The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1892-06-27
A Passenger Train on the Pennsylva.
MIA Road Telescoped by Follow.
ing Section.
Twelve Known to BE Killed and Sew.
enty Others Injured, at Least
Four of Them Fatally.
Cause Of the Disaster Not Definitely
Determined. But Supposed Due to
Binding Rain.

HARRISBURG, Pa, June GA fearful
wreck took place here during the morn
ing. The first section of the Western
express, which is due here soon after
midnight, was tagged below the city
because it was late. The second section
came laundering along ut the rate of
fifteen miles an hour and dashed into
the first section, killing nine and injur-
ing some seventy.
The following are the identified dead;
RICHARD ADAMS. Harrisburg.
KATE GINGERICH, Norristown: Pa.
Mrs. URAH HEEBNER.
DANIEL MASON. Hagerstown, Nd
JOHN RAYMOND, Harrisburg.
E. NJ. WIBLocK. Cleveland.
Z. NJ. WHITLocK, Pittsburg.
ROBERTS S. RAYMOND, Columbus, O.
CHARLES S. LEE, Allegheny, Pa.
MRS NoRsTRoM and her son, aged II.
+. q. O. Ely, Buffalo; j. J. Cone,
Jersey City; F. w. Ferthing, Buffalo;
Dan Mason, Clear Spring, Md, will die.
Cars were piled in confusion over all
the tracks and forty feet high. The
Westinghouse car, which was attached
to the frst section, was upturned and
totally demolished The screams of the
wounded could be heard for squares and
one Of the most heartrending scenes
took place. Before the debris could be
moved several more persons died In the
wreck.
A deluging rain was pouring down,
causing those who were injured to suf-
fer intense pain. The engine OF the
second section teiescoped several OF the
cars of the first section. A crowd soon
gathered and an ambulance carried the
wounded, numbering up to this time
seventy men, women and children, to the
city hospital. Several persons who were
: injured left the wreck and went TO vari-
ons houses in the vicinity and It is Inn
possible to ascertain the names of all
who are missing. Robert Pitcairn,
of the Pennsylvania road, was on the
train but escaped uninjured. The
city hospital Is mass of manned.
morning. The city physicians were
called out to assist in caring for the in
jured. The cause of the accident Is not
definitely known, but there seems to be
mistake in reading of signals. Several
Hungarians, who live in the vicinity of
the accident, were busy robbing the
dead, but were arrested and locked up.
An immense crowd has gathered at the
scene of the wreck, and the entire police
force has been called out to preserve
order. Several undertakers are busy,
and the wrecking crews have been at
work carrying away the debris. One
track is now open for traffic.
Richard Adams, who is among the
killed, is furniture dealer of this city.
He had gone to Philadelphia with his
wife, who remained in the, city.
The road officials are seemingly par
alyxed by the extent of the disaster,
which Is by far the worst the road has
known in many years. They decline to
make any statement whatever, but are
giving the wounded every attention
possible.
w. Fl. Woodland, the porter of the
Westinghouse car, who was the only
one in the car hurt, said: 1--WE hadn't
the slightest warning. We had no idea
but what the track was clear. Most
everyone was i'm bed. Mr.. Westing-
house had just told me he was going to
retire when the crash came. How any
one escaped serious injury is mys-
terry"
The operator at Steelton is alleged to
have been responsible for the accident in
having given Engineer Kelly the wrong
signal, The sharp curve at Dock street
also made the disaster more serious.
The mangled bodies were in several in
stances unrecognizable One car had to
be lacked up TO recover the body of a
woman whose head was crushed to q
{ shapeless mass
Cause Of the Disaster.
1t is the impression among railroad
men that Engineer Kelly was prevented
from seeing the danger signal which the
operator at the Dock street tower claims
was shown in addition to him swinging
q red lantern from the veranda of the
tower, because Of the binding rain
storm. a remarkable feature Of the
wreck is that not train hand was seri-
ously hurt. The brakeman of the first
section, who went back hundred yards
TO signal the looked-for second section
had just returned to his train when the
second section came laundering
around the curve. Engineer Kelly
and his fireman remained ut their
posts and were unhurt. They, with
Baggagemaster Aitken Of the second
section, were the first to get out Of the
wreck. In less than an hour after the
crash occurred, 1000 people and the Har-
risburg and Middletown wrecking crews,
the latter to the number of 100, were on
the scene, and by o'clock a. m. the
wreckage was all cleared away. The
wrecked cars and the second section To-
comotive We're taken to the Harrisburg
uhODs for rf,faaira