Evening journal., 1891-08-27
LAST EDITION
IN THE JAWS OF DEATH.
A DELAWARE PASSENGER TRAIN
AND FREIGHT TRAIN COLLIDE.


Passenger Train No. ON the Delaware
Division and Extra Peach Train No.
90 Wrecked At Farnhurst-startled
Passengers-Four Cars and an Engine
suffer Bat No One Hurt.
There was a wreck on the Delaware
division of the p, w. &B railroad this
morning at S.25 o'clock. 1t occurred at
Peschs curve, about 100 yards north of
Farnhurst and about four miles south of
this city.
Mail train No /. Conductor Thomas
Parker, which leaves here at g. 10 a. m.
dashed around the curve at full speed
into the rear end OF extra freight train
No go, in charge OF Conductor
e B. Wright. demolishing three
freight cars and the caboose. as well as
badly damaging engine No ST. which
was pulling the passenger train. By
almost miracle, no one was hurt. al
though the many passengers were badly
frightened and shocked.
The freight train was very large and
was composed of empty peach cars
While rounding thu curve q few minutes
before the crash csme the train nstuek \
and every effort to pull it around the
curve proved futile.
Conductor Wright, it is said. failed to
send fagman back to warn the an
proaehirg passenger; or, If he did 1t. he
was too slow about it at all events. the
first thing the freight crew knew the
passenger train came around the curve at
between thirty and forty miles an honr
The trainmen jumped aside for their
lives, and could only wait and see the
catastrophe
Engineer billy Redmile gave several
short, sharp blasts. put on brakes and re-
versed his engine. Il was too late. He
crouched in his cab with his fireman and
the next second there was a heavy
crasa, the engine plunged through the
cars, II orally reducing them to kindling
wood
The passengers were pitched forward
IN their seats, and the next second every
thing came to a standstill.
The passengers poured from the
coaches and stood around in silent awe
amid the havoc and destruction. and
many faces paled as the passengers
thought what it might have been On
the west side of the track the three
freight cars and caboose were heaped in
an indiscriminate mass One freight car
was off It's trucks, and while the track
was not torn up 1t was so blocked with
debris that 1t took three hours and
twenty minutes to clear 1t.
News of the wreck soon reached bend
quarters and John Book and a wreeking
train from Clayton reached the scene ia
about an hour and went to work They
wsfe lavish in their praises of Conductor
Parker, who pulled off his coat and went
TO work as If he belonged TO the wreckino
crew. II was ll2O O'Clock before train
NO l got through, the unwrecked part o.
tne freight train having, In the mean
while. gone on down the road.
All northbound trains over the Della
ware road went over the New Castle
cutoff, and while the soutbbound trains.
with one exception, left this station on
time, they had to take their chances Of
getting through, many of them doing SO
on the New Castle cutoff This excep-
ton was the southbound Old Point ex-
press, scheduled to leave Wilmington at
II 10 It was ii As when this train left
Wilmington, but as the track was clear
1t had no trouble in getting through.
Delaware train NO 49, which is the
accommodation train from Harrington.
due here at 8. 43 o'clock. was twenty FIVE
minutes late. This was because it went
over the New Castle cutoff and backed
into this city from Edge Moor.
When an EVENING JOURNAL reporter
reached the scene the wreckers were
burning the wrecked cars and placing
the trucks under the one which was not
badly damaged
The wrecked engine was sent to the
Wilmington shops.