Smyrna times., 1900-06-06
FEARFUL WRECK NEAR DOVER
OVER $4,000, THE ESTIMATED LOSS TO
DELAWARE RAILROAD COMPANY.
One Man Killed, Four Injured and S0,6OO.OO
Worth of Strawberries DestrOyed-A
Scene of Great Confusion.

Scene of Great Confusion.
One man was killed and four were
injured Saturday night in a freight
wreck at Peterson's Curve, near Dover.
The dead man is James Golden, alias
Thomas Ryan, of Washington, d. G.
The injured are:
Joseph Bartlett, engineer, of Will
mington, Del, may die from his in
iuries.
Bartholomew Hussey, of Washing
ton, D. c., leg broken.
George Simon, of Newark, N. j.,
shoulder and arm badly hurt.
Benjamin Smith, fireman, badly
cut.
One of the trains was on siding
when the other train came along at the
rate of 40 miles an hour, crashing into
the standing cars. About eight cars
were telescoped.
Thus far the only plausible cause
given for the collision is the great speed
of the train rounding the curve.
Owing to the heavy berry and produce
shipments the Delaware Railroad is
extremely busy at present. Conductor
Warfield's train, known as d. 4, had
been shifting about Dover, and as is
required, Flagman James Hill retired
a sufficient distance to warn any on
coming train that might enter the
block. Flagman Hill had just been
called from his outpost and his train
was getting under headway northward,
when another freight appeared on Pc
terson's Curve, about one-fourth of a
mile below the station. This train
was in charge of Conductor Fleming,
and was known as ID. 6. Gliding over
the rails at the speed of an express
train, the brakes Immediately were
clapped on the wheels by Engineer
Bartlett, but it was too late, and D. 6
train smashed fearfully into the slowly
moving train ahead. d. had in
creased her speed to make a siding,
because Norfolk express No. "a was
gain momentum to pull up the grade
beyond the curve.
Engineer Bartlett remained at his
post when his locomotive plunged into
the car ahead A scene of chaos fol-
lowed. The caboose and eight cars
were lifted like logs into the air and
piled in great heap, more than thirty
feet in height. The locomotive was
bent and twisted and emitted steam
and fire, which also ignited the wreck
age. Trainmen and other persons
about the station Immediately sent out
an alarm, and then turned into to as
sist the men pinioned in the wreckage
J. B. Book came from Clayton with
wreck crews to aid the party here.
Several hours were required to clear
the system. But one track pass es
through Dover, and it was opened in
time to prevent much delay to the pas
senger traffic.
Eighty thousand dollars is now the
estimate of loss to the Delaware Rail
road Company from the wreck. A To-
comotive, three refrigerator cars laden
with strawberries and three air-b brake
freight cars, also full of berries, and a
caboose, we're demolished. The six
cars alone contained $4,000 worth OF
strawberries, which were either dam
aged by the collision or ruined when
the wreck took fire.
The wreck was the cause of another
death Sunday. Mrs. Elizabeth Dan
iels, of Dover, drove to the wreck and
while viewing the exciting scene, she
was seen to fall over against the side OF
her carriage. Mrs. Daniels was re-
moved to a house. DR.. Clements
found that she had died from heart di-
sease, superinduced by excitement.