The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-19
An Engine Piunges Through Q Gang of
Track Hsnds-The Locomotive Cow
cred With Blood = Narrowing
Scenes st the Station.

THOMAS DOHERTY.
THOMAS FLANAGAN.
JOSEPH FAGGEA.
MICHAEL LAWLESS.
NICOLA LUCCI.
FRANK LUDOWSKI.
ANGELO PUGGO.
FRANK SLUMISKY.
GUISEPPI STINZIANO.
The injured: Lawrence Hoffman,
Michael Miller. Frank swanzkowski,
will die: John Wagdon.
The accident happened about two and
a half miles west of Jersey City. just
beyond the Hackensack river bridge.
At that point there are four tracks, two
devoted to passenger and two to freight
traffic. At the north are the shops
and tracks of the Delaware. Lackawan-
ma & Western railroad. Foreman
Quirk took out a gang of 10 men at 8
a. m. to repair track No. 4-the west
bound freight track at that place.
Quirk saw that the fog meant danger
so he sent ahead two men, Lawless
and Doherty, to give warning of ap-
preaching trains. Lawless was to go
west and Doherty east and cover all
the tracks. They were to shout warn
ings at the approach of trains. The
passenger tracks were kept busy with
incoming suburban trains. and the
smoke and steam from those trains
helped to make the atmosphere more
dense.
Suddenly, about $50, there was a
shout from Lawless, who was the ad-
vance guard of the gang.
''Train on No. g." he cried. 1t was an
eastbound freight train that came along
slowly, leaving behind II a heavy pail of
smoke. The men who were scattered
along the track Jumped out Of the way
Almost all Of them jumped over to
track No. I, the eastbound passenger
track. The heavy smoke enveloped them
and the men, many of them new hands
on the road, shivered with fright, for
they could not see and could scarcely
hear the approaching trains that fol-
lowed the freight.
Lawless. too, had jumped across to
track No. 1. keeping all the time a sharp
lookout. Suddenly there was a rumble
of wheels and the shrek of a whistle.
The Milestone local, delayed by fog, was
coming along at, the rate Of 40 miles an
hour. Lawless was struck and thrown
30 feet away. mangled and bleeding. On
went the train. Engineer Van Ostrand
flying through the air when the engine
struck Doherty. Then 1t ploughed into
the mass OF covering men who stood
huddled together on the track.
1T was an awful sight," said the en-
gineer later. There was a mass OF legs
and arms and heads flying through the
air / was drenched with blood.
knew that something terrible had hap
pened and put on the air brakes as
hard as possible.
when the train came to a standstill
the passengers rushed out. The track
was covered with blood. The meadows
and track looked like a battlefield COW
cred with bodies. The shrieks of the
dying drowned the cries of the Mortified
turned away in horror. OF the 19 men,
nine were dead and six wounded. Some
one telephoned quickly to Jersey City.
Many Of the bodies, still writhing In
mortal agony. were placed on the train
and borne to the city. Two OF the
wounded died on the way"
A relief train brought back the others.
As soon as the news of the accident
reached Jersey City. the railroad off,
ciais went to the scene and superin-
tended the removal of the dead and
wounded. When the engine which
struck the laborers reached the depot
in Jersey City, the cowcatcher was red
with blood from the men Killed. After
the engine had stopped a hand was
picked up from the cowcatcher. II had
been severed from one of the victims
and had been carried to the depot on
the cowcatcher.
William Quirk. the foreman of the
gang of workmen made this statement:
"The smoke and fog are to blame. My
men were in a cloud of smoke when
the calamity came upon us. 1 had
Michael Lawless stationed about 80
yards ahead of the gang to give us
warning. Lawless was struck first and
cut to pieces. My men were moved
down like grass"
Engineer Van Ostrand said: ''I felt
sure that the track was clear and had
no idea that in that cloud of smoke
and fog Just ahead Of me We're 20 labor
ers who did not know Of my oncom-
ing. I got within 100 yards when my
locomotive struck the outpost. Michael
Lawless. i put on the brakes at once.
but In another second I was upon the
main gang and my locomotive cut
them down before I could stop the
train"
There were narrowing scenes when
the bodies reached the Pennsylvania
roads yards in Jersey City. The rela-
tives Of the dead were beside them
selves with grief. Half dozen women
were overcome and had to be taken
home by the police.
Schwaskie. whose back was broken
and who was also internally injured.
died In the hospital to which he was
taken. This increases the death list
20 IL.
A Fatal wreck.
Prescott. Ariz.. Nov. is.-A fatal wreck