The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1899-01-14
Thirteen Persons Killed Outright
and Twenty-Five Injured on
the Lehigh Valley.
ACCIDENT DUE To A FREIGHT WRECK.
The Bound Track was Blocked
There was a Biunder In Train Dis
patchers' Orders, and the TRANS Met
at a Sharp Curve-An Eyewitness YER
sion of the Accident.

day, Is persons were killed and over
% were injured.
West Dunellen is three miles from
Bound Brook and about thirty 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 ac-
cident was due in the first place to
some terrible mistake in train orders
and in the second place to another ac-
cident hat occurred at Bound Brook
earlier in the day.
One of the Worst Collisions In Recent
Years.
The scenes which accompanied the
collision, the suffering of the injured
and the panic that reigned among the
400 passengers were wellnigh indie
scribable. The bloodstained 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 the railroad men
that this was one of the worst COLI
sions in recent years.
Why the Accident was Possible.
y head-on collision Oh Il double
track road was made possible only by
a freight wreck which occurred at
Bound Brook at six o'clock yesterday
morning. when the axle of a freight
car broke. and nine cars were piled on
top of each other. This completely
blocked the east-bound track. and all
through the morning Lehigh Valley
trains bound for New York switched
from their own track to the west
bound track. going over these rails
from Bound Brook to New Market. Il
distance of six miles. and changing at
the latter place back to their right
side of the road.
Two Sections of the Train Passed I'm Safely.
To permit this mode of traffic all
west-bound trains were held at South
Plainfield until their W line was
clear of trains going in the opposite
direction. Train 20, which left Sham
Okin. Pa. at : Il. M, was so heavy
with human freight hat il had to be
broken into three sections. The first
two sections arrived at Bound Brook.
switched over to the other track.
switched back at New Market and
reached New York in safety.
Under the Auspices Of the Business Mems
Excursion.
The third section of this train was
almost an hour late. Its seven cars
were crowded with 400 cxcursionists.
most of them from Mount Carmel and
Shamokin. Mahanoy City, IIazleton.
Ashland and POttsville. Pa. The party
was travelling under the auspices of
the disbursements excursion. an an
nual event which many patronize for
a three days visit to New York.
Going to Witness the McCoy-Sharkey
Fight.
Not n few of the eNcurSionistS were
going 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 wait
ing at New Market a local train that
plies regularly between New York and
Bound Brook. Its number on the
schedule is IL. and il is due at Bound
Brook at 1859 a. m. Owing to the
traffic all going on one track it was al
most an hour late. At last the train
dispatchers at South P~lainfield gave it
permission to go.
Put on Steam and Headed Around the
Curve.
Just before reaching West DunPllen.
Engineer Rick slowed his train down, |
because he stops for passengers if
there are any. Martin Brennan. the
signal man. threw mp his arms and
waved them. as If to say there were
no passengers. so the local put on
steam and headed round the curve.
were only four passengers on the To-
cal. |
ShriekIng Whistle and Brakes Grinding
Sparks from the Wheels.
In the cab of the excursion train was
James Prendergast. the engineer, |
with his fireman. George Cheshire. |
They saw the local as il started Oh the
curve. With shrieking whistle and
brakes grinding sparks from the |
wheels. the excursion train bore down
to what seemed certain destruction.
The passengers alarmed at the CON
tinued 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
headlOng, knocked senseless
and many killed outright. The two
engines. from which both crews had
jumped. came together with an awful
The excursion train was prob
ably going at about Is miles an hour.
Turned a Complete SomersauIt.
The local engine, as if tripped in its
faster fight. turned Il complete somer-
and came crashing down beside
its now demolished obstruction. But
its career was not ended before it had
damned the tender of the excursion
train almost from one end to the other
of the first car from Shamokin. The
tender stopped a few seats from :he
rear door. The car. or what was left
of it. rolled over, carrying with it the
tender, the fragments of a
dozen bodies and the imprisoned
wounded, who had been carried with