Connecticut western news., 1899-01-12
THE LEHIGH WRECK.
SCORE OF LIVES LOST BY MISTAKE
 IN TRAIN ORDERS.
Failure 10 Hold West Bound Train at south PIAinaeid, N. J., Makes IL Meet the H.seIton Special st West DunelIen Station.

I Nineteen people were Killed ana 70 injured in a head on collision on the Lehlgh Valley railroad at West Dunel- len. N. J.. Monday afternoon. The dead are:
 A. Allgaier, 45 years old. of Mount | Carmel. Pa
 Jacob Heller Mount Carmel, Pa W. H. Hinkle, Mount Carmel, Pa. John F. Jarvis, Mount Carmel, Pa George Josephs, IT years old, Shamo- kin. Pa
 Mary schminkey. IS years old, shamo- kin, Pa. who was eloping with George Josephs.
 Abner s. Kaiser. carpet cleaner. Potts | ville, Pa.
 -. Keenan. Mount Carmel. Theodore Kohan or Theodore Steckler | of 252 Vine street. Shamokin. Pa He had papers bearing both names. W. H. Leader, 24 years old, Mount | Carmel
 W. H. Merixle. Shamokin. Pa: assist ant foreman Shamokin Daily Dispatch. Mrs. c. Parish. 60 years old. Shenan- | doah, Pa.
 Frank Rybecki. Mount Carmel, Pa. R. weikel. Shamokin. Pa. H. E. welkel, Mount Carmel, Pa, artist
 Unidentified woman about 30 years old, dark hair, apparently of Slavonic descent, plaid dress, striped calico un- derskirt.
 Unidentified man about 50 years old tall, weighed about 200 pounds, blue | eyes, sandy mustache. brown coat, gray trousers and waistcoat, initial I'll" on handkerchief.
 West Dunellen is three miles from | Bound Brook and about 30 miles from New York city. At the spot where the disaster occurred there is a 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 second place to another accident that occurred at Bound Brook earlier in the day. The scenes which accompanied the collision. the sufferings of the injured and the panic that reigned among the zoo passengers were well nigh indescribable. The blood stained wreck of tangled and twisted iron and wood that was still on the railroad tracks last night bore witness to the truth of the general verdict of railroad men that this was one of the worst collisions in recent years. A freight wreck Monday morning had completely blocked the east bound track. and all Lehish Valley trains bound for New York switched from their own track to the west bound track, going over these rails from Bound Brook to Newmarket, a distance of six miles. and changing at the lat- ter place back to their right side of the 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 op- posite direction.
 Train No. 20 which left shamokin, Pa, at 2 a. m., was so heavy that 1t had to be broken into three sections. The first two sections arrived at Bound Brook, switched over to the other track switched back at Newmarket and reach ed New York in safety. The third sec ton of this train was almost an hour late. It's seven cars were crowded with 400 excursionists. most of them from Mount Carmel, Shamokln, Mahoney City, Hazelton. Ashland and Pottsville, Pa. The party was travelling under the auspices of the business mems excur- sion, an annual affair which many pat ronize for a three days visit to New York. Their train switched over at Bound Brook and proceeded. like the preceding sections. on the west bound track.
 Meanwhile there had been waiting at Newmarket a local train that runs reg ularly between New York and Bound Brook. It's number on the schedule Is n, and it was due in Bound Brook at 11:b a. m. 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 20. Just before reaching West Dunellen Engineer Rick slowed his train down because he stops for passengers if there are any. Martin Brennan. the slxnalman, threw up his arms and waved them as if to say there were no passengers. SO the local put on steam and headed round the curve, going at about 25 miles an hour. There were only passengers on the local.
 In the cab of the excursion train was James Prendergsst. engineer. with his fireman. George Cheshire. They saw the approaching local and tried to stop. The passengers. alarmed at the continued whistle. 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 out right. The two engines. now piiotlsss, for both crews had jumped. came to- gether with an awful crash. The ex- cursion was probably going at about 1T miles an hour The local engine turned a complete somerssult and came crash Ing down beside its now demolished ob- struction. It jammed the tender of the excursion, train almost from one end to the other of the first car from Shamo- kin. The tender stopped a few seats from the rear door. The car, or what was left of 1t. rolled over. carrying with 1t the imbedded tender, the fragments of a dozen bodies and the imprisoned wounded. who had been carried with the jagged iron on its relentless course through the coach.
 It was in this first car of the excur- sion train that all the deaths and most of the casualties occurred. The other cars. though their occupants were badly shaken staid on the track. The bag gaze car in the front of the local train was rather smashed up. but with the exception of the two engines and the first car of the excursion train none was so badly impaired that it could not be hauled of.
 From Dunellen, Bound Brook and other places doctors were quickly sum moned. They came over the Central Railroad of New Jersey. whose tracks run parallel with the Lehigh at this point about 400 yards distant. Relief and wrecking trains were quickly on hand. AS the dead were pulled out of the demolished car they wore put in the rear cars of the excursion train and taken to Bound Brook, where a cor onsr's Inquest was held that night
 Harry Rutland was the operator at South Piainfeld, and 1t was he who rave the signal for the local to proceed. Rutland stated Tuesday that he re- ceived no orders to hold the train. and as the track ahead was supposed Co be clear he allowed the train to go up on the single track.
 The company is making a secret in- vestigation. It has suspended J, A. Sul- iIvan. the chief train dispatcher at Eas-