The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-09-26
TWENTY-FIVE KILLED.
HURLED INTO THE RIVER.
WRECK ON THE READING RAILROAD.

A terrible railroad wreck occurred
last Friday evening shortly after 6
o'clock, near Shoemakerville, station
on the Reading railroad, about fifteen
miles north of Reading.
CROWDED WITH PASSENGERS.
The wrecked train was the No. 3
express, better known as the cannon
ball train, which leaves the Thirteen
and Callowhill Street Station at Phila-
delph.a at 4 o'clock. She left on time
but was several minutes late in leaving
the station at Reading owing to the
large crowds returning from the BeIks
county fair. Several additional cars
had to be put on owing to the crush of
passengers, and this entailed delay
over time of about fifteen minutes.
When the train was once beyond the
numerous side tr cks, about a mile
north of the city, the engineer began
making up the lost time and ran the
train at a largely increased speed.
Everything went along all right and
everyone on board was happy when
suddenly there was crash, rambling
OF the passenger coaches over the ties
aud down went the engine, tank, bag
gage, express and a parlor and two
passenger coaches into the river which
borders the road at thtt point. The
crash was heard for a great distance
and hundreds of people from the will
age and the surrounding country were
| soon at the scene of the wreck.
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
There is a double track at the place
where the accident occurred. Just be
tore the accident, two coal trains, eacf
made up of about $50 loaded cars
were coming toward Philadelphia ol
the down-track, which is farthest from
the river. The trains were intending
to lie off at Mohrsville, when abou
twenty cars of forward train becam
uucoupled, and before the rear tran
could be tagged it ran into the caboos
of the forward train AMI showed it an'
number of the coal cars upon tn
down track.
| THE PLUNGE OF THE EXPRESS.
| Just at this fatal moment the VII
Transport express came thunderinl
around the curve and struck tn
caboose of the wrecked coal train.
The locomotive of the express real
ed upon the caboose. Its pouderou
mass leaped in the air and turned
complete somersault, plunging dow
fifty or sixty feet into the river below
where it landed on its side.
4 The baggage car aud the mail ca
were hurled out over the top Of tn
locomotive and tender and rested in tn
river. The mail car lay diagonall
across the river at least fifty feet ahea
of the locomotive, and the baggag
car lay parallel with the river an
partly submerged. Both of thel
we're upside down, and each WI
smashed into kiudling wood.
, The smoker went down into Il
, river, resting partly upon the rear I
? the engine. With its lower part su
q merged, it was literally knocked inl
a splinters, scarcely enough of its fran
work hanging together to establish i
I identity amid the tangled mass
, wreckage.
The Pullman car Elwyn alight,
1 partly on top of the smoker and part
E in the river, and in spite of the sireng
n of its construction, it was as bad
. ground to bits as was the smoke
q Reared up on top of these was anoth
A ordinary coach, which was badly bro
8 en-, but was checked before it took t
# fatal plunge. 1t ia believed that t
10 smoker and the Pullman turned ov
e and over in their descent, which ,
10 counts for their extraordinary demo
,a tiop.
~ The tremendous impetus that caus
,f this utter disintegration of the 10,
10 motive and coaches is shown by
40 fact that the headlight of the LOGON
= tive was thrown out into the mid
70 of the river, 100 feet away, and tha
ID water cooler belonging TO the smol
at was hurled over TO the middle of
n. island, to a point at right angles W
"a the wreck, and about l25 feet aw
ne A MOUND OF WRECK AND RUM
The effect of the wreck as it appe
en- ed piled up in the river and along
TX bank was indescribable. 1t was
cts small mountain of splintered bea
ala and boards, chairs, seats, cushic
oh trucks, wheels, twisted and bent re
an all inextricsbly mixed and locked
ar- gether, as if there never had been
la relation between their component pI
ln- The great force of the impact
Try shown also by the heavy axels
its were bent like hairpins, great bel
ION splintered like match sticks, shatte
nd steel wheels and strong iron rods
of connections rent and snapped