The Indianapolis journal., 1898-11-19
CRUSHED ON THE TRACK
GANG OF RAILWAY LABORERs MAN.
GLED AT HACKENSACk, n. j.
Eleven Killed Outright and six Sc
Iowa, with Fatal Results.

NEW YORK, Nov. 12-While a gang Of
twenty track hands were at work on the
Pennsylvania Railways line, at Haeken-
sack near Jersey City. to-day. the men
were run down by local passenger train.
Eleven were killed outright and six were
seriously injured. Only three escaped un-
hurt. The dead are: Michael Lawless, Jose
Collasselo, Angelo Pigo, Frank Rondisciski,
Frank Dulxiskie, Thomas Daugherty. Jose
Simenski, Joseph Broskie, Nicholas Roach,
Joseph Smith and an unknown man.
Frank Wangan, twenty-seven years old,
is badly hurt about the side. Frank
Schwazkie is so badly mangled that he will
probably die. Lawrence Hoffman was
struck by the body of one Of the men who
was killed. He was hurled to one side and
was badly injured internally. Lawless is the
man supposed to be on the lookout for ap-
preaching trains. He was considerable
distance up the track from the gang of la
borers, and he evidently did not see the
train for he gave no warning. His body
was hurled ninety feet through the air. The
unknown man who was killed had only
been put to work this morning.
The train which run down the workmen
was a local from Milltown to Jersey City,
due in Jersey City at $40 a. m. The fog de-
layed the train and Engineer John Van Os-
trand was endeavoring to make up time.
His train was running at a high rate of
speed he believing there was nothing to
obstruct a quick run to Jersey City. The
first he knew that his train had run into
the men was when the engine Jared Then
the cries of the men fell on his ears and,
as soon as possible, he brought his train
to a stop. The male passengers got out and
assisted the trainmen in searching for the
bodies of the victims. A train had passed
on the west bound track Il few minutes be-
fore the east bound train ran the men
down. The smoke from the engine of the
west-bound train went over on the east
bound track and the noise of the west
bound train prevented the men on the east
bound track from hearing the approaching
eaSt-bound train. They were not aware the
east-bound train was about them until they
were scattered right and left. When the
engine which struck the laborerS reached
the Pennsylvania depot in Jersey City, the
cowcatcher was red with blood from the
men killed A boy, after the engine stopped,
picked up a hand from the cowcatcher. 1t
had been severed from one OF the victims
and had been carried from the meadows to
the depot on the cowcatcher. The killed I'll
resided in Jersey City.
William Quink. 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. i had Michael Lawless sta
toned about fifty yards out for warning.
I.awless was struck first and cut to pieces.
Ny men were moved down like grass"
Engineer Van Ostrand said: Il felt sure
that the track was clear and had no idea
that in that cloud of smoke and fog just
ahead of me were twenty laborers who did
not know of my oncoming. l. got within one
hundred yards when my locomotive struck
the outpost. Michael Lawless. l put on the
brakes at once, but in another second | was
n i've
them down before / could stop the train.''
There were narrowing scenes when the
bodies reached the Pennsylvania Railroad
yards in Jersey City. The relatives of the