The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-01-10

ond place to another accident that oc.
Cured at Bound Brook earlier in the
day. The scenes which accompanied
the collision. the suffering of the in.
jured and the panic that reigned among
the 400 passengers we're well nigh In.
describable The blood stained wreck
of tangled and twisted iron and wood
bore witness to the truth of the gen
eral verdict of railroad men that this
was one of the worst collisions in re-
cent years.
Freight Wreck Led to Greater wrecl,
A head on collision on a double
track road was made possible only by q
freight wreck which occurred at Bound
Brook at o'clock in the 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 Lehigh Val.
ley trains bound for New York switch
ed from their own track to the west
bound track, going over these rails
from Bound Brook to Newmarket, a
distance Of six miles, and changing at
the latter place back to their right side
of the road. To permit this mode OF
traffic all west bound trains were held
at South Plainfeld until their own
line was clear of trains going in the op.
posite direction.
Train No. 20, which left Shamokin,
Pa. at a. m, was so heavy with hui
man freight that it had to be broken
into three sections. The first sections
arrived at Bound Brook, switched over
to the other track, switched back at
Newmarket and reached New York in
safety. The third section of this train
was almost an hour late Its seven
cars were crowed with 400 excursion
lists, most of them from Mount Carmel
and Shamokin, Mahanoy City, Halle.
ton, Ashland and Pottsville, Pa The
party was travelling under the auspices
of the Business Mems excursion, an
annual event which many patronize
for three days visit to New York
Not a few of the excursionists were 60
ing 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 waiting at
Newmarket a local train mo. III that
plies regularly between New York and
Bound Brook. Owing to the traffic all
going on one track it was almost an
hour late. At last the train dispatcher
at South Plainfeld gave it permission
to go. Just before reaching West Dun
nellen Engineer Rick slowed his train
down, because he stops for passengers
If there are any. Martin Brennan, the
signal man, threw up his arms and
waved them, as if to say there were nc
passengers, so the local put on steam
and headed round the curve, going al
about 25 miles an hour There were
only four passengers on the local.
PlunginG Forward to Death.
In the cab of the excursion train wa,
James Prendergast, the engineer, with
his fireman, George Cheshire. They
saw the local as it started on the curve
With shrieking whistle and brakes
grinding sparks from the wheels the
excursion train bore down TO what
seemed certain destruction. The pas.
sengers, alarmed at the continued
whistle, opened the windows, mothers
snatched their children in their arms
men started from their seats. but be.
fore they had time to find out what wa
the matter they were hurled headlong
knocked senseless and many killed out
right. The two engines, now pilotless,
for both crews had jumped, came to-
gether with an awful crash. The ex-
cursion train was probably going at
about Is miles an hour The local
engine, as If tripped in its faster flight
turned complete somersault and came
crashing down beside it's now demol-
ished obstruction. But its career was
not ended before 1t had jammed the
tender Of the excursion train almost
from one end to the other of the first
car from Shamokin. The tender stop-
ped a few seats from the rear door
The car, or what was left of it, rolled
over, carrying with It the imbedded
tender, the fragments of dozen bodies
and the imprisoned wounded.
1t was in the first car of the excur.
sion train that all the deaths and most
Of the casualties occurred. The other
ears, though their occupants were bad
ly shaken, stayed on the track and
were In condition to be hauled off.
The baggage car in the front of the
local train was rather smashed up.
The engineers and firemen of both
trains jumped. Engineer Prendergast.
who weighs almost 300 pounds, jumped
too late, for he was caught under his
engine and for three hours lay pinion-
ed in frightful agony. When at last
huge crane lifted the iron off his body
he was found so badly injured that he
is expected to die. Engineer Rick, of
the local, was found on the tracks so
badly injured that little hope was en-
tertained Of his recovery Despite the
blood that flowed from his mouth Rick
gurgled out: Some one gave wrong
orders. I know how 1t happened, but
l can't speak now"
In this connection w. o. Sprigg, the
lQperintendent Of the Easton and Am
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