Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-05-18
A Frightful Disaster on the
Reading Railroad,
A TRAIN is TELESCOPED.
At Least 25 People Killed and
Probably so Injured.
OCCURRED AT EXETER, PA.
An Excursion Train Returning from
Harrisburg Crashes Into an Express
Train and an Appalling Scene Fol-
Iows-A Partial List of the Dead.


Reading. Pa, May 13.-Shortly be-
fore 10 o'clock last night a collision
of passenger trains occurred on the
Philadelphia & Reading at Exeter sta
ton, six miles below Reading. The
express train which should have left
here at $50 p. m for Philadelphia was
behind time in leaving and stopped at
Exeter for orders. special train
from Harrisburg bearing eNcursicnists
who had attended the Hartranft mOnu-
ment unveilng at the capital left here
20 minutes later than the express train
and at Exeter, while proceeding at
rapid speed, crashed into the express.
Several ears of the express train were
wrecked.
The number of dead is fully 25 and
The injured 80. The last train plowed
through three cars of the forward
train. completely wrecking them. Eight
dead were brought here at ! a. m. y
score are under the debris. \ train
load of wounded were brought to the
hospftaIs here Great excitement pre-
walls throughout the city. The rail
road officials offer no explanation of
the accident. The coroner will mstl-
tute an investigation at once. Return
ING passengers say the scenes around
the wreck are of the most fearful de-
scription.
The second relief train left Exeter at
$50 a. m II brought to Reading 20
additional bodies. The names are not
vet known. Most of the seriously in
iured were taken to Pottstown and
Norristown.
The identified killed are:
n o. Leaf Montgomery county.
William Staler, Norristown. i
George Shaw, Norristown.
John Slingluff. NorristOwn. .
John Johnson, Mt. Clair.
William Lewis, Norristown.
Harry Hunchbinger Norrstown.
George Sewers. Norristown.
George H. Andis. Norrstown.
Harry Wentz, Norristown.
Samuel Batty, ConShocken.
Harry Thompson, Norristown.
Hiram Shelly, Hatboro.
Benton Silvis, Reading.
Philadelphia. May 13.-The Pottsville
express. which was run into at Exeter,
arrived here at midnight with a few Of
the injured. The passengers could give
no connected story of the wreck. Ac-
cording to the accounts of the passen-
gers the engine OF the second train
plOwed through the rear car of the first
train. then through the parlor car and
half way through the second car. The
rst car on the second train was also
felesaoped.
The railroad company made up a
special train at Reading and sent il 10
the scene Of the wreck with number
of physicians. All of the dead and
most of the injured were taken to Read
ing.
The railroad officials in this city can
give no details of the accident They
say they are ignorant of the number
of casualties.
Shortly before midnight a train bear
ing nurses and doctors was sent to the
scene of the wreck. Exeter is flag
station and has no telephone commu-
nication. 1t is stated that the pas
Scngers on the second train were most
" from Norristown.
Senator Penrose and f.. Il. Grubb
were passengers in the Pullman car of
the wrecked train. The rear end Of
the car in which they were riding was
crushed and the two gentlemen. though
badly shaken up, Were uniniured. Sen
ator Penrose did not know how many of
the passengers in the rear cars were
killed or injured, but said when the
train left the scene those needing at
tention were being cared for by ply
sicians and residents of the neighbor-
hood