The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-03-02
CRASR0N A
RAILROAD.
A Remarkable Accident on the Lehigh
valley Railroad.
CAUSED BY A RUNAWAY CAR
The Breaking of a Coupling Started a
Loaded Gondola That Ran Unrestrained
From Delano to This Town, and
Then collided with
Locomotive.

One Of the most remarkable accidents in
the railway annals Of this region occurred on
the Lehigh Valley Railway last night, and it
seems miraculous that although the lives of
four men were placed in great jeopardy. not
one sustained injury of a serious nature.
The case was one in which a large car. one
Of the kind called gondolas, loaded with
buckwheat coal sped uurestrined for a dis
tance Of nine miles and, when at the height
of speed, collided with locomotive.
An engine was shifting cars in the yard at
Delano and was pulling several cars east
wardly, when the compiling of the rear car,
the gondola referred to, broke aud the grade
started the car at rapid speed ia westerly
direction. The car attained a great speed
1t passed over the high, or uorthery, route
to this town. 1t is remarkable that the car
did not jump from the track in its long
breakneck journey. Near the limerick
street crossing there is Wharton switch It
was turned to throw train on to the east
bound track. The runaway car struck this
switch with such force that il reversed its
position. aud yet the car remained on the
rails. George Brill, the assistant division
superintendent, and Station Agent Densler
stood on the depot platform when the car
shot past them. Both say that they never
before saw car run at such speed as that
one did They say that if a car ever ran alta
speed Of so miles an hour that cne did
Engine No. 5s7 was shifting freight cars at
White street and was on the main line. near
the Lakeside Railway bridge, when the runa-
way car struck. The crash caused a report
like the roar Of heavy cannon The col
| lision was an awful one. The engine was
buried midway into the ear. The coal with
which the latter was loaded was scattered a
distance of 120 feet, by actual measurement.
and thrown to such height that some of it
covered the girders of the electric railway
bridge.
! 1t is surprising to a remarkable degree that
the crew Of the freight train escaped injury.
Conductor James Ford said he could not un-
derstand how all escaped injury. John
Long, the engineer, and William Trout. the
| fireman, were in the cab Of the engine.
They were caught by the shower of coal
Long escaped injury Trout had his hands
cut by flying glass and the coal. and his
| right arm was strained He was injured
otherwise. Had the coal been of larger size
the two men would have been badly injured,
II not killed. A man crossing the tracks
passed the pilot OF the engine but moment
before the CRASH occurred.
| The engine was ruined Strange to saw.
its wheels, and the rear truck of the gondola
remained on the track. Engine No. 81 was
sent down from Delano to take away the
freight train, which was bound for Lehigh-
ton, and wreck crew removed the wrecked
engine and gOndola.
Engineer Long said last night: II never
before had such an experience or a more
narrow escape from death. The shock was
tremendous, and don't see how we escaped
death, The fireman and I had our backs
turned to the east. looking at the cars we
were shifting, We didn't see the car comeing
The crash came unexpectedly. l can't tel!
how felt. / don't want any more ex-
periences of that kind"