The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-01-10
SOMEBODY
Numbered
And Thirteen Persons Paid For
1t With Their Lives
In the Head On Collision on the
Lehigh Valley.
EVEN DOUBLE TRACKS
Are Not Always a Protection
Against Collisions.
One Engine Turned Complete
SOmersault.

the LenlSn Ndlley railway dI WCSI
Dunellen, N. J., yesterday afternoon,
thirteen persons were killed and over
twenty-five were injured.
THE DEAD.
MARTIN KEENAN,, hotelkeeper,
Mount Carmel, Pa
w. H. HINKEL, contractor, Mount
Carmel.
JACOB HELLER, tailor. Mount Car
mel.
H. E. wEIKELL, rs years of age.
Mount Carmel.
FRANK FISCHER, shoe dealer,
Mount Carmel.
WILLIAM H. LEADER, "a years of
age, dry goods dealer, Mount Carmel
FRANK Markell, "a years of age,
ShamOkin, Pa
THEODORE S. KoHN, shamokin.
ABNER S. KEIFER, carpet dealer,
Pottsville, Pa
WILLIAM H. Markell, Shamokin.
JAMES JARVIS, II years old, Mount
Carmel
TWO WOMEN, who are still to be
identified.
Arthur Tregembo, Llewlyn, Pa, both
legs broken.
crushed.
Henry John Parecca, shamolzin. legs
crushed.
Louis Parecca, Shamokin, legs crushed.
nal injuries; may die.
o. D. Schaeffer, fireman, South Easton,
Pa, skull fractured; may die.
Edward w. Rick, engineer, legs
broken, body crushed; expected to die.
Joseph Jarville, Shenandoah, Pa.
Mary Jarville, Mount Carmel.
- Maiosta, Shenandoah.
George Lansky, Mount Carmel.
Unidentified man with u. J.'' on his
cuffs.
James Prendergast, engineer, Easton,
Pa, likely to die.
- Joseph, full name and residence
unknown.
Orlando S. Taen. Sunbury. Pa. bruis-
ed ankle sprained.
Harry r. Foster, plumber, Pottsville,
both legs broken.
Mrs. Henry Lockhaven, Big Mine
Run, legs broken.
Mrs Lockhaven's mother, legs
crushed.
Mrs. Harry Johns, Shamokin. serious
~ injured about the legs, St. Vincent's
hospital, New York.
L. S. Water, lawyer, Mount Carmel,
legs broken.
William Feelin, Pottsville. leg frac-
tured.
Mrs. Biltz. Ashland. Pa. both legs
broken.
HOW IT HAPPENED.
West Dunellen 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 Lehigh 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 sec
ond place to another accident that oc-
Cured at Bound Brook earlier in the
day.
The blood stained wreck of tangled
and twisted iron and wood that was still
on the railroad tracks bore witness to
the truth of the general verdict of rail-
road men that this was one of the worst
collisions in recent years.
A head-on collision on a double track
road was made possible only by a
Brook at 6 o'clock in the morning when
the axle of a freight car broke and nine
cars were piled on top of one another.
This completely blocked the eastbound
track and all through the morning Lee
high Valley trains bound for New York
switched from their own track to the
westbound track, going over these rails
from Bound Brook to Newmarket, a
distance of six miles, and changing at
the latter place to the right side of the
road. To permit this mode of traffic
all westbound trains were held at South
Plainfield until their own line was clear
of trains going in the opposite direc-
ton. Train No. 20, which left Shamo-
kin, Pa, at a. M, was so heavy with
human freight that 1t had to be broken
into three sections. The first two sec
lions arrived at Bound Brook, switched
over to the other track, switched back
at Newmarket, and reached New York
train was almost an hour late. Its seven
cars were crowded with four hundred
excursionists, most of them from Mount
Carmel, Shamokin, Hazelton, Ashland
and PottSville, Pa.
The party was travelling under the
auspices of the Business Mems excur-
sion. an annual event which many pat
ronize for three days visit to New
York. Not a few of the excursionists
were coming to witness the Mccoy
Sharkey fight. Their train switched
over at Bound Brook and proceeded like
the preceding sections on the westbound
track.
PERMISSION TO GO AHEAD.
Meanwhile there had been waiting at
Newmarket a local train that plies reg
ularly between New York and Bound
Brook 1t is due in Bound Brook at
going one track it was hour late. At
last the train dispatcher at South Plain
field gave it permission to go on. Just
before reaching West Dunellen, En-
cause he stops for passengers if there
are any. Martin Brennan, the signal
man, threw up his arms and waved
them, as il to say there were no paSSen-
headed around the curve, going at
about twenty-five miles an hour. There
were only four passengers on the local
In the cab of the excursion train was
James Prendergast, the engineer, with
his fireman, George Cheshire. They
saw the local as it started on the curve
With shrieking whistle and brakes
grinding sparks from the wheels, the
excursion train bore down to what
seemed certain destruction. The passen-
opened the windows, mothers snatched
their children in their arms; men start
ed from their seats, but before they
had time to find out what was the mat
-. l.