Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-05-20
EXETER HORROR
Twcnty-nine Killed in an Awful
Railroad Crash.
A REAR END COLLISION.
Excursion Train From Harrisburg Crash
cd Into Express.
A REAR END COLLISION.
CAR COMPLETELY TELESCOPBD.

teen Wore Residents of NorrlStowu,
Willie rhrrc Moro Residents of That
Guy Arc Lying ut the Poiut OF Death.
Accident tho Result of somebody's
Blundcr. and the Coroner VIII Con-
ductn Rigid Iuvcstir cation in nu En-
deuvor to Place the Responsibilities.
Reading. Pa. May 15.-Shortly before
10 o'clock last Friday night a collision
of passenger trains occurred on the
Philadelphia and Reading railway at
Exeter Station. six miles below Read
ing The express train which should
have left here 1T $50 p. m. for Phila-
delphia was behind schedule time in
leaving, and stopped at Exeter for or
ders. A special train from Harris
burg. bearing eXcursionists who had
attended the Hartranft monument I'M
yelling al the capital. left here 20
minutes later than the express train,
and at Exeter. while proceeding at a
rapid speed crashed into the express.
The engineer of the express train
WAS Dan Wildermuth. of ConShohock-
Ell. and Fireman John Kcmmerer In
the cab of the excursion trains loco
motive wore Engineer Harry Orrell,
of Philadelphia. and Fireman Everett.
Both escaped death by jumping. and
Everett declares that Orrell jumped
but IN instant before the crash.
The work of rescue WAS proceeded
with prom ply by the train crews. po-
llcelnen and soldiers who were re-
turning from the Harrisburg parade.
but the work was very slow.
For. opposed toandresistine the fren-
zied efforts OF TIE reScuerS. ton after
ton of WEIGHT was piled one on the
other ana welded one with the other
by being hurled through space at the
rake of so miles an hour. The mon
ster WoottcY locomotive had plowed
through the two day coaches in the
rear OF the express. completely tele-
scoping them. and had then leaped
with terrific energy, on top of the
Pullman rarlor car the Orpheus. com.
plctely SCATTERING the latter. and send
ing a rain of splinterS over all.
Under this great mass were pinioned
many of the passengers. and under the
debris al the first three coaches OF the
special were other passengers. for
special were other passengers. for.
their momentum. suddenly stopped by
the resistance offered the locomotive,
these coaches were literally shivered
into chunks and splinters.
The other coaches of this train es-
capped, as did also that portion of the
express ahead OF the Pullman. This
car evidently had acted as a sort OF
buffer for the coaches ahead. and so
the occupants escaped with only Sc
we're shaking up.
Thus. ever toiling TO remove this
weight and get at the men underneath,
the rescuerS wore away the night. The
engine. diSmantled Of all appurte-
nances. was lifted from the Pullman at
midnight, and then the cars were jack
ed up and the victims were got at more
rapidly AS fast as the bleeding, life
less ard all but lifeless bodies were re-
leased from the tons of weight upon
them they were carried by tender
hands to the Exeter Station hotel, and
placed on the porch and inside.
One of the most pathetic incidents
at the wreck occurred when w. E.
Holmes. OF Norristown, was taken
from the debris AS soon as he could
gain power of speech he gasped: My
boy. where is he? Where is my boy?"
No one had the heart to tell the father
that George had been removed from near
his side corpse horribly mutilated.
And so through the hours there arose
the unanswered moan: My boy, my
little George, where is he?'
The total number OF dead as
result of the collision reached 20
yesterday. William D. Jenkins, of Nor
ristown. dying at the Charity hospital
at Norristown.
Norristown suffered the most Sc
verely by the disaster. Is of the dead
having lived in that city They are:
William Stahler druggist; William
Camm. retired; Colonel George Schall,
retired; John Slinghuff. chief of fire
department; William H. Lewis pro-
duce dealer; +. D. Sewers. proprietor
of book store; Harry C.. Wentz, real
estate dealer; Charles H. White, real
estate dealer; John Kuntz milk deal
or; Henry J. Coulson, iron worker;
Joseph Taylor, colored porter Harry
Thompson. Waterman; Samuel Nc
earthly. contractor; Isaac NJ. Fillman,
fireman; Norman Holmes, aged 8;
William d. Jenkins, labOrer.
The other Is victims We're: Lucien j.
Custer. aged 20, and Daniel H. Yoder
40 both of Pottstown; Jacob ". Mark
ley, Philadelphia; John Johnson, Mt
Carmel, Pa: H. c. Hartford. Philadel-
phia Captain Charles Leaf, Fort
4, DO
Conshohocken, Pa; C. l.. Laverty,
Harrisburg; E. E. Shelley, Hatboro,
Pa; c. H. Powell, Phoenixville, Pa;
Michael Lawn. 81, Germantown; Cap
tain c. w. Eicholtz, DowEingtown, Pa;
Samuel w Reatty Conshohocken.
At least 10000 persons visited the
scene of the wreck yesterday. They
came from places 20 and 80 miles dis
tant. Railroad trains brought crowds,
others came by carriages and bicycles,
and hundreds came on foot. Relic
hunters kept the police busy. Almost
everybody was bent on carrying away
some kind of memento Many of the
people did not hesitate to take away
with them pieces of wood thoroughly
saturated with human blood. Every
IS bespattered with blood. and the sight
was Il srue3Ome one.
Exeter. where the catastrophe oc-
Cured consists principally Of dimin-
utive. boxlike railroad station, two
story brick hotel ard Il distillery. Incl
dcntally, q few dwelling houses are
scattered here and there. The hamlet
could not muster more than so inhabi-
tants. The scenery at this point is eX-
tremely picturesque.
Accident probably Caused by Mis-
take AZ TO signals.
Reading. Pa. May 16.-Coroner
Rothermcl last night announced his
intention of beginning the inquiry into
the cause of the wreck on the Philadel-
phia and Reading railway at Exeter on
Monday next. He spent the greater
portion of yesterday in Philadelphia
rr;tpoccoc and making