The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-10-25
THE READING DISASTER
Mystery Surrounds the Cause
of the Wreck.
RESPONSIBLE PARTY NOT KNOWN.

The Dead NUMBER Seven, Two Are Fa.
tally Hurt, and More Than Twenty Are
Injured, Some Seriously Coronor's In.
quest to be Held at Norristown.
PHILADELPHIA Oct. 25.-There is con.
siderable mystery connected with the
awful disaster of yesterday on the Read.
ing railroad near the West Manayunk
tunnel. General Superintendent Bon
! zano says that the train dispatcher at
Pencoyd had been notified to give the
freight train orders to wait there until
the south-bound express had passed
| The freight did wait at Pencoyd until the
accommodation had passed, as was the
usual custom, but then pulled out
Whether or not the train dispatcher
! delivered the order for the freight to
| wait for the express Is not known but it
is thought he did not. The Sunday rush
of coal trains had blocked the south
bound track, and all trains were running
over the north bound track.
The coroners jury, which will begin
the inquest at Norristown as soon as
matters can be arranged, will fix the re-
sponsibility, and until then it is be-
leved the person responsible will not be
directly known.
a correct list of the dead is:
BoYNToN, JAMES r., 80 years old, Read
ing
DEvINE, MARGARET, go years, Miners
vile.
HERR, DAVID S., SO years, of Harris.
burg, memUer of the Legislature from
Dauphin county, and a Republican can
didate for reelection from the Harris
burg district.
KmRAIN, JABoB, 80 years, of Tamaqus,
fireman on freight train.
SnEFF, JOHN, aged l6 newsboy, Read
ing.
UNKNOWN WOMAN, 81 years old, sup.
posed to be Annie Atkinson, of Miners
Vile
WEIGH THOMAS 36years, Auburn, Pa,
fireman on express:
The fatally injured are:
Thomas Fitzpatrick Auburn, Pa, en-
| gineer of express fractured skull and
| conclusion of the brain; at St. Timothy's
\ hospital.
S. D. Rhodes, Phenixville; jaw frac-
| tured and concussiOn Of brain.
The injured, who were taken to st.
| Timothy's Hospital, RoXborough, are:
William H. Becker, aged 80, Pottstown,
Pa, leg broken.
Joseph E, Burield, 30, Renova, Pa,
scalp lacerated.
James H. Chillson, 27, Reading, CON
fused leg and lacerated head.
NJ. D. Cowden, 40, Harrisburg, con-
fused leg
Ella Devine, 27, Philadelphia, taxation
of thigh.
VIM. II. Embrey, 80, Reading. lacer-
ated scalp, wound severe
! j. Clayton Epler, baggageman, Potts
vile, 27, conclusion of skull, face cut.
Hiram Gottschild. ~, Reading, com
pound fracture OF both legs, right leg
amputated.
Rev. Charles Hare, 81, Ph@nixville,
ankle spraned.
William HaIsey, a6, Allentown, leg
crushed
Annie Kemp, 33, Hamburg, Pa, leg
| fractured.
Moritz G. Leppert, Ph@nixville, both
legs broken.
AIRS. Leppert, SO, wife OF the above, leg
broken.
A. c. Printz, p, Reading, conductor of
express train, fractured thigh.
Mary E. Prettyman, 2G, Pottstown,
confusion of ankle,
Annie K Sides, 40, Reading, broken leg.
Mrs Mary Tees, 30, Valley Forge, leg
fractured
Dr. Joseph E. Wright, 80, Phoenixville,
both legs crushed.
John e, Wyncoop, Port Kennedy, hand
crushed, afterwNrd amputated.
Other injured were brought to this city
and cared for.
The horrible occurrence is told in de-
tail as follows:
The wreck of the Shamoxin express
three-quarters of a mile north of the
West Manayunk tunnel, W it'll its attend
ant list OF dead and wounded, the burn
ing of cars, the hours and hours of pain
and suffering 20 which the injured and
imprisoned passengers were subjected,
together with the details OF the unceasing
labor of the rescuers in the face Of almost
overwhelming difficulties makes most
appalling tale, the like of which this
vicinity has not known for years.
The express train which left Shamoki n
at b o'clock in the morning was composed
of an engine, baggage car, smoking car,
four day coaches aud the Pullman parlor
car "CrestalinsN the latter being attached
at Reading. 1t was from Harrisburg
A singular fact is that all of the parlor
car occupants escaped injury.
Thomas Fitzpatrick was at the lever of
the express and Thomas Welsh was the
fireman. Harry G. Printz was the con-
ductor
owing to the accumulation of freight
and coal trains on the south bound track,
Conductor Priutz had received orders to
! take the north-bou track from West
Conshohocken TO West Falls, and ignor-
ant OF any impending danger he did SC
and the train rushed along at the rate oi
about forty miles an hour.
At Penooyd, train made up of empty
= Goa and freight ears drawn by engine
No 53S, and manned by Engineer Chas.
Sellig and Fireman Bernard Gallagher,
remained on side track until the &C
commodation had passed, and then, il
accordance with its usual custom, pulled
out for Bridgeport at the rate OF 10 mile
an hour.
As the freight emerged from the Wes
Manayunk tunnel the express was littl'
. more than mile away, and the train
| Were rushing toward On0 auOthar ON ia