The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-01-10
ERROR COST
MANY LIVES
Terrible Mistake In Train Or
ders on the Lehigh
Valley Road.
EIGHTEEN WERE KILLED
More Than TweBty-FOHr Others
Injured In a Head-0n
Collision.
TRAINS MET ON A CURVE
Freight Crashed Into a Passenger Of
Seven Cars Loaded With Exeur-
sionists Awful Damage.

NEW YORK. Jan. s.-By a head-on
collision between two passenger trains on
the Lehlgh Valley railroad at West Dun
ellen, n. j.. at 1876 p. m. today. % per-
sons were killed and over 8 wounded.
West Dunellen Is three miles from
Bound Brook. and about % miles from
New York City. AT the spot where the
disaster occurred there Is a sharp curve
in the Lehigh Valley track. and steep
cut, but the accident was due, In the first
place, TO some terrible mistake IN train
orders. and In the second place 10 an
other accident that occurred az Bound
Brook earlier in the day.
The bloOd-stained wreck Of tangled and
twisted iron and wood that was stlll on
the tracks tonight bore witness to the
truth Of the general verdict OF railroad
men that this was one Of the worst col
lisions IN recent years.
The head-on collision on the 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 UP on top Of each other.
This completely blocked the east-bound
track and all through the morning Le-
high Valley trains bound for New York
switched from their own track to the
west-bound track. going over these rails
from Bound Brook to New Market, a
distance OF six miles. and changing at
the latter place back to their right side
OF road To permit this mode OF traffic
all west-bound trains were held at South
Piainheld until their own line was clear
OF trains going In the opposite direction.
Train No. %. which left Shamokin. Pa.
at a. m. was 50 heavy with human
freight that II had to be broken into
three sections. The first two sections
arrived at Bound Brook. switched over
to the other track. switched back at New
Market and reached New York city in
safety. The third section Of this train
was almost an hour late. Its seven cars
were crowded with 400 excursionlsts.
The party was travelling under the au-
spices OF the Business Mems excursion.
an annual event which many patronlze
for three days visit TO New York. Not
few Of the excursionists were coming
to witness the Mccoy -SharlIey 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 local train that plies
between New York and Bound Brook.
Owing to the traffic all going on one
track. It was almost an hour late. At
last the train dispatcher at South Plains
field gave It permission to go. The
local was going round a curve at about
IS miles an hour,
In the cab OF the excursion train was
James Prendergast. the engineer. with
his fireman. George Cheshire. They saw
the local as ii started on the curve. With
a shrieking whistle and brakes grinding
sparks from the wheels, the excursion
train bore down to what was certain
destruction. Before the passengers 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 tosether with an
awful crash. The excursion train was
probably going at Is miles an hour. The
local engine turned a complete somer-
sault
1t was in the first car Of the excursion
train that all the deaths and most OF
the casualties occurred. The other cars,
though their occupants were badly shak-
en- up, stayed on the track.