankle and
wrist out of joint realized that 1 was
in a scene of veritable horror. Around
and about me were human beings strug-
Cling 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 remainder
struggled in the water and then quietly
sank out of sight"
Five Hundred Drowned.
LONDON. Sept 20.-Advices from Hi
ogo state that the Turkish man-of-war