The Red Cloud chief., 1899-01-13
HORRIBLE RAILROAD WRECK,
Eighteen Persons Killed In n New Jar.
sey smasb-Up.

ANoW t0Es
sey s~mssb-Up.
New York, Jan. III by q hcad-on
collision between two passenger trains
on the Lehigh Valley railroad at West
Dunellen, N. j., at 12:47 p. m. yester.
day, eighteen persons were killed and
over twenty were injured.
West Dunellen Is three miles from
Boundbrook and about thirty miles
from New York city. At the spot
where the disaster occurred, there is
a sharp curve in the Lchigh Valley
tracks and a steep cutting, but the &C.
cident was due in the first place TO
some terrible mistake In train orders
and in the second place to another ac.
cidcnt that occurred at Boundbrook
earlier in the day.
The scenes which accompanied the
collision, the sufferings Of the injured
and the panic that reigned among the
400 passengers were we'll nigh indie
s~cribablc. The blood-stained wreck
of tangled and twisted iron and wood
bore witness to the truth Of the gen.
eral verdict Of railroad men that this
was ono of the worst collisions In re.
cent years.
A head on collision on a double track
road vas made possible only by q
freight wreck which occurred at
Boundbrook at @ o'clock in the morning
when tho axle Of a freight car broke
and nine cars were piled on top Of each
other. This completely blocked the
cast bound track, and all through the
morning Lehigh Valley trains bound
for New York switched from their
track TO the west bound track, going
over these rails from B%oundbrook to
Newmarket, a distance OF six miles,
and changing at tho latter place back
to their right side OF tho road. To
permit this mode of traffic, all west
bound trains were held at South
Plsinfield until their own line was
clear of trains going In the opposite
direction.
Train No. 20, which left Shamolsin,
Pa, at 7 a. m, was so heavy with hui
man freight that 1t had to be broken
into three sections. The first two Sec
tions arrived at Boundbrook, switched
over to the other track. switched back
at Newmarket and reached New York
In safety. The third section of this
train was almost an hour late. Its
seven cars were crowded with 400 ex-
cursion!sts, most Of them from Mount
Carmel and Shamokin, Mahoney City.
Hazelton, Ashland and Pottsville, Pa.
The party was travelling under the
auspices Of the business mems excur-
sion, an annual event which many
patronize for a three days visit to
New York. Not q few Of the excur-
s%ionists were coming to witness tho
McCoy-Sharsey fight. Their train
switched over at Boundbrook and pro-
ceeded, like the preceding sections.
on the west bound track.
Meanwhile, there had been waiting
at Newmarket a local train hat plies
regularly between New York and
Roundbrook. Its number on the
schedule Is II and it Is due in Bound
brook at 1859 a. IN. Owing 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 60. Just before reach
ing West Dunnelen, Engineer Rick
slowed his train down, because no
stops for passengers IL there are any.
Martin Brennan. the signal man,
threw up his arms and waved them,
as II to say there were no passengers.
so the local put on steam and headed
round the curve, going at about TWEEN
ty-five miles an hour. There were only
four passengers on the local.
In tho cab Of the excursion tram
was James Prendergast, the engineer.
with his fireman, George Cheshire.
They saw tho local as 1t started on the
curve. With shrieking whistle and
brakes grinding sparks from tho
wheels, the excursion train bore do wn
to what seemed certain destruction.
The passengers, alarmed at the con-
tinued whistling, opened the windows;
mothers snatched 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 outright.