The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-16
~FRARFUL RAILWAY WRECK


~TOVE0e0 F00ee09ef Train TcIcs
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES or More Per.
sons Killed and Many More oupded
Reading, Pa, May 12.-Shortly be
fore 10 o'clock tonight a collision OF
passenger trains occurred on the Phila-
delphia and Reading railroad at Exc
ter station, six miles below Reading.
A number Of persons are reported
killed.
/. Philadelphia, May 13.-The Potts
vile express. which was run into at
Exeter, arrived here after midnight with
four of the injured
The passengers could give no connect
ed story of the wreck, and the number
OF dead and injured was not known to
any OF them. 1t was generally believed
that six passengers were killed.
Reading, Pa May 12.-At midnight
the railroad officials here had received
no information as to the number OF
killed and injured. or any list OF the
names.
Shortly before midnight a train bear
ing nurses and doctors was sent to the
scene OF the wreck. Exeter Is a flag
station and has no telephone communi-
cation 1t is stated that the passengers
on the second train were mostly from
Norristown and several from that
borough were killed and many injured.
The number of dead is fully twenty
five and he injured fifty. The first train
ploughed through three ears of the for
ward train, completely wrecking them.
Eight dead were brought here at /
ff-a ~ Ahn
debris. A train load of wounded were
brought to the hospitals here. The rail-
road officials offer no explanation OF
the accident.
Returning passengers at 1:30 o'clock
a. m. say the scenes around the wreck
are of the most fearful description.
Philadelphia, May 12.-United States
Senator Boies Penrose, and General K.
Burd Grubb were passengers in the
Pullman car of the wrecked train. The
rear end OF the car in which they were
riding was crushed and the two gentle
men, though badly shaken up are unin-
jured. Senator Penrose did not know
how many of the passengers il the
rear cars were killed or injured.
Reading, Pa, May 12.-There is no
telegraph office at Exeter and details,
therefore, are difficult to obtain at this
writing. The number of killed is va
riously stated to be from fifteen to
twenty-five. Fully fifty others are in
jured.
The regular express train from Potts
vile for Philadelphia connected at the
station in Reading with a train from
Harrisburg, which was crowded with
excursionists who had been to the state
~~sA - To- IN
connection with the unwilling OF the
Hartranft monument. Many of the
Harrisburg passengers at Reading vent
aboard the Philadelphia express. blu it
being found all could not be accommo-
dater it was decided to end an extra
train to Philadelphia, to run as the Sec
ond section of the express. The extra
train left twenty minutes later than the
express. At Exeter the express stop
ped for orders and while standing still
the extra train crashed into 1t while
moving at great speed
Three of the rear cars of the express
were telesc ped and the first car of the
extra train was also wrecked. The pas
sengers in these airs were terribly
mangled. many being killed outright,
while Others had limbs and bodies
manned. Word was at once sent to
Reading and a special train with ply
. sicians and nurses was sent to the
scenes as quickly as it could possibly be
put in readiness.
Reading, May ID 3 a. m.-The second
relief train left Exeter at ESQ o'clock
a. m. 1t brought to Reading twenty
additional bodies. The names not yet
known. Most of the seriously injured
were brought here by the first relief
train. The rest Of the injured were
takn to Pottstown and Norristown.
The north bound track has been
cleared and the first train through to
this city from Philadelphia was the
Buffalo express which left Philadelphia
at 1875 o'clock p. m.