The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-24
.DBAqH IN 4 SMASH UP
Man Scalded to Death and
Two Fatally Injured Oh
the Newark and New
York Railroad.
ENGINEER MlsTOOK THE SIGNALS
A Freight Train Plunges Into a
Locomotive Standing ON
the Track = List Of
the Injured.

A terrible wreck occurred in the freight
yards Of the Central Railroad of New
Jersey near Communipaw, early this
morning. One man was scalded to death
and two others were seriously injured, and
probably will not recover. Two engines
and freight car were wrecked and traf-
fic on the Newark and New York branch
was delayed over an hour, making the
early commuters late in reaching their
work.
The accident occurred half way be-
tween the Jersey avenue crossing and the
main depot at the Communipaw ferry, in
front of tower No. 2. Superintendent Ped
die was early on the scene. He has begun
a rigid investigation to fix the blame for
the terrible disaster. From all that can
be learned at present 1t was due to the
carelessness of the engineer of freight
train, whose life is now in the balance
as a result of his action.
The story of the disaster, as told by
those who witnessed 1t. is as follows
A bobtail engine, which is used to draw
the freight cars on and off the floats, was
standing at the coaling station near tower
No. 2 coaling up. Attached to the engine
was small freight car which served as
a tender to carry the coal and the mems
dinner pals and tools. On this tender at
the end nearest the engine was Brakeman
Daniel Higgins. This was shortly after
six o'clock While the engine was stand
ing there a freight train, drawn by an
engine twice the size of the bobtail came
bowling along. Either the engineer did
not know that the switch was turned SO
as to throw his train on to the track
with the bobtail or else he was careless
and did not heed the signal from the
tower. His engine came at terrific speed
and crossed the switch a few feet below
the bobtail, and then, before the engineer
could reverse the lever and slacken the
speed of his engine it went crashing into
the tender of the bobtail.
1t sent the tender freight car through
the cab of the bobtail and then piled it
high on top of the boiler. Brakeman
Higgins, who was standing between the
car and the engine, was crushed against
the cab, His head was smashed into
jelly. The fireman and eHgineers who
were in the cab, were badly injured~ To.
add to the horror of the situation the
freight car in falling upon the boiler
burst the steam valves and let free the
steam, which poured forth upon the i'm
prisoned victims. Help came almost in
stantly, and the engineer and fireman
were rescued before they were quite
scalded to DEATH They were in a ter
rible condition however.
Another brakeman also suffered severe
injuries. The engineer was taken to the
Newark Hospital and the fireman and
brakeman were taken to, the City Hospi-
tai, in Jersey City. The body of poor
Higgins was boiled so badly that it was
scarcely recognizable. 1t was taken to
Speers morgue.
The accident occurred just at the point
where the tracks of the Newark and New
York division branch off from the main
line. The engine and car were. thrown
across the tracks of the Newark branch
and blocked all passenger traffic for over
an hour