The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-01-13
Fearful Loss of Life Caused by Two Collisions
of Passenger Trains.
MISUNDERSTANDING OF ORDERS
Brings Two Trains Together With Disastrous Results on the Lehi9h
Valley Road-Thirtecn Passengers Killed and Many Wounded.
Tender Flows Clear Through a Car Filled With People.
Horrible Sight Witnessed by the Rescuers-Heroic
Conduct of a Mortaly Wounded Man-Four
Persons Killed or the Union Pacific.

New York, January s.-By a head-on
collision between two passenger trains
on the Lehigh Valley railroad at West
Dunnell. N. j.. a 12:47 o'clock p. M,
thirteen persons were killed and over
twenty-five injured.
West Dunnell is three miles from
Bound Brook and about thirty miles
from New York city. At the spot
where the disaster occurred there is e
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
accident that occurred at Bound Brook
early in the day. The scene which ac-
companied the collision, the sufferings
Of the injured and the panic that reign
ed among the 400 passengers were we'll
nigh indescribable. The blood stained
wreck of tangled and twisted iron and
wood was still on the railroad tracks
tonight n bore witness to the truth
that this was one of the worst COLI
sions in recent years.
A head-on collision on a double track
o was made possible only by a
freight wreck which occurred at Bound
Brook at 6 o'clock this morning when
the axle of a freight car broke and
nine cars were piled on top of each
other. T'ris completely blocked the east
bound tfack, and all through the morn
ing Lehigh Valley aims bound Cor
New York switched from their own
rack to the w~estbound track, going
over these rails from Bound Brook to
New Market, a distance of six miles
and changing at the latter place back
to their right side of the road. To per-
init this mode of traffic, all ~westbound
trains were held at South Plainfield
until their own line was clear of ain
going in the opposite direction.
Train No. 20, which left Shamokin,
Pa, at z o'clock a. m, was so heavy
with human freight that it had to be
broken into three sections. The first
two sections arrived at Bound Brook,
switched over to the other track,
switch ed back at New Market and
reached New Yor in safety. The third
section of this train was almost an
hour late. Its several ars were crowd
ed with 400 excursionists, most of
them from Mount Carmel n Shamo-
kin, Mahony City, Hazleton, Ashland
and P~ottsville, Pennsylvania. The par
ty was travelling under the auspices
Of the business mems excursion, an an
nual event which many patronize for
a three days trip to New York. Not
a few of the excursionists were COM
ing to witness the McKoy-Sharkey
fight. Their train switched over at
Bound Brook and proceeded, like the
preceding sections, On the westbound
track. Meanwhile there had been wait
ing at New Market a local train that
plies regularly between New York and
Bound roo Its number on the
schedule is II and it was due in Bound
Brook at 11:59 o'clock a. m. Owing to
the traffic all going on this track it
was almost an hour late. The train
dispatcher at South Plainfield gave it
permission to go. Just before reach
ing West Dunellen, Engineer Rick
slowed his train down, for stops for
passengers If there were any. Martin
Brennan, the signal man. threw up his
arms and waved them, as If to say
there were no passengers: so the local
put on steam and hurled round the
curve going at about twenty-five miles
an hour. There were only four passen-
gers on the local.
In the cab of the excursion was
James ~Prendergast, the engineer, with
his fireman, George Cheshire. They
say the local as it started on the curve.
With whistle and brakes grinding
sparks from the wheels the excursion
train bore down to what seemed GER
tain destruction. The passengers,
alarmed at the continued whistle, open
ed windows, mothers snatched their
children in their arms, men started
from their seats, but before they had
time to inc out what was the matter
they were hurled headlong, Knocked
senseless and many killed outright.
The two engines, from which both
crews had jumped, came together with
an awful crash. The excursion train
was probably going at about fifteen
miles an hour. The local engine, as IL
tripped in it's faster flight, turned a
complete somersault and came rash
ing down beside its now demolished
obstruction. But it's career was not
ended before it had damned the ten
der of the excursion train almost from
one end to the other of the first car
from Shamokin. The tender stopped a
| few seats from the rear door. The car.
or what was left Of IL, rolled over,
CARRYING with il the imbedded tender.
| the fragments Of a dozen bodies and
the wounded.
1t was i'm the first car Of the excur-
sion that all the deaths and most OF
| the casualties occurred. The other cars,
| though their occupants were badi
| shaken, stayed On the rack n were
in a condition to- be hauled off.
From Dunnell, Bound Brook and
] other places doctors were quickly sum.
moned. Relief and wrecking trains
were quickly on hand. AS the dead
we're pulled out OF the demolished cal
they were put in the rear cars of the
excursion train and taken 10
Brook. The injured were put
ears OF the local train.
Engineer Prendergast, WI
l ,lr,aCf 2nn paundG iump
and for three hoYf
frightful agony.
crane lifted I
was found so
expected to
f1icted upon
have been