Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-13
TWENTY-EIGHT DEAD
Result of Railroad Accident at
Exeter, Pa, Last Night.
As MANY MORE BADLY INJURED
Heavily Loaded Excursion Train
Crashes Into Express Ahead.
ENGINEER PASSED SIGNALS


READING, Pa, May 13.-Daylight today
revealed last nights accident on the Phila-
delphia and Reading railway at Exeter as
one OF the most disastrous In the history OF
the company. The number Of killed is at
least twenty-eight. The following dead
We're taken to Pottsville:
Frank d. Shaner OF Norristown: ex-Post-
master George w Schall Norristown. aged
sixty years Captain S. T. Street. l53 North
22d street. Philadelphia; Miss Annie Nc
Craw of Ashland.
Other fatalities were:
Harry Hunchberger, Gulf Mills.
Frank Sewers Norristown.
George II. Anders, deputy county treas
urer, Norristown.
Samuel Batty. Conshohocken.
c. l.. Laverty. Harrisburg.
Hiram Shelly, Hatboro'.
Lucien J. Custer Pottstown
Thomas Lees. Bridgeport
William Cramm. Norristown.
-- Holmes, a thirteen year-uld boy
Two men unidentified, badly mangled.
- Taylor, residence unknown
Man not identified forty years old, both
legs cut of
Another supposed to be c H Hartman,
probable residence Philadelphia
John johnson, Mount Carmel.
Another supposed to be Lewis Fisher.
residence unknown.
William Stahler, Norristown. body terri
bly, mutilated
Another body of a man wearing a ring
with initials III. L. II"
Another body believed to be William NJ.
Keen. NorriStown.
Captain George II. Coulston, Norristown.
died at . O'Clock this morning.
The Injured
The injured are:
George Holmes, Norristown. aged fifty
seven years; fracture of left knee and body
badly lacerated. His leg was amputated
here this morning
H T. Johnston Of Philadelphia: two deep
cuts In the scalp. He had his injuries dress
ed at Pottstown.
The following injured were taken to
Pottstown:
Edward Smith, Norristown.
Charles White. Norristown
Nathan O'Neil. Norristown
John Johnson, Mont Claire
Robert Brierly, 1723 Marshall street,
Pottstown.
Patsey Kern. Norristown.
Paschal Walters Swedeland
Henry F. Leister. Phoenixville.
l.. b. VanderSlice PhOenixyille
Thaddeus S. Adle, Norristown
Charles Maths, Conshohocken.
Lucian Custer, Pottstown.
Harry Kautz. Norristown.
Harry Jacobs. Norristown
Special Officer Kirkpatrick of Philadel-
phia.
The following are at the Reading Hospi-
tai:
T. H. Adle, leg broken and cut about face.
Montgomery Hose Company.
David Carney. Norristown: arm fractured
and jaw broken; Montgomery Hose Com
pany.
William Frleden, Norristown: leg frac-
tured, heat cut and hurt about chest.
Benjamin Silvis. Reading: hurt about
chest and limbs and internally; very seri-
George w. Lewis, 1923 Willow street Nor
ristown; hurt about limbs: 51st Regiment
A J. Ashenfelder. Norristown; hurt on
chest; 5lst Regiment.
George Holmes, Norristown; injured about
head and face.
Harry Stauffer. Norristown: injured about
chest and legs ana face acerated.
How the Disaster Occurred
Fast express train No II, which ordina-
rily runs through from Reading to Potts
town without stop, was held up at Exeter
by coal train, which was using the cross
over switch there
While standing there awaiting orders a
special through train, running from Harris
burg to Philadelphia on account of Hart
ranft day, and laden with excursionists.
came along and crashed into the rear cars
OF No. y, wrecking two day coaches and a
Pullman, and crushing the lives out Of
many OF their occupants. The special was
running as second section of No. u, al
lowing the latter about a minutes head
way, and the engineer, ii is presumed did
not see the red light which was displayed
at the Exeter station while giving orders to
No l..
At any rate the great engine came along
under full head of steam, and with the ter
rifle momentum which the weight of a
heavily laden train hebind
ally impart, and crushed into the waiting
train The rear day coach, the Pullman
ahead and the day coach forward OF the
Pullman were reduced to splinters.
Two Coaches Escaped.
The day coach behind the smoker and the
smoker itself escaped comparatively unin-
jured, and were later brought down the
road and run into Philadelphia.
The engine and these two cars with sew
eral baggage cars, constituting what was
left of No. L, were brought to this city,
On them were a number of people who were
slightly injured.
Some of the dead and wounded were
taken to Norristown on a special train sent
down from Reading for that purpose.
Excellent service was rendered by the
members of Company f, Pennsylvania Ma
tional Guard, Of Norristown, in assisting
the nurses sent from the Reading Hospital.
A signal man should have displayed the
red and green signal for the special, but II
Is said he failed to do so. whether ON az
count of the signal failing to work or not
is not known.
While the express was standing on the
II racks the crowded special came laundering
along. On account of a curve the engineer
Of the special could not see the train stand
ing on the tracks ahead of him until too
late. The special tore into the express with
q crash and shrieks of agony soon filed
the air.
The railroad at the scene of the accident
runs over hollow, and the embankment
on which the tracks lie is about fifty feet
high. Several passengers were hurled 10
the bottom of the embankment but the
cars all remained on the rosdbed.
Dead strewn in Heaps.
The dead and wounded were strewn In
heaps in the debris of the two cars Little
lanaNe hnue,er to H. nf