Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-09-03
FREELAND, SEPTEMBER 3. 1900.
MANY KILLED IN WRECK
Frightful Disaster on the Read
ing Railroad.
EXOURsIONIsTs WERE THE VICTIMS

Thirteen People Killed Outright and
More Than n Score Seriously In
jured-FataI Accident at Grade
Crossing.
Philadelphia, Sept 3.-Thrteen persons
killed and over 80 others injured is the
appalling record of rear end collision
between an excursion train and milk
train on the Bethlehem branch of the
Philadelphia and Reading railway at
Hatfield, 27 miles north of this city.
The killed are: Miss Annie Sherry, aged
q years, South Bethlehem; Robert Mil
Ter, South Bethlehem; Richard Bachman,
40, South Bethlehem William Ehret, %,
South Bethlehem; Ira Ehret 20, brother
Of William, South Bethlehem; Joseph
Mordaunt, %. South Bethlehem; Charles
McGonigle, Allentown; Thomas Day, Al
lentown; Miss Mamie Kaeln, IA, Tel
ford Godfrey Kaelin, father of Mamie;
William Blackburn, Amber; Harold
Lands, Hatfield; - AckCrmann Phila-
delpha.
The wrecked train consisted of ten day
coaches and was the first section Of u
large excursion made up of people from
Bethlehem, Allentown and surrounding
towns to Atlantic City. This section car
ried only those persons who lived in Beth
lehem and Allentown and left the Union
depot in Bethlehem 30 minutes behind
the milk train. The latter 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. The milk train drew up at
the milk station at Hatfield. and in less
E,, al
train, running at the rate of 35 miles an
hour, crashed into the rear of the milk
train. The locomotive plowed through the
two passenger coaches and crushed them
as if they were eggshels. The milk car
Immediately in front was also badly
wrecked. Four persons, Godfrey Kaelin,
his daughter, Mamie; Harold Lands and
William Blackburn, on the passenger car
of the milk train were almost instantly
killed. Fortunately there We're very few
persons on this train.
IndescribnbIe Horror.
The excursion train was picture of in
describabe horror. The locomotive was
mass of bent and broken iron and firm
ly held the bodies of its engineer and fire
man beneath its great weight. Behind
the engine six of the cars were also a
mass of wreckage. The first car was bro
ken in twain, and the other five ears were
thrown on their sides, completely demol-
ished.
Nine persons were killed in the first
two oars and tho otbars in those coaches
were badly mairned As soon MS the
crash came n terrible cry arose from
the smashed cars. and those who had not
been injured ouickly crawled or jumped
from the cars and went TO the assistance
of the injured. MANY were pinned down
by wreckape and had 70 he freed nv the
liberal use of axes. With three or four
exceptions the dead were killed Instantly.
the others diving on thoir wov to tho
hospitals.
All the injured were first taken 70
shed at the Hatfield station and tho
dead were removed IN n born Nnssen-
gers were sent 70 the nearby villages
for physicians. and a relief train was
teIogra nbod for fron, Ro+b1aber Win
Is doctors and half n dozen nurses
special train was sent from Rethlebem
hut before if reached the scene Of the
wreck il was sirnaled to return to Roth
lehem. as snecial CARVING nearIv all
the injured. bad storted for tbe hosnitol
at that place. On the run from Hatfield
TO the hospital three Of tbe injured died
Great tronble was eyneriencnd in knen.
ing the relatives away from the injured
on the train so that the doctors gathered
from near HATFIELD could attend to the