Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-20
THREE TRAINS WRECKED.
Between Forty and Fifty People
Killed in q Railroad Disaster.

Between Forty and Fifty People
Killed In q Railroad Disaster.
fArAL ACCIDENT NEAR RKAprSo-oEoRox n
kArRcHEa, CENTRAL SOLICITOR OF THE READ
mo COMPANY, pEAp-AN ITALIAN RoBs TIE
NcTIns-Lrsr OF THE DEAD AND INJURED.
One Of the most disastrous accidents that has
occurred on the Reading railroad for thirty
years happened shortly after o'clock last
evening half . mile above Shoemakerville, Is
miles above Reading. The Williamsport ex-
press left Reading at sos O'Clock crowded. with
two Pullman coaches-the Edwin and Gratiano
and three ordinary coaches filed with pas
sengers. There were besides mail car, bag
gage and an express car The train left ten
minutes late. 1t is known rs the Pottsville ex-
press and was running at the rate Of at least
50 to 40 miles an hour. Above Shoe makerviIle
there 10 q curve where the railroad is about Is
TO 20 feet higher than the Schuylkill river.
Here shortly before o. clock freight train
ran into coal train, throwing several cars in
the latter on the opposite track, and before the
train hands had time TO go back to warn any
approaching train OF the danger the Pottsvilie
express came around the curve and ran into
the wrecked coal cars on its track.
The locomotive. tender, the baggage and
mail car and the first Pullman car and the
smoker plunged down into tho river. Three
other ordinary coaches were thrown down the
embankment and badly smashed and spliu-
tered. but did not reach the water. The Pull
man car. part of which WAS out of the water,
caught fire. but the fire was extinguished by
some Of the train hands before 1t made any
Roadway.
THE SUMMONS FOR HELP
The wreck occurred in an inaccessible place,
and il was some time before help could be
secured and word telegraphed to this city, and
darkness coming on added to the difficulty.
As soon rs possible word was sent 10 this CITY
for all the physicians who could be spared, and
special train was sent up with them and a
large force of wreckers and laborers. In the
meantime large number OF people from the
country had gathered and were assisting the
uninjured passengers to rescue the dead and
wounded.
The scene was most appalling one. The
locomotive lay in the water, part of the
the smokestack only protruding, while the
water OF the river was flowing through a num-
Der OF the wrecked cars in which il WAS GER
tain that many OF the passengers had met
death either FROM the shock OF the accident or
by drowning. With such Of the lanterns of the
train as had been spared from the wreck, and
with lanterns brought by the farmers, and
guided by the cries and Sroans of the wounded.
the search went on, and as the passengers were
brought out they were laid along the roadbed.
and the physicians, with such appliances as
they had at hand, attended as best they could
to their injuries
THE REMOVAL TO READING.
When the special arrived they we're carried
into the cars and shortly before 10 o'clock two
cars containing some thirty injured and two OF
the dead, VIM. ID. Shomo of Reading and
David Angstadt of Mahanoy City, were taken TO
Reading. The train was run to the corner
of Sd and Obey streets, where all the ambu-
lances, cabs and omnibuses in the city had
been ordered. They were taken from the train
andremoved to the Reading Hospital, where a
corps OF city physicians was awaiting them TO
further dress their wounds and set their
broken limbs.
About 10 o'clock the electric light car of the
railway company arrived at the scene OF the
accident, aud by the aid of this the work of
rescuing the wounded was carried on with
greater success. At lao the physicians left
the ground. pretty certain that all the wounded
had been taken out. but still uniformed as to
the number of the killed, which, in the opinion
OF those who knew the condition of the train.
may reach thirty or forty. nearly all of whom
are buried under the wreck or lying in the
river with the cars.
MANY FIREMES MISSING.
The smoker of the train was very full OF pas
sengers and in it were a large number OF fire.
men from points in the coal regions. who were
going home from the iremens convention al
Chester. Some of these arc dead and many are
missing. The conductors Of both the Pullman
cars escaped.
Conductor Cotton Of the forward Pullman
says that he had eight passengers. and that he
has found but one of them since the accident
This one was found on the tender OF the locomo-
tive, badly injured The other seven are miss
ing. Among them was Geo. r. Kaercher. the
general solicitor of the Reading Railway Com
pany, and it is certain that he is dead. He has
probably shared the fate Of some thirty or
forty others who will be found tomorrow when
the wreckers get to work.
The first one of the dead who was found was
Win. ID. Shomo of Reading and the next David
Angstadt of Mahanoy City. Many OF the
wounded will probably die, as they are hor-
ribly mangled, and many will be crippled for
life. Part of the scalp of Prof. Merkel of Lee
high University was torn of, his arm was
broken and it is feared that there may be con-
cussion of the brain.
AT IL O'Clock Mail Agent Greenawald's body
was taken out aud shortly afterward the bodies
OF two Mahanoy City firemen, names unknown.
AN ITALIAN RoBs THE UNFoRrUNArEs
An Italian was found engaged in robbing the
dead and wounded about 10 o'clock and would
have been roughly handled had he not been
placed under arrest by County Detective
Wunck, who protected him.
specim train was run to the scene of the
wreck over the Pennsylvania railroad con.
tanning number OF the officials and others
who rendered all the aid in their power. and
the passengers in the train for Pottsvilie ieav-
ing leading at s:2o were transferred to the
Pennsylvania road and taken TO Pottsville
1t was due to the presence of mind of NJ. F.
Giiicn, the middle brakeman of the train. tina,
the parlor car not burned. He was thrown
into the river by the conclusion and when he
rose found himself up to his armpits in the
water in the parlor car. He saw that the car
was burning and before it had gained any head.
way he succeeded in extinguishing it by throw.
ing water on it with his hands.
John Hiland of Philadelphia, who was badly
injured and may probably not recover, was on
his way to Pottsville. where he had been sum-
moned to the bedside of a dying daughter
and. although he had broken leg, insisted
upon being taken on at all hazards. He is q,
the Reading Hospital
NO WOMEN FOUND.
A singular thing about the wreck is that none
OF tho women, of whom thcro were several on
the train. have been found and it is supposed
that all Of them have persisted Those who
had lady friends with them were wild with
grief and some of the wounded were bewailing
the loss OF wives aud daughters more than
their wounds.
At o'clock this morning the most conserva-
tive estimate placed the number dead at be-
tween thirty and forty.
The following is list Of tho killed and in
jured as far as known:
THE KILLED.
d. Angstadt Mahanoy City, head and body
crushed, died after being taken from the wreck;
G. r. Kaercher, Pottsville, general solicitor of
the T.. & r. r. Co.; L. w. Logan, Shenandoah,