The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-05-14
WRAPPED IN MYSTERY
Cause of the Exeter Horror
Still Unknown.
TRYING TOFiX THE BLAME
WORST ACCIDENT pENNSYLr
WANNA HAS EVER KNOWN
TWENTY EIGHT DEAD AND FlFlY INJURED
A Block Of Freight Cars on The Track at Fxeter
Delayed the Doomed Train. Claim
of lhe Man at the Signal
Tower.

lower.
which occurred last night on the Phila-
delphia and Reading railway at Exeter,
six miles south of here was probably
the worst that has ever occurred in this
State. Twenty-eight dead and fifty in
jured. some so badly that they may not
recover. is the awful result of the ac-
cident.
The cause Of the disaster is still in
volved i'll mystery, and officials of the
road are investigating in order to place
the blame The man in the signal tower
ut Exeter station claims to have had the
signals properly displayed. In Il state
ment to-day General Superintendent
Sweidard, Of the Reading railway said
the prime cause Of the accident was
block of freight cars on The. track, which
were taking Il siding at Birdsboro, and
which compelled the express to stop at
Exeter. 1t is not known as yet whether
Il signal man was sent back to notify the
special or second section.
The express from Williamsport. known
us train No. II and also as the Cannon
Ball" leaves Reading for Philadelphia
at $3.50 O'Clock y. III. 1t did not leave
on time last night owing to waiting for
Harrisburg connections. The travel
from Harrisburg was very heavy, owing
to the large number of people who at
tended the monument unveiling cerc-
monies. \ special train was brought
into rcqnlsltion to accommodate the
crowds. At Exeter the first train stop
ped briefly for orders and just started
when the special crashed into it.
Many prominent men were passengers
on the forward train, among them Sena-
tor Boies PenrosN Colonel Henry ID.
paXser, of Philadelphia: General John
". Schall, of Norristown, and Colonel
George Schall. the Generals brother,
who was killed.
On the second train were some twenty
veterans of Hartranfts Fifty first regi-
ment, which he commanded in the Civil
War and company of the Seventeen
YennsyIyania regiment. national guard,
Il few Of whom were injured.
A strange feature of the disaster was
the fact that not one woman was killed
and only one was injured
This afternoon Coroner Wilson Rother
mel enpanellcd IL jury and visiting the
different morgues, they viewed the
bodies.
The jury adjourned to assemble at
the call of the coroner, which will prob
ably be Tuesday afternoon. They left
on Il special train ut | O'Clock y. M, and
viewed the scene Of the wreck.
Superintendent Wilson, of the main
line division, when asked if it was not
a mistake for the train to back to the
station, replied:
Il think the train should have been
left where it stopped. But | cannot
speak of the cause until the matter is
thoroughly investigated
The corrected list of Killed and in
jured is as follows:
ed:-Jonn Slingluff, Norristown;
IL. Thompson, Norristown; Elmer
Shelly, hatboro; Frank Sewer, Nor
ristown; Henry q. Wentz, Norristown;
William Stahler, Norristown; Joseph
Taylor, Norristown; John II. Kuntz,
Norristown; Charles &. Leaf, Fort
Washington; Samuel II. Beatty. Con-
shOhocken: Charles II. White, Norris
town; Captain G. c. Eicholtz. Down
ingtown; George Schall, NorristoWn;
William Lewis, Norristown; FL. Hunch-
burger, Gulf Mills; j. +. Filman,
Reading; c. II. Howell, Reading; John
Johnston, Hatboro; John ii. Coulston,
1>orristown, died at hospitals; c. l..
Laverty: Harrisburg; Daniel II.
Yoder, Pottstown; Lucien j. Custer.
aged 10, Pottstown.
William c. Cam, Norristown; II. q.
Hartford Norristown; Norman
Holmes, aged 10, Norristown; Captain
5. L. Street, Philadelphia; Michael
Lawn, Germantown; One unidentified
man.
Injured:-T. H. Able, 81, Norris
town; William Freedom, so, Norris
town; Henry X. Stauffer, 20, Norris
town; ID. b. Silvas. 40, Reading; &. II.
Lewis, so, Norristown George Car
ney, 81, Norristown; a. j. Ashenfcitcr
81, Germantown: robert Brierley.
Philadelphia; George W. Holmes, 81,
John NJ. Engle, Swede-
land; John n. Earl, Conshohoeslen:
John S. Jones, Norristown; Albert
Hardness, Oak Lane; John NJ. Foose,
Joseph Edwards, Ger
mantown: Harrison Robbins, Philadel-
phia; +. III. Taggert, west Chester;
William Jenkins, Norristown; Annie
Ashland; Amandus
Carges. Norristown; Benz. Il. Alderfer.
Edward Smith Norris
town: Nathan O'Neill, Norristown:
Patrick Curran. Norristown: Pascoe
sixth regiment, Pennsylvania
Guard. East Swedeland: j. Hay Leis
fer, PhoeniXyille: Charles Maddis,
Conshohocken: Harry Orell. engineer
of the special; II. G. Krantz. Norris
town; special policeman, Robert Kirk 1