The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-01-10

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 the
train stops there for passengers, if
there are any. Martin Brennan, the sig
nal man, threw up his arms and waved
them, as if to say there were no pas
seneers, so the local put on steam and
headed round the curve, going at about
twenty-five miles an hour. There were
only four passengers Oh the local.
In the cab of the excursion train en-
gine was James Prendergast, the en-
gineer, with his fireman, George Chesh-
ire They saw the local as it started
on the curve With shreking whistle
and brakes grinding sparks from the
| wheels the excursion train bore down
to what seemed certain destruction. The
passengers alarmed at the continued
whistling 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 were hurled headlong,
knocked senseless and many killed out
! right The two engines now pilotless,
for both crews had jumped, came to-
gether with an awful crash. The ex-
| curslon train was probably going at
fifteen miles an hour. The local engine
| turned a complete somersault and came
crashing down beside it's now demolish-
! eded obstruction. But it's career was
not ended before it had iammed the
tender of the excursion engine almost
from one end to the other of the first
car from Shamol1n. The tender stop
ped few seats from the rear door; the
car, or what was left of it, rolled over,
carrying with it the imbedded tender,
the fragments of dozen bodies and
the imprisoned wounded, who had been
carried with the Jagged iron on it's re-
lentless course through the coach.
1t was in the first car of the excursion
train that all the deaths and most of
the casualties occurred The other
cars stayed on the track. The baggage
car in the front of the local train was
badly damaged, but with the exception
of the two engines and the first car of
the excursion train none of the cars
NNiC oo oethiy Illipe'iiC va tilcl lilCy Spdid
not be hauled off A few minutes be-
fore the trains crashed George Weld
man of Dunnellen, had tethered his
coal wagon to post at the crossing a
few yards from where the engines met.
II saw them coming" he said, the
eastbound whstling like mad, and the
local coming around the corner. I
waved my arms, but before he saw me
the engineer of the local saw what he
was up against. People We're sticking
their heads out of the windows; the en-
gineers and fremen jumped the trains
banged into each other and the local |
climber up over the other as If she was
going right on, then she turned clean |
over and came down on her sn1okestack. |
1t was an awful crash. Then the other
passengers and trainmen came running |
up The people that were not dead in |
the smoking car that had the tender |
jumped into it yelled like fury. The |
women screamed that they We're being
scalded. The first one we pulled out
was a man. He was dead, with some
body's leg caught tight in his arms.
Next came a woman with blood all over
her, but she seemed alive, so l took the
blanket off my horse, that had stood
there all the time, and put it over her.
From Dunnellen, Boundbrook and the
other places doctors were quickly sum-
moned. They came over the Central
railroad of New Jersey, whose tracks
run parallel with the Lehigh at this
point, about four hundred yards dis
tant. Relief and wreckng trains were
G the dead
pulled out of the demolished car they
were put in the rear cars of the excur-
sion train and taken to Boundbrook,
where coroner's inquest was held to-
night. The injured were put in the cars
of the local train. Twenty-one We're
taken to Planfield hospital, while the
less seriously injured went on to Jersey
CITY and New York Engineer Prem
dergast of the excursion train who
weighs almost three hundred pounds,
jumped too late for he was caught un- '
der his engine and for three hours lay
pinoned in frightful agony. When at
asst huge crane lifted the iron off his
,ody he was found so badly injured taat
he is expected to die. The loss of life
inflicted upon his train would probably {
nave been nothing like what it was had
t not been for the fact that at Mauch
hunk the baggage car of the excursion :
rain was found to have a hot box and
vas taken off, thus leaving the crowded
lay coach next to the engine. IL this :,
coach had retained the position it held
when the train left Shamokin probably :
,nly few lives would have been lost.
Engineer Rick of the local was found !;
N the tracks so badly injured that :,
here is little hope of his recovery De- :
pite the blood that flowed from his
mouth, Rick managed to say: Some one :
rave wrong orders. | know how it hap .
,ened but / can't speak now" =
In this connection w. o. Sprigg, the G
of the Eastern and Am l
10Y division of the Lehigh Valley said: S
The accident is evidently due to a T.
lunder in orders" General Passenger r
gent Lee had no explanation to make fl
IN this section of thesLehigh Valley the
lock system is not in use. The train 2
ispatcher at Easton, who has charge
f the territory, is said to have wired X
o the operator at South Plainfeld to
It No. Il, the local, come through, but
ater there came q message from Eas- II
on to hold all west t-DOuna Trains. IL is .
tlz lot s1Cyh