The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-01-10
Read-on Collision Between Two
Passenger Trains.
Thirteen People Were Killed and over
Twenty-Five Others Injured.
The Accident, Which Was One OF
the Worst In Recent Years, Oc-
Cured ON a Sharp Curve About
Thirty Miles From New York
City, and Was Evidently Due TO
n BIunder in Orders.

NEW YORK, Jan. 9.-By head-on
collision between two passenger Trains
OF the Lehigh Valley Railroad at Wese
Dunellen, N. j., at 12:4o p. M To-Day
thirteen people were killed and over
twenty-five injured.
The dead are: Martin Keenan,, hotei
keeper, Mount Carmel, Pa; w. H. Hin
KEEL, contractor Mount Carmel; jacob
Heller. tailor, Mount Carmel; H. +.
Weikell, Mount Carmel; Frank F1sner'
shoe merchant, Mount Carmel; w. n.
Leader, dry goods dealer, Mount Car
mel; Frank Markell, Shamokln, "a
Theodore S. Kohn, Shamokin; Abner >.
Keifer, Pottsville, Pa; W1li1am n.
Markell, Shamokin: James JARVIS,
Mount Carmel; two women, as yet I'M
identified.
The injured are: Arthur Tregembo,
Llewellyn, Pa, both legs broken; Mich
olas Parecca, Shamokin, legs crushed;
Henry John Parecca, Shamokin. legs
crushed; Mrs. Mary Parecca, Shamo-
kin, internal injuries; o. S. Schemer,
fireman, skull fractured, may die; Ed
ward w Rick, engineer, legs broken,
body crushed, expected to die; Joseph
Malesky, Shenandoah; Mary Jarvill,
Mount Carmel; - Maiosta, Shenan-
doah; George Lansky. Mount Carmel;
unidentified man; James Prendergast,
engineer, Easton, likely to die: -
Joseph, full name and residence I'M
known; Orlando S. Lame, Sunbury,
Pa, bruised Harry R. Foster, Potts
vile, legs broken; Mrs. Henry Loeb
haven, Big Mine Run, legs broken;
IL 1c-~re n l..
Mrs. Harry Jones, Shamokin, seriously
injured about legs; L. S. Waters, law
yer, Mount Carmel, legs broken Will
lam Feelin, Pottsville, leg fractured;
Mrs. Blitz, Ashland, Pa, both legs
broken.
West Dunellen is three miles from
Bound Brook and about thirty miles
from New York City. At the spot
where the disaster occurred there is
sharp curve in the Lehgh Valley track
and a steep cut, but the accident was
due in the first place to some terrible
mistake in train orders, and in the Sec
ond place to another accident that oc-
Cured at Bound Brook earlier in the
day
The blood stained wreck of tangled
and twisted iron and wood that was
still on the tracks tonight bore witness
to the truth of the general verdict of
railroad men that this was one of the
worst collisions in recent years.
hsad-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 freight car broke, and
nine cars were piled on top of each
other. This completely blocked the
eastb bound track, and all through the
morning Lehigh Valley trains bound for
New York switched from their own
track to the westbound track, going
over the rails from Bound Brook to
New Market, a distance of six miles,
and changing at the latter place back
to their right side of the road. To per-
nit this mode of traffic, all westbound
trains were held at South Plainfield I'M
til 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 hui
man freight that it had to be broken
into three sections. The first two sec
tions arrived at Bound Brook, 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.
Meanwhile there had been waiting at
New Market a local train that plies
between New York and Bound Brook. 1t
is due in Bound Brook at 11:59 a. m.
Owing to the traffic all going on one
track. it was almost an hour late. At
last the train dispatcher at South
Plainfield gave it permission to go. Just
before reaching West Dunelen Engi-
neer Rick slowed his train down, be-
cause he stops for passengers if there
are any. Martin Brennan the signal
man. threw up his arms and waved
them. as If to say there were no pas
sengers, so the local put on steam and
started around the curve, going at
about twenty-five miles an hour. There
were only four passengers on the local.
Tn 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 and brakes
grinding sparks from the wneels tne
excursion train bore down TO Wna'
seemed certain destruction The pas
sengers. alarmed at the contN1ueu
wbistling. opened the windows, mothers
snatched their children to their arms
men started from their seats, put pe
fore they had, time to find OUT "ha'
vas the matter they were hurled mead
long. knocked senseless and many
killed outright.
The two engines, from when potn
crews had jumped, came together VIII
an awful crash. The excursion tram
was probably going at about hfteeh
miles an hour.
The local engine, as if tripped IN us
faster fight, turned a complete somer
sault and came crashing down beside
its now demolished obstruction. But ils
career was not ended before 1t haa
damned the tender of the excursion al
,nast from one end to the other OF the
6rs4 car from Shamokin. The tender
stonped q few feet from the rear door,
The car rolled over, carrying with II
the Embedded tender, the fragments OF
= dozen bodies and the imprisoned in
fured who had been carried with the
JAGGED iron on it's relentless course
through the first coach.
-. &, tho first car of the eXcur-