Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-01-10
SEVENTEEN KILLED,
Awful Railroad Accidents in New
Jersey and Nebraska.
FOURTEEN PERISH AT ONCE,
Victims OF a Mistake on the Lehish
Valley Line.
OVER TWENTY-FIVE INJURED.
The Union Pacific Adds More VIC
dms-Frightful Fate of Engineers
An Infant Reconnaissance Of In
| descrlbabIe Suffering.

NEW YORK, January 9.-By head-on
collision between two passenger trains
on the Lehigh Valley railroad at West
Dunnelen, n. j., at 12:45 to-day. thirteen
persons were killed and over twenty-five
were injured.
The dead are Martin keenan,, hotel
keeper, Mt. Carmel, Pa. W. II. Hinckel,
contractor, Mt. Carmel, Pa. Jacob Hell
Ter. tailor, Mt. Carmel: II. +. Weikel, 25
years old. Mt. Carmel: Frank Fischer,
shoe dealer, Mt. Carmel; William ii.
Leader. "a years old, dry-goods dealer
Mt Carmel he is a son of c. c. Leader,
president Of bank in Shamokin, he was
only recently married; Frank Markell, 81
years old, Shamokn; Theodore S. Kohn,
Shamokin, Pa; Abner S. Keifer carpet
dealer Pottsville. Pa; William III. Mar
kel, Shamokin, Pa; James jarvis, Il
years old. Mt. Carmel, Pa, and two wo-
men. who are still to be identified. The
majority of the wounded are from Penn
sylvania. Most of them are badly hurt
and some of them may die.
West Dunnelen 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 tracks and a steep
cutting. but the accident was due in the
first place to some terrible mistake in
train orders, and in the second place to
another accident that occurred at Bound
Brook earlier in the day.
AN AWFUL SCENE.
The scenes which accompanied the col
lsion. the sufferngs Of the injured, and
the panic that reigned among the 400 pas
sengers were well-night indescribable.
The blood-stained wreck of tangled and
twisted iron and wood that was still on
the railroad 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.
CAUSED BY ANOTHER WRECK.
A head-on collision on a double-track
road was made possible only by freight
wreck which occurred at Bound Brook at
6 O'Clock this morning, when the axle Of
a freight-car broke and nine cars were
piled on top of each other. This complete
| iy blocked the west-bound track, and all
| through the morning Lehigh Valley trains
bound for New York switched from their
own track TO the west-bound track, going
over these rails from Bound Brook 10
| New Market a distance OF six miles and
changing at the latter place back 10 their
right side of the road. To permit this
movement OF traffic all west-bound trains
were held at South Plainfeld until their
own line was clear of trains going In the
opposite direction.
| CROWDED WITH EXCURSlONISTS.
Train No. 90 which left Shamokin, Pa
at a. NJ, was so heavy with human
freight that II had to be broken into three
sections. The first two sections arrived
al Bound Brook. switched over 10 the
other rack. switched back to Newmarket
and reached New York in safety. The
third section of this train was almost al
| hour late It's seven ears were crowded
| with 400 eXcursonists. most Of them from
| Mount Carmel and Shamokin. Mahony
] City. Hazelton, Ashland, and Pottsville
| Pa.
The party was travelling under the aus
| pices of the Business-Men's Excursion
an annual event which many patronlz'
for a three-days' trip TO New York. No
a few of the excursionists were cominl
10 witness the McCoySharkey fight
Their train switched over at Bound Brooi
and proceeded like the preceding sections
|
there had been waiting at Newmarket
| local train that plies regularly betweeI
New York and Bound Brook Its number
| was II. and it was due at Bound Brool
at 1850 A. ~ Owing to the traffic al
| going on one track. IL was almost an hou
| late. AT last the dispatcher at Soutl
| Plainfield gave II permission to go. JUS
before reaching West Dunnelen, Englnee
Rick slowed his train down because III
stops for passengers, If there are any.
THE DANGER WHISTLES.
Martin Brennan, the signal man, threw
nm his arms and waved them as II TO say
| there were no passengers, so the loea
| MT on steam and hurried around the
| curve. going al about twenty-five miles
an hour. There were only few passen'
GERS aboard In the cab OF the excursion
engine Engineer Pendergast saw the loca
as II came around the curve. With brakes
| on and sparks flying from the wheels. the
excursion train bore down. The passen'
gers. alarmed at the continued whistling
opened the windows. Mothers snatchec
their children 10 their arms, men started
from their seats. but before they coulo
find out what was the matter they were
hurled headlong. knocked senseless, anc
many killed. The engines, from which
both crews had jumped, came together
with an awful crash.
DEATHS IN THE FIRST CAR.
The excursion train was probably goint
at about fifteen miles an hour. The loca
engine. as 1t t-ipped in its faster nlsht
turned complete somersault, ana came
crashing down beside its now demolishe'
obstruction. But its career was not emu
ed before it had jammed the tender OF INT
excursion train almost from one ehd y
the other of the first car from Shamokiil
The tender stopped a few seats from 'il'
rear door. The car or what was ieit
II. rolled over. carrying with the emDeu
deo tender the fragments or uohe'
bodies and the wounded. II was IN 'h'
frst car OF the excursion train that al
the deaths and most of the casua,ues "
Cured. The other cars, though their vo
cupants were badly shaken. stayed OH ,n'
4 track. and were in condition 10 DC hau'
ed off.
THE ENGINEER's FATE
From Dunnelen. Bound Brook. ana othe me
n,aces doctors were quickly summone.
relief and wrecking trains were duleAl
on hand AS the dead were pulled out
tho wreck they were put In the rear ca
-, tho excursion and taken 10 bouh