The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1899-05-18
ANOTHER RAILWAY HORROR
A DISASTROUS WRECK ON THE P. &
R. RAILROAD AT EXETER, PA.
Thirty Killed and Many More Seriously In.
iured-One Of the Most Shocking Ac-
cidents Of Recent Years.

One of the most appalling catas-
trophies of recent years occurred at
Exeter, Pa, little town on the Phil
adelphia & Reading Railroad, Friday
night, by reason of collision Of pas
senger trains.
Exeter is not much of town, but
it has made name for itself, for 1t
will be told in years to come that it
was right around the curve at the lit
tie station that two trains collided,
thirty one persons were killed and fit. |
ty-hve injured.
Crowds OF people swooped down
upon the little hamlet Saturday. From
Reading, only six miles away, came
hundreds of people. Many also came
from Pottstown. Nearby towns and
villages like Gibraltar, Blrdsboro,
Stonetown, Springville and Baumtown
were almost deserted, as the residents
had come to Exeter bright and early
to view the wreck. They came in
carriages, afoot, horseback and bicy-
Gle, and roamed up and down the
tracks on which stood the shattered
cars and dismantled locomotive. The
souvenir hunter seeking some relic Of
the disaster was there. Racks, plate
glass mirrors, strips of plush, hinges,
blood-stained splinters and even whole
cushions were carried off as memen-
toes of the catastrophe.
A weird spectacle met the gaze of
those who arrived before the wrecking
crews completed their work. Down
along the banks of the railroad where
the collision occurred huge bonhres
sent up columns of smoke and flame
from great piles of timber, remnants
of the cars that had been dismantled
in the crash. Three cars, or what
was lef: OF them, were burned, the
trucks and other portions of the iron
work being loaded on fiat cars and
taken to Reading. Two cars, one the
Pullman Orpheus, which Senator
Boies Penrose had just left before the
fatal crash, and the other day coach,
both shattered beyond repair, were
pushed down on a siding below the
station to fall prey to relic hunters
Almost in front of the station was
the engine with smokestack, pilot an6
cab gone, wedged into the rear of the
Pullman, where it stopped after plow
ing its way through day coach, ir
which most of the victims were riding
Then piled high upon the tender o
this death dealing engine was anothe
coach, the awful impact shooting i
almost on top of the locomotive
With signs OF death and destruction
on every side, clouds of smoke curl
ing up from the wreckage and hun
dreds of people digging about in tn
debris, and lowering clouds now AM
then letting fall gentle rain, as
shedding tears over the scene, the pic
ture presented was one not soon to b
forgotten.
In big disasters of this character a
sorts of stories generally gain cul
rency, but after interviews with raj
road men who had to do with tn
movements of the i'll fated train th
appears to be about the situation:
On Friday night the regular expires
train left the outer station at ReaC
ing at S:36 o'clock, ten minutes afte
scheduled time, followed five minute
later by the Harrisburg special. Th
first train was made up of eight car
The conductor was w. M. Bromme
and Daniel F. Wildermuth was eng
neer. Both are residents of Reading
The second, or Harrisburg specia
was IN charge of Conductor Mage
and Harry Orrell, engineer. Whe
the first train left Reading it had c
ders to look out ahead for a co
train, which was supposed then to
at Monacacy. After the second ira
left it was learned that the coal ira
had not yet cleared the main trac
and precautionary message was Sc
to the signal tower, one-half mile b
low the Exeter station. The preca
tionary signal, it is said, was given Il
second train, as instructed. VIII,
Engineer Wildermuth rounded Il
curve, about $50 yards below the E
eter station, he observed the arm 81
nal with the red light, a signal whl
Night Operator Calvin Lesher had |
ceived from Reading, which told hi
to stop the train tor orders.
The train was going at speed
about forty-hve miles an hour, al
dashed four car length beyol
the signal board before it could
stopped. The express train was bac
ed to the depot and conductor Bro
nell and his brakeman stepped in