The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-10-25


& Reading railroad, which is due in this
city at $3.50 a. M, collided with train
Of empty coal cars a short distance
north OF West Manayunk, about eight
miles north Of this city, at few min
utes past 8 o'clock this morning. Seven
persons were killed outright, and these
probably compose the full extent Of the
fatalities. Nineteen persons were in
jured.
List OF killed and injured:
KlLLED-Thomas Welsh, of Auburn,
Pa, fireman OF the express train. James
Kilrain, twenty-three years OF age, OF
Tamaqua, forward brakeman on the
coal tram. Frank Stiff, Reading, news
boy on express train. Mrs. Margaret
Devine, aged sixty years, killed under
the stove on the express. David S.
Herr, aged fiity-nine, member OF the
legislature from Harrisburg. James
Boynton, machinist, Of Reading. Annie
ACheson.
M1ssINo-J. Clayton Epler, baggage
master, of Pottsville.
INJunED-D. Rhodes, OF PhenixvilIe.
Pa, express messenger, jaw fractured
and suffering from concussion OF the
brain, very serious. NJ. d. Cowden,
forty, Harrisburg, engineer, confused
leg. Moritz G. Leppert, both legs
broken. Mrs. NJ. G. Leppert leg broken.
Ella Devrin, Philadelphia, lacerated
wound OF thigh. Annie Kemp, thirty
five, Hamburg, fracture Of left leg. Miss
Mary Tess, OF Valley Forge; fracture Of
leg. Annie L. Sices, forty-three, Read
ing, leg broken. Mary @. Protz, twenty
six, Pottstown, confusion of ankle.
William H. Emry, thirty-three, Read
ing, not dangerous. James E. Burke,
twenty-nine, Remove, brakeman on coal
train, scalp lacerated, II. O. Printze,
twenty-seven, Reading, conductor Of
passengertrain, fractured thigh. Thomas
Fitch, engineer OF express, conclusion
OF brain aud head fractured, very seri-
GUS. Hiram Gottschall, forty.two,
Reading, compound fracture of both
legs. Dir. Jose Wright, thirty, Phmnix-
vile, both legs broken. w. II. Brecker,
thirty.two, Pottstown, leg broken.
James II. Chillson, twenty-seven, Read
inr, hurt about body. John II. Wyn-
coop, forty, Port Kennedy, Pa. hand
and forearm crushed and afterwards
amputated. William Halsey, thirty
six, Allentown, confused legs. w. II.
Gerlach, TamaQua, Pa, conductor of
coal train, scalp wound and bruised.
Charles Dillig, Tamaqua, engineer Of
coal train, head cut. Bernard Gallagher,
fireman OF coal train, bruised about the
body. Rev. j. NJ. Hare, Phenixyille,
right ankle sprained.
A number Of other persons who were
only slightly hurt proceeded TO Phila-
delphia without having their injuries
attended to. The Shamokin express is
made up at Pottsville and left that city
at seven o'clock. The train arrived at
Phnnixville on time. At this place
orders dated Reading were received to
run to the north bound track from
West Conshohocken to West Falls, a
distance Of only few miles, regardless
of all other trains. From West Con-
shohocken, in pursuance OF these orders
the Inflated train took the north bound
track. 1t was composed Of five cars
the baggage car, a smoking car, two
passenger, and the Harrisburg Pullman
parlor car Crestline.
The south-bound track was blocked
with freight cars, and to this fact is prl-
marily due the catastrophe.
Train No. 53S, Of empty coal cars, was
started north from West Manayunk on
the northern track shortly before 0
o'clock. There is conflict OF opinion
as to tho orders given the crew OF this
train. The crew contend that they had
received no order to stop, while the
officials tell what may be regarded as
the most likely story, and that is that
instructions had been given that the
coal train should lie up at West Falls,
south OF where the collision occurred,
until the Shamokin train had passed.
The two trains came together right
on q curve at two minutes past 0
o'clock with q terrible crash, and the
shrieks Of the dying and wounded
could be heard above tho crashing OF
timber and the noise Of escaping steam.
The express was comfortably filed
passengers. The mad engines literally
plowed their way through each other
and rolled over on their sides in one
conglomerated mass. Tho front OF the
baggage car was crushed completely in
and Baggage Master Ephler and John
Stiff, the newsboy, were buried in the
mass of broken timberS from which
they were subsequently taken out dead.
The rear OF the baggage car and the
forward end OF the smoker crushed
together. The great force OF the COLI
sion occurred with the smoking car and
the coach next to 1t, and the scene pre-.
sented gives some indication OF the
speed at which the train was moving
and the terrific shock Of the collision.
The smoker telescoped into the other
coach full one-half OF its length, and
how any one who was in either car
escaped death is a mystery.
The baggage car was literally smashed
to kindling wood and thrown over on
the north bound track in a heap with
the engines. It caught fire and was
soon burned up. The next two cars
kept the track Notwithstanding that
they telescoped together and were al
most completely demolished. The next
passenger coach and Pullman car were
badly damaged, but not to such an eX-
tent as to prevent their being drawn
away from the rest OF the train directly
after the accident. Except for scratches
and bruises the passengers in the last
two cars all escaped unhurt.
Az iha anUinag nhnrnarhod zach