Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-09-24
DOWN a HIGH BANK.

Reading Hallway Passenger Train
flunges Into tho schuylkill at Shoe.
mAkersvllie. Pa. - lsstween FIFTY and
Seventy PersODs Killed. and Many In.
jured.
READING, Pa, Sept. 20. -Shoemakers-
VILE, station on the Reading railroad
hfteon miles north of this city, was tho
scene OF terrible railroad wreck at 0:1b
Friday evening. The latest reports In
dictate that between fifty and seventy
persons were killed and that an equal
number received injuries moro or loss
serious. Thirteen bodies have been
taken from the wreck, some of which
have not yet boon identified.
The Inflated train is No. 3 express,
better known ~ tho cnnnon-ball train,
which leaves Philadelphia ut 4 O'Clock
In the afternoon. 1t left on time Fri.
day at Philadelphia, but was several
minutes late leaving the outer sta
ton here owing to tho large crowds
who wore returning homo from the
Berks County fair and who had
gathered Mt that station to take tho
train. Seven moro cars had to be add
cd to the already-Allod coaches, and q
delay of fifteen minutes was caused.
When the train was once beyond the
numerous side-tracks about mile
north of the city tho engineer
began making up tho lost time and in
a few seconds the train was running ut
lightning speed. Suddenly there was o
crash, rumbling Of the passenger
coaches over the ties, and down went
the engine, tank, baggage, oxpross, and
parlor cars and the passenger-coachcs
into the creek which borders the road
at that point.
The sight was heartrending ono.
The escaping steam from tho locomo-
tive added to the horror, and but for
the baggage and express cars which pre-
coded the passenger coaches hundreds
would have been literally cooked alive.
The crash was heard for a great dis
TANGO and hundreds of people from the
village and tho surrounding country
were soon at the scene of the wreck.
The accident was caused by number
of wrecked coal-cars which had been
thrown In the way of the passenger
train.
This first wreck was caused by COL
lision between freight and coal train.
Tho coal train had pulled past the sta
ton at Shoemakersville, going south,
and was running at a moderate rate Of
speed, part OF her train having torn loose,
when suddenly freight which followed
came laundering around curve, and
before the engineer could stop his train
it crashed into the rear of the coal
train and threw number of loaded
coal cars across tho north bound track.
The cannon ball express was then due
and before the danger signal could he
given it came in sight. Engineer
John White did all he could to
avoid the accident, but without avail,
and when the engine struck the wrecked
coal cars it left the track and carried
the cars as above mentioned down
steep embankment and precipitated
them into the creek thirty feet below.
Then followed an awful scene. Women
screamed, children cried and men
moaned. Willing hands at once set to
work, and within short time thirty
injured had been removed and several
killed were also t.ken out The dead
taken out up to midnight, who have
been identiie are as follows:
William d. Shomo Reading, badly mangled;
John White, engineer Po,tsviile, Pa; james
Templiu, fireman. Pottsville, Pa; Harry
Logan, conduc: or, Pottsvillo, Pa; David Aug
stadt Mahoney City, died after being taken
from the wreck; his head and body were
crushed Il. w. Logan, baggagemaster, Shen.
andoah; Mail Agent Greenwalt; two t1remen
names unknown; John l.. Miles. Crossona
Thirty-tive of the wounded have been
identified. The railroad officials at
once sent special train from here to
the scene of the wreck with dozen
physicians and coaches for the relief of
the injured. The train arrived at the
wreck about half an hour after
it happened, and the injured who
had been taken out before the
special arrived were first attended
to and placed in the baggage coaches
brought for that purpose. One after an
other was taken from under the wrecked
cars, bleeding, until the scene resem-
bled battlefield. Legs were crushed
and broken. arms broken. ribs crushed
AZ 0A'A OoUAOo ooAIAO4J OIuAScu ny
the timbers of the wrecked
coaches. The attention of the
wreckers, who arrived half an
hour afterwards, was devoted to hoist
ing the wrecked cars out of Schuylkill
creek, into which they had been thrown,
and the work of rescuing those PIN
toned fast in the wreckage was begun.
The railroad officials refuse to give
any information whatever beyond the
fact that there was wreck. The
wreckers will be unable to clear the
tracks before noon. About 400 men are at
work rescuing the injured and dead, and
word comes from the scene that there
are still some fifty or sixty people under
the wrecked cars. Every hour swells
the list of injured and killed. The
Schnylkill at tho point where tho wreck
occurred is about eight feet deep, and
the work of removing the dead is
difficult task. How many were act
ually killed will only be disclosed with
the removal of the engine and cars
from the bed of the river Super
intendont Cable, of the Reading road,
has given every order necessary for
the comfort of the injured.
TEN KILLED IN MEXICO.