Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-09-08
A RAILROAD MASSACRE.
Excursion Train Wrecked on the
Reading Road at Hatfield, Pa.
THIRTEEN DEAD, FIFTY HURT.

The Excursion Train, Running Thir-
ty-aNe Miles an Hour. Crashed Into
the Rear End of Combination
Milk and Passenger Train.
Philadelphia, Sept. 3.-Thirteen per-
cons killed and fully fifty others in
'ured is the appalling record of a rear
end collision between an excursion
train and milk train on the Beth
lehem branch of the Philadelphia and
Reading railway yesterday morning at
Hatfield, Pa, % miles north of this
city.
The killed are: Miss Annie Sherry.
aged p years, South Bethlehem: Rob-
ert Miller. p, South Bethlehem: Rich
ard Bachman, 40. South Bethlehem:
William Ehret, %. South Bethlehem;
Ira Ehret, 20 brother of William.
South Bethlehem; Joseph Mordaunt.
%, South Bethlehem; Charles Melon
lyle, Allentown; Thomas Day. Allen
town; Miss Mamie Kaelin, IA. Telford:
Godfrey Kaelin. father of Mamie; Will
lam Blackburn, Amber: Harold Lam
dis, Hatfield; Florian Waldspurger,
Taylorsport. Pa.
The injured: John David. Philadel-
phia, engineer of excursion train,
skull fractured. critical; Albert j.
Wagner, Philadelphia. fireman excur-
sion train, commissions chest and legs.
serious; Wilson Crosland. South Beth
lehem, baggagemaster OF milk train.
head lacerated. serious: Michael ].
Ttghe, Allentown. legs crushed and
burned, serious: John German. South
Bethlehem; foot crushed: Jonn Nc
Hugh. South Bethlehem, leg and thigh
injured and hurt internally. not seri-
Gus; Abraham Transue. Jr.. South
Bethlehem. deep scalp WOUNDS. con-
fusion of back and internally injured,
serious: Mrs. William Burkhardt,
South Bethlehem, injured internally:
Miss Gertrude Burkhardt, South Beth
lehem, both legs broken; p. ]. Nc
Mahon, South Bethlehem. ankle
broken; John Reichley. South Beth
lehem, internally injured: Mrs. George
Harrison, arm broken and confusion
of body; Irwin Newhard. head badly
cut; Mary Newhard. South Bethlehem.
crushed ribs; Miss Carrie Bachman.
daughter of Richard Bachman, who
was killed, chest crushed. serious;
Miss Brennan, South Bethlehem, arm
broken; l.. T. Hartzog. South Beth
lehem, arm broken; Harry Schlott.
South Bethlehem, leg confused; Ed
ward Reese. Allentown. confusion of
shoulder and legs; Mrs S. Haber. AL
lentown, both legs broken: John
Schantz, Allentown, toes crushed:
William Schantz. Allentown, thigh in
tured; Miss Schaeffer, Allentown. legs
broken; Mary Koch, fractured legs:
Lewis Knecht, Bethlehem. confusion
OF legs; George lands. Bethlehem.
scalp wounds; Mrs. Alfred Schmoyer.
RRthlRhan haHlRy Iannrotal.
Miller, South Bethlehem. hips crushed:
William Wilmeyer, South Bethlehem.
badly lacerated; Mrs. Wilmeyer, legs
crushed; Hon. w. II. Rosenberg. of
Lansdale, member of the legislature.
The wrecked train consisted of ten
day coaches, and was the first section
or large excursion made up OF people
from Bethlehem, Allentown and sur
rounding towns TO Atlantic City. This
section carried only those persons who
lived In Bethlehem and Allentown. and
left the Union depot in Bethlehem at
6:O5 a. m, exactly 80 minutes behind
the milk train. The latter train con-
sisted of two milk cars and two pas
senger coaches, and had stopped at
every station on the road from Beth
lehem en- route to Philadelphia. At
o: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 80 miles
an hour, crashed into the rear of the
milk train. The locomotive ploughed
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 daughter
Mamie, Harold Landis and William
Blackburn, in the passenger cars of
the milk train, were almost instantly
killed.
AS soon as the crash came a terrible
cry arose from the smashed cars, and
those who had not been injured Quick
ly crawled or jumped from the cars
and went to the assistance of the in
jured. Many were pinned down by
wreckage and had to be freed by the
liberal use of axes. With three or four
exceptions the dead were killed in
stantly, the others dying on their way
to the hospitals.
The second section of the excursion,
| made up of persons from towns other
| than Bethlehem and Allentown. left
! soon after the first section, but was
tagged before it reached Hatfield. AS
it could not get through on account
OF the blocked tracks it was returned
to Bethlehem, and there was great re-
| joicing at the narrow escape of its oc-
supants from the catastrophe.
The coroner OF Montgomery county
visited the wreck early and spent the
entire day at the scene. He directed
the removal of the dead to Lansdale.
a short distance south of Hatfield. He
| promises rigorous investigation into
| the horror.
Victims of the hatfield Wreck.
Bethlehem, Pa, Sept. 5.-The condi-
| ton of John Davis, the engineer of the
| excursion train which was wrecked on
/ Sunday morning at Hatfield, Pa, where
13 persons were killed and 80 injured
| is reported to be slightly worse Fire
i man A lhert WaRnar of the sannn train