The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-11-25

FAST TRAIN WRECKED.
A Pennsylvania Special
Crashes Into a Deralled
Freight Train.
DOWN AN EMBANKMENT
Engineer and Fireman Scalded to
Death -One Passenger
May Die.
DOWN AN EMBANKMENT

which fortunately was not ATTENDED with
a great loss of life, occurred at Millstone
Junction, just south of New Brunswick
on the Pennsylvania Railroad, early TINS
morning. 1t was the worst accident on
the Pennsylvania Railroad in years. The
Southern Express. which leaves Philadel-
phia at 3:20 A. NJ. and is due in New
Brunswick 5:02 A. NJ, ran into freight
wreck and the locomotive and four cars
rolled down a fifteen foot embankment-
The engineer and fireman were pinned
under the engine and scalded 10 death.
The express messenger and two pas
sengers were injured.
The killed are:-
Engineer Joseph Meegin, of No. e52
West Newark avenue, Jersey City.
H. W. Chichester, fireman. Jersey
City.
The injured are:-
e. S. Lambert, express messenger, both
legs broken and otherwise bruised.
William Hof, passenger, slightly bruised
about the hody.
John Meyers, passenger, back broken
and will die.
of a freight tram bound east on track
No. 2 The freight broke into two parts
just east Of Miilslone Junction, and the
engineer, noting that something was
wrong slowed up his train. The train
was on a downgrade, sand the last sec
ton rushed on down the tracks ana
dashed into the forward part OF the trelght
train.
The collision threw two freight cars
directly across the next track to the
right, which is the eastbound passenger
track. Within twenty seconds the south
ern express which was fourteen minutes
late, came running up, the engineer try
ing to make up time, as ne had an appar-
emily clear track. The express dasned
into the two freight cars that lay directly
in its path.
Meegin, the engineer, must have seen
the wreck in front of him just before the
crash came. The passengers remember
hearing a sudden Stacking up of the train,
and they noticed the application of the
air brakes. In another moment came an
The first four cars were telescoped and
crashed down the fifteen-foot ernbankment
at the right The first car was mail
car, containing the clerks, who were un-
hurt. Next came the Adams Express car
and then heavy Pullman coach. contain
ing ten passengers.
The fifth car, which was also Pull
man, went off the track, but it did not go
down the embankment. The next three
Pullmans kept the track.
The passengers who were in the tele-
scoped Pullman were asleep in their
berths at the time with two exceptions
They were thrown out Of their beds yio-
lently, and awoke to find themselves
zsEas- was escaping, adding TO their terror:
They heard the cr.es of the frightened
and injured, and when they found egress
cut off at the front and rear doors they
broke through the windows and crawled
Quito the ground
The two passengers who were awake
and up when the collision occurred were
Andrew Hof OF No. So Franklin street
New York, and trained nurse who would
not give her name. They were thrown
against the panels of the toilet room, but
We're not seriously injured. They were
able, however, to aid the others in get
ting safely from the car, which once
seemed in danger of taking fire.
When the attention of the passengers
in the rear cars was directed 10 the en-
gineer and fireman OF the passenger en-
gine they found that they could not get
near the engineer. who was buried in a
heap of debris. Steam escaped in kissing
clouds from the engine, and 1t was ap-
parent at once that whoever were in the
wreck were dead.
After the wrecklng crew from Jersey
CITY and Trenton had worked on the
debris for an hour the bodies Of Meegin
and Chichester were recovered.
senator Matthew Quay's private car,
the Piekwick, had been on the train as
OFF at the Broad street station. It would
have been wrecked, as ii came directly
after the express car.
The passengers of the Southern express
give all credit to the dead engineer for
ttney believe ne made every effort to save
the train.
itt DOuleS Oh lQe engineer and fireman
who were scalded to death were taken
to New Brunswick.
When the news Of the wreck spread
hundreds Of persons hastened to the scene
and physicians drove from the town In
carriages to render aid to any who might
be injured.
The place of the wreck is in an open
country with only a few houses near
Wnen the scantily-clad passengers
scrambled from the sleeping car some of
them hurried to these places and some
stood about shivering In the cold morn
ing ar until they could get their clothing
from the wrecked car
Traffic on all four lines Of the road was
delayed for several hours.
The dead engineer and fireman lived
in this city Chichester was well known
ana popular young man and lived with
mis- mother and sister at No. 449 Jersey
avenue His sister is vice principal of
PUBLIC School No 4. Chichester had Just
inherited $4,000 from relative.
The action of the steam OF the bodies
OF the two men caused them to swell
to great extent. Chichester. who was
naturally large man, was swollen to
such proportions that a coffin large
enough for him could not be found In
New brunswick. 1t was therefore neces-
saLy 10 Keep the body in New Brunswick
until a coffin can be made IN
Meegin's body was brought to the Penn
syivania station this afternoon on fhe
tram which should have arrived there at
z:ul O'Clock. The train was almost a half
hour late. The body was enclosed I IN ,1ai1 =
pine coffin and was immediately tslen
In hv i,4se