The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1899-01-12
HEAD ON CRASH.
Fearful Collision on the Lehigh
Valley at Dunnellen, N j.
THIRTEEN PASSENGERSDE
And Thirty-four Were Injured,
Some Of Them Fatally.
THIRTEEN PASSENGERS DEAD
PENNSYLVANIA EXCURsIoNIsTs

The Train on Which the Fatalities Occur.
red Was Crowded With Residents of the
Schuylkill Valley Who Were En- Route
to New York on Three Days Pleasure
Tour-Ths Accident Was Caused by q
Mistake in Orders, For Which the Train
Crews Were Not Responsible.
Bound Brook. N. j.. Jan. 10.-By q
head on collision between two passen-
gers trains Of the Lehigh Valley rail-
road at West Dunnellen yesterday IL
persons were killed and over rs were
injured.
West Dunnellen Is three miles from
Bound Brook and about 80 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 Sec
ond place to another accident that oc-
Cured at Bound Brook earlier In the
day. The scenes which accompanied
the collision. the suffering Of the In.
jured and the panic that reigned among
the 400 passengers were well nigh in.
describable. The blood stained wreck
Of tangled and twisted iron and wooC
bore witness to the truth of the gen.
eral verdict Of railroad men that thi.
was one of the worst collisions In re.
cent years.
Freight Wreck I,rd to Greater wrecl
A head on collision on q double
track road was made possible only by {
freight wreck which occurred at Bount
Brook at O'Clock In the morning
when the axle Of a freight car broke
and nine cars were piled on top Of eact
other. This completely blocked tn,
east bound track, and all Lehigh Val
ley trains bound for New York switch
ed from their own track to the wesi
bound track going over these rail-
from Bound Brook to Newmarket, q
distance Of six miles. and changing n
the latter place back to their right sid,
of the road. To permit this mode d
traffic all west bound trains were heh
at South Plainfieid until their owl
line was clear Of trains going In the CD
iposite direction.
Train No. 20, which left ShamOlIin n
Pa, at z n. m. was SO heavy with hu
man freight that It had to be broker
into three sections. The first section.
arrived at Bound Brook. switched oyel
to the other track, switched back al
Newmarket and reached New York IL
safety. The third section Of this trair
was almost an hour late. Its seven
cars we're crowed with 400 excursion.
lists. most Of them from Mount Carmel
and Shamokin, Mahanoy City Halle.
ton. Ashland and Pottsville, Pa. The
party was travelling under the auspices
Of the Business Mems excursion, an
annual event which many patronize
for three days visit to New York
Not few Of the excursionists were 60
ing to witness the Mccoy -Sharkey
fight. 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 local train mo ~ that
plies regularly between New York and
Bound Brook. Owing to the traffic all
going on one track 1t was almost an
hour late At last the train dispatcher
at South Plainfield gave it permission
to go. Just before reaching West Dun
nel!en Engineer Rick slowed his train
down, because he stops for passengers.
II 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 Is miles an hour. There were
only four passengers on the local
Plunging Forward TO Death.
In the cab Of the excursion train was
James Prendergast, the engineer, with
his fireman, George Cheshire. They
saw the local as 1t 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 pas
sengers, alarmed at the continued
whistle. opened the windows, mothers
snatched their children in their arms
men started from their seats, but be.
fore 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 pilotless,
for both crews had jumped. came to-
gether with an awful crash. The OK.
cursion train was probably going at
about Is miles an hour. The local
engine, as If tripped in It's faster flight.
turned complete somersault and came
crashing down beside its now demol-
ishsd obstruction. But it's career was
not ended before 1t had jammed the
tender Of the excursion train almost
from one end to the other Of the first
car from Shamokin. The tender stop
ped few seats from the rear door.
The car, or what was left Of 1t, rolled