Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1899-05-18


years Old. both legs cut on; another sup
posed to be c. H. Hartman. probable resi-
dence Philadelphia: John johnson. Mount
Carmel; another supposed to be Lewis
Fisher, residence unknown: William
stahler. Norristown. body terribly mutt
lated: another supposed to be Daniel Yo-s
der. Of Pottstown: another body Of man
wearing q ring with initials III. L. H.:
G. L. Laverty. Harrisburg: Lucien J. GUS
ter, Pottst0wn: another body believed to
DO William NJ. Keen. Norristown: Capt
George III. Coulston, Norristown. died at
five O'Clock In the morning.
How Accident Occurred.
Fast express train No. IL. which Or
dinarily runs through from Reading to
Pottstown without stop, was held up
at Exeter by coal train which was
using the cross-over switch there.
While standing there awaiting or
ders, q special through train running
from Harrisburg to Philadelphia, on
account of Hartranft day, and laden
with excursionists, came along and
crashed into the rear cars of No. IL,
wrecking two day coaches and Pull
man, and crushing the lives out many
of their occupants. The special was
running as second section of No. IL.
allowing the latter about minutes
headway, and the engineer. it is pre-
sumed. did not see the red light which
was displayed at Exeter station while
giving orders to No. ~.
At any rate the great engine came
along under full head of steam and, with
the terrific momentum which the
weight Of q heavily laden train behind
it would naturally impart. crashed into
the rear Of the waiting train.
The rear day coach. the Pullman
ahead and the day coach forward of
the Pullman were reduced to splin-
tiers. The day coach behind the smoker
and the smoker itself escaped compare
lively uninjured and were later brought
down the road and run into Philadel-
phia.
The engine and these two cars with
several baggage cars. constituting
what was left of No. IL. were brought
to this city. On them were number
of people who were slightly injured.
Some OF the dead and wounded were
taken to Norristown on special train
sent down from Reading for that pur-
pose.
Excellent service was rendered by
the members of company F, Pennsyl-
vania national guard. of Norristown,
in assisting the nurses sent from the
Reading hospital.
G. L. Laverty's body is badly mu-
tilafed. The remains were identified
through number of articles found on
his person, among which were a card
inscribed &C. L. Laverty, Harrisburg,
Room IL. College Block
Lucien j. Custer, aged IS years, of
Pottstown, had both legs broken and
died at three O'Clock in the morning at
his home at that place.
Heard the whistle.
The rear coach of the first section, in
which most of the killed were riding,
was full of people, every seat being oc-
cupied. Some of them heard the loud
whistling of the approaching engine of
the second section, and there was an
attempt on the part of many to escape
from the car, but in a second all was
confusion and death. It is stated that
ten minutes after the regular train
left the station here the second section
or special followed. After the special
had left it was learned that the coal
train, which was running ahead to
Monocacy, had not yet cleared the main
track. and the train dispatcher here de-
cided to send precautionary order to
the express train at Exeter, and the
operator at that place was so notified.
He Immediately put up the ''order sig
NAL" an arm signal with red light,
but it appears that just as the express
came along the coal train had cleared,
but the express shot some distance by
the station and started to back up to
the station. The train was running
fast, and the engineer says he stopped
as soon as he could. In the meantime
the tower operator just below Reading
was notified to display precautionary
signals against the second section, but
whether they were observed by the en-
gineer is not known. At all events the
train proceeded. and when it rounded
the curve just north of Exeter sta
ton the red signals of the rear car of
the regular express loomed up before
the engineer. He was making rapid
time. probably 40 miles an hour. 1t is
evident from the speed that the Sec
ond train was making that the en-
gineer did not expect to find the first
section there. but far below that point.
One Of the passengers in speaking of
the cause of the wreck said:
lit may have been all right for the first
train to back. but it seems to me that in
view Of the fact that the crew was awass