Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-01-10

up his arms and waved them as If to say
there We're no passengers, SO the local
put ON steam and headed around the
curve, going at about % miles an hour.
There were only four passengers on the
local. In the cab of the excursion train
engine was James PrendergaSt, engineer,
with his fireman, George Cheshire. They
saw the local it started on the curve.
With shrieking whistle and brakes grind
ing sparks from the wheels. the excur-
sion train bore down to what seemed
certain destruction.
The passengers, alarmed at the contin-
ued whistlng, opened the windows:
mothers clasped their children in their
arms, men started from their seats, but
before they had time to find out what
was the matter, they We're hurled head
long, knocked senseieSs and many killed
outright.
The two engines, now pilotless, for both
crews had jumped. came together with
an awful crash. The excursion train was
probably going at about 10 miles an hour.
The local engine turned complete SOM
ersault and came crashing down beside
its now Broken and demolished obstruc-
ton. But its career was not ended before
it mad jammed the tender of the excur-
sion train engine almost from one end TO
the other of the first car from Shamokin.
The tender stopped a few. seats from
the rear door: the car, or what was left
of it, rolled over carrying with it the
embedded tender. the fragments of a
dozen bodies and the imprisoned wound,
ed who had been carried with the jagged
iron on its relentless course through the
coach.
it was in this first car of the excursion
casualties occurred. The other cars.
though their occupants were badly
shaken. stayed ON the track. The bag
gage car in the front of the local train
was damaged. but with the exception of
the two engines and the first car of the
excursion E1ain, none of the cars were
so badly impaired that they could not be
"A few minutes before the trains
crashed together, George Weidman of
Dunellen, had tied his coal wagon to a
where the engines met. - saw them
coming he said, the east-bound whist.
ling like mad and the local coming around
the corner. | waved my arms, but before
| he saw me the engineer of the local saw
| what he was up against. People were
sticking their heads out of the windows,
banged into each other and the local
| climbed up over the other as if She was
going right on, then she turned clean
over and came down on her smokeStack.
| 1t was an awful crash
| Then the other passengers and train
men came running up. The. people that
were not dead in the smoking car that 11,
| had the tender jump into il. yelled like
! fury The women screamed that they
were being scaided. The first passenger
we pulled out was 4 man. He was dead.
/ with somebody's leg caught tight in mis-
arms. Next came woman. VITA blood
! all over her. but she seemed alive 50
| took the blanket off NV horse. that had
stood there all the time, and put it over
From Dunellen. Bound Brook and other
| places doctors We're quickly summoned
New Jersey. whose tracks run parallel
with lhe Lehish at this point. about 400
yards distant, Relief ana wrecking
! trains Were quickly on hand. AS the
| dead were pulled out of the demolished
car they were put in The rear cars of the
excursion train and taken to Bound
held. tonight The injured We're put in
| the cars of the local train. Twenty-one
! were. taken to Plainiield hospital, while
the less seriously injured went on to Jer-
| Engineer Prendersast of the excursion
train, VINO weighs almost 300 pounds.
jumped too late, for he was caught under
mis- engine and for 8 hours lay pnioned
| in frightful agony. When at last huge
crane lifted the iron off his body. he was
found 50 badly injured that he is expect
| ed to die.
| The loss of life inflicted upon his train
would probably have been nothing like
| what it was had it not been for the fact
that at Mauch Chunk the baggage car of
| The excursion train was found to have
! hot box and was taken off, leaving the
| crowded day coach next to the engine.
| If this coach had retained the position 1t
held when the train left shamokln, prob
| ably only a few lives would have been
Engineer Rick of the local. was found
IS IS; little iit nope Of his recovery Despite the
r,au,gaI to cav. Same one rave wrong
orders. know how it happened. but /
In In this connection. W. O. sprigg, the
slperinfendent OF ,:he Eastern and Amboy
1iYisirn Of the Ie1igh Valley. said: The
ancidenY Is rvidpntIV due to A bIunder in
9rders.'' General Passenger Agent Lee
| had no explanation to make. On This sec
Ion IF M, Irbiern valley. the block sys-
| tam is moi in use. The train dispatcher
| at E,aston. who has charge of the terri
| Tory. is said 10 have wired to the opera
| tor at south Plainfeld to let No. II. the
l9cal, come through. but later there came
| \ message from Iaston to hold all west
| sound traffic. 1t Is alleged chat the latter
| message was overlooked. Some say. it
was not handed to the operator. but
| whichever way 1t was, the west-bound
| train was allowed on its track and from
everything that could be learned. the col
| iision was plainly due to a mistake in Or
ders and to no negligence of the train
crews. Signalman brennan. at West
Dunellen. who threw up his arms as the
local passed has no wire and nothing to