Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-09-13
THIRTEEN KILLED.
A FrightfuI Disaster on the Road
ing Railroad.
A Train Heavily Loaded with ExcnY-
sionists Crashes Into n MIX Train
Standing at Hatfield station
Thirty Persons Injured,
Some Fatally.

Philadelphia, Sept. a. Thirteen
persons killed and 20 others injured,
is the appalling record of rear end
collision between an excursion train
and milk train on the bethlehem
branch of the Philadelphia ~ Read
ing railway Sunday morning NJ Hat
field, Pa. - miles north of this city.
The killed are:
Miss Annie Sherry, aged p years,
South Bethlehem.
Robert Miller, 81, South Bethle-
hem.
Richard Bachman, 40, South Beth
lehem.
Ira Ehret. 20, South Bethlehem.
William Ehret, %, brother of Ira,
South bethlehem.
Joseph Mordarnt, %, South Beth
leham.
Charles McGonigle. Allentown.
Thomas Day, Allentown.
Miss Mamie Kaelin. II, Telford.
Godfrey Kaelin, father Of Mamie.
William Blackburn, Amber.
Harold Lands, Hatfield
- Ackermann, Philadelphia.
The wrecked train consisted of ten
va, NotNhts'- anu wac LIlt IL NJ 'St'liOh
Of large excursion made up of peo-
pie from Bethlehem, Allentown and
surrounding towns to Atlantic City.
This section carried only those per-
sons who lived in Bethlehem and Al
lentown and left bethlehem at Cos
Il. m, exactly 3j minutes behind the
milk train. The milk train consisted
of two milk cars and two passenger
coaches and had stopped at every
station on the road from Bethlehem
en- route to Philadelphia. At G:54
the milk train drew up at the milk
platform at Hatfield, and in less than
two minutes the special excursion
train, running at the rate of IS mites
an hour, crashed into the rear of the
milk train. The locomotive plowe1
through the two passenger coaches
and crushed them as if they were egg
shells. The milk car Immediately in
front was also badly wrecked. Four
persons-Godfrey Kaelin, his daugh-
ter. Harold Lands and William
Blackburn on the passenger car of
the milk train-were almost instant
ly killed. Fortunately there were
very few passengers on this train.
The excursion train was n picture
of indescriba bic horror. The loco
motive was a mass of bent and brok-
en- iron and firmly held the bodies
of its engineer and fireman beneath
its great weight. Behind the engine
six OF the ten cars were also a mass
of wreckage. The first car was
broken in twain and the other five
at al ,I,,,,,1irbnl Il
Nine persons were killed in the
first two cars and We others in these
coaches were badly manned. AS soon
as the crash came a terrible cry rose
from the smashed cars, ard those
who had not been injured quickly
crawled or jumped from the cars and
went to the assistance of the injured.
Many were pinned down by wreck
age and had to be freed by the lib
eral use of axes. With three or four
exceptions the dead were killed in
stantlv, the others dying on their
way to the hospitals.
All the injured were first taken to
a shed at the Hatfield station, and
the dead were removed to a barn.
Messengers were sent to nearby vii
lagos for physicians, and a relief
train was telegraphed for from Beth
lehem. With doctors and half
dozen nurses a special train was sent
from Bethlehem, but before it reach
ed the scene of the wreck it was sig
nailed to return 10 Bethlehem, as n
special carrying nearly all the in
jured had started for the hospital
at that place. On the run from Hat
field to the hospital three of the
injured died.
The special train arrived at Beth
lehem at 1880 and was met by fully
5000 persons, all clamoring TO pet a
bit of news of the wreck or trying to
learn whether loved ones were
among the victims. The news of the
wreck had reached Bethlehem at 8
o'clock and spread like wildfire. All
the police of the town were gathered
at the station, and it was with great
difficulty that the injured were re-
moved to the waiting ambulances
and other vehicles which conveyed
them to the hospitals.
All during the day people from Al.
lentown, Catasauqua and other
places came pouring into Bethlehem
and confusion reigncd throughout
the day. The second section of the
excursion, made up of persons from
towns other than Bethlehem and Al
lentown, left soon after the first sec
ton, but was tagged before it reach
ed Hatfield. As it could not get
through the blocked tracks it was
returned to Bethlehem and there was
great rejoicing at the narrow escape
of it's occupants from the catastro-
phe.
Atm Is Eire-Swept.
Victoria, 3. c., Sept. 3.-The steam