The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-10

NEW YORK, Jan. BY head-on
collision between two passenger trains
of the Lehigh Valley Railroad at West
'Dunellen, n. j.. at 1915 p. m. to-day,
thirteen persons were killed and over
twenty-five wounded.
West Dunellen is three miles from
Boundbrook and about thirty miles
from New York city. At the spot where
the disaster occurred there is a sharp
curve in the Lehigh Valley track, and
a steep cut, but the accident was due
in the first place to some terrible mis-
take in train orders and in the second
place to another accident that occurred
at Boundbrook earlier in the day.
The blood stained wreck of tangled
and twisted iron and wood that was
still on the tracks tonight bore wit
ness to the truth of the general verdict
of railroad men that this was one of
the worst collisions in recent years.
A head-on collision on a double track
road was made possible only by a
freight wreck which occurred at Bound
brook at O'clock this morning when
the axle Of a freight car broke and nine
cars were piled on top of each other.
This completely blocked the east bound
track and all through the morning Lee
high Valley trains bound for New York
switched from their own track to the
west bound track, going over these
rails from Boundbrook to New Market,
a distance of six miles, and changing
at the latte place to their right side of
the road. To permit this mode Of traf-
fiC, all West-bound trains were held at
South Plainfield until their own line
was clear of trains going in the opposite
direction.
Train No. 20, which left Shamokin,
Pa, at Z a. m, was so heavy with
human freight that it had to be broken
lions arrived at Boundbrook, switched
over to the other track, switched back
at New Market and reached New York
in safety. The third section of this
train was almost an hour late. It's
seven cars were crowded with 400 ex-
cursionists, most of them from Mount
Carmel and Shamokin, Mahonoy City,
HaZleton, Ashland and Pottsville. The
party was travelling under the auspices
of the Business Mems excursion, an an
nual event which many patronize for
q three days visit to New York. Not a
few of the eXcursionists were coming
to witness the McCoy-Sharkey fight.
Their train switched over at Bound
brook and proceeded like the preceding
sections, on the west-bound track
Meanwhile there had been waiting at
New Market a local train that plies be-
tween New York and Boundbrook 1t
IS due in Boundbrook at 11:59 a. m. OW-
ing to the traffic all going on one track
it was almost an hour late At last
the train dispatcher at South Plainfeld
gave it permission to go. Just before
reaching West Dunellen Engineer Rick
slowed his train down, because he stops
for passengers II there are any. Mar
tin Brennan, the signalman, threw UP
his arms and waved them, as If to say
there were no passengers, so the local
put on steam and headed around the
curve, going at about twenty-five miles
an hour. There were only four pas
sengers on the local.
In the cab of the excursion train was
James Prendergast, the engineer, with
his fireman, George Cheshire. They
saw the local as it started on the
curve. With shrieking whistle anc
brakes grinding sparks from the
wheels the excursion train bore down
TO what seemed certain destruction
The passengers, alarmed at the con-
tinued whistling, opened the windows
mothers snatched their children tc
their arms. men started from their
seats, but before they had time to FIND
out what was the matter they were
hurled headlong, knocked senseless
and many killed outright.
The two engines, from which both
crews had jumped, came together with
an awful crash. The excursion train
was probably going at about fifteen
miles an hour. The local engine, as ii
tripped in its faster fight, turned g
somersault and came crashing dowr
beside it's now demolished obstruction
But it's career was not ended before it
had damned the tender Of the excur-
sion train almost from one end to the
other of the first car from Shamokin.
The tender stopped a few feet from
the rear door. The car, or what was
left of it, rolled over, carrying with 1t
the imbedded tender, the fragments of
dozen bodies and the imprisoned
wounded, who had been carried with
the Jagged iron on its relentless course
through the coach.
It was In the first car of the exc11r-