Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-10-03
SCORES KILLED.
A FriShtful Disaster on the
Reading Road.
a Crowded Express Train Thrown
Into the Sohuylkill 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 Advices
received on the day after the accident report
That thirty are known to have been injured,
and from forty to fifty killed Those killed
were nearly all railroad hands.
The train was what is known as the
Foetsvllle express leaving Reading at
$40 p. n. The train was fifteen minutes
late, and 1t had on board large mum
Der or people who had attended the
Berks County Fair. in Reading during the
Gay, and tiremen from the coal regions, who
mad been IN attendance at the State Fire
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 ID
supposed, put on good head of speed. and
II was lying along the rails at lively rate.
At the point where the accident occurred a
freight train had just run into a 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 a small
mountain Of coal with fearful velocity The
engine gave plunge and then dashed
down the embankment to the dark
and swift-howing waters of the
river twenty feet below, followed
by the tender, the baggage car, the mail car,
and three passenger cars, all well filed. In
stantly 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 surrounding neighborhood flocked 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 zen o'clock at n It six bodies had
been taken out.
Near midnight the body Of Mail Agent
Greenalk was rescued as it was floating down
the river. He had been crushed to death in
the mail car at his post of duty.
1t is singular fact that so many of the
train hands should have met their death
in the wreck They had no chance
to jump, and went down to their
death almost unconscious as to their i'm
pending fate The crash and rush down the
embankment, were all the work of an in
slant when all was darkness and death To-
ward midnight an italian was detected in
the act Of robbing the dead and injured, and
he was promptly arrested.
Physicians and surgeons and force of 300
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.
At 2 o'clock next morning fifteen bodies
had been taken out. The number of injured
is estimated to be thirty.