The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1890-09-25
DOWN A HIGH BANK.

1hakcESVilt0. fAs - bOt"00n TUCy ana
Seventy Persons Killed and Many In
jured.
READING, Pa, Sept 20.-Shoemakers-
vile, station on the Reading railroad
fifteen miles north of this city, was the
scene of terrible railroad wreck at 6:15
Friday evening. The latest reports in
dicate that between fifty and seventy
persons were killed and that an equal
mber received injuries more or less
serious. Thirteen bodies have been
taken from the wreck, some of which
have not yet been identified.
The ill-fated train is No. 8 express,
be tier known as the cannon-ball train,
which leaves Philadelphia Mt 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 the large crowds
who were returning homo from the
Berks County fair and who had
gathered at that station to take the
train. Seven more cars had to be add
ed to the already-filled coaches, and a
delay of fifteen minutes was caused.
When the train was once beyond the
numerous side-tracks about mile
north Of the city the engineer
began making up the lost time and in
few seconds the train was running at
lightning speed. Suddenly there was a
crash, a rumbling of the passenger
coaches over the ties, and down went
the engine, tank, baggage, express, and
parlor cars and the passenger-coaches
into the creek which borders the road
at that point
The sight was a heartrending one.
The escaping steam from the locomo-
tive added to the horror, and but for
the baggage and express cars which pre-
would have been literally cooked alive.
The crash was heard for great dis
tance and hundreds of people from the
village and the 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.
The coal train had pulled past the sta
and was running at a moderate rate of
speed part of her train having torn loose,
when suddenly freight which followed
came laundering around a 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 the north-bound track.
The cannon ball express was then due
and before the danger signal could be
given it came in sight. Engineer
John White did all he could to
svoid the accident, but without avail,
snd when the engine struck the wrecked
coal cars it left the track and carried
the cars as above mentioned down a
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 a 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 iden titled, are as follows:
William D. Shomo, Reading, badly mangled
John White, engineer, Pottsville, Pa; James
Tempiin, fireman. Pottsvil!e, Pa; Harry
Logan, conduc or, Pottsville, Pa; David Aug
stadt. Mahoney City, died after being taken
from the wreck; his head and body were
crushed E. w. Logan, baggagemaster, Shen-
andoah; Mail Agent Greenwat; two tiremen,
names unknown; John T.. Miles, Cressona.
Thirty-five of the wounded have been
identified. The railroad officials at
once sent a 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
in and bodies terribly bruised by
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
iOned 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
Schuylkill at the point where the 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
intendent Cable, of the Reading road,
has given every order necessary for
the comfort of the injured.
TEN KILLED IN MEXICO.
CITY OF MEXICO, via Galveston, Sept.
90 "A terrible accident happened FRI
day on the Mexican railroad. Two
trains going in opposite directions ran
into each other at Rincenada, and the
cars were piled on one another and COM
pletely wrecked. Ten persons were
killed and several others wounded.
Woman Assa assinatod.
THREE RIVERS, Que, Sept 2O.-Mrs
Cervais, of Po;nte Du Lac, nine miles
from here, was shot and killed while
sitting at the supper table with her hus-
band Thursday evening The shot was
fired through the window. There is no
clew to the party who did the shooting,
and no cause can be assigned for the act
Noted Elevator Inventor Dead.
BUFFALO, N. Y, Sept 20-Robert
Dunbar died here Thursday, aged 7s
years. He was the inventor and in
troducer of the machinery now used in
grain elevators, and built tho first ele.
vator at this port.
Sentenced to Death.
MONTICELLO. I'LL, Sept e0.-Judge