Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-09-03
Bon
Ami
The Finest Cleaner Made
Contains no alkali and will
not chap or redden the hands.
THIRTEEN KILLED
CONTINUED from page ~

Understandable horror. The locomotive
was mass of bent and broken iron and
firmly held the bodies of its engineer
and fireman beneath its great weight.
Behind the engine six of the 10 cars
were also Il mass of wreckage. TIE
first car was broken in two and the
other five ears We're thrown on their
sides, completely demolished. Nine pei
sons We're killed in the first two cars
and the others in these coaches Were
badly manned.
AS soon as the crash came a terrible
cry arose from the smashed cars and
those who had not been injured quick
ly crawled from the cars and Went to
the assistance Of the injured. Many
We're pinned down by wreckage and had
to be freed by the liberal use OF axes.
With three or four exceptions the dead
We're killed instantly. the others dying
on their way to the hospitals. All the
injured were first taken to a shed n
the Hartford station and the dead were
removed to a barn.
Messengers We're sent to the nearest
villages for physicians and a relief
train was telegraphed for from Bethle-
hem. With 10 doctors and half a dozen
nurses a special train was sent from
Bethlehem, but before il reached the
scene OF the wreck il was signalled to
return to Bethlehem, as a special car
rying nearly all the injured had started
for the hospital at that place. on the
run from Hatfield to the hospital three
of the injured died. Great trouble was
experienced in keeping the relatives
4.
that the doctors gathered from near
Hatfield could attend to the wounded.
The special train arrived at Bethle-
hem, at 11.30, and was met by fully
5000 persons. all clamoring to get a bit
~ news OF the wreck or trying to learn
whether loved ones were among the
victims. The news Of the wreck had
reached bethlehem at o'clock. and
spread like wildfre All the people OF
the town We're gathered at the station
and it was with great difficulty that
the injured We're removed to the wait
ing ambulanceS and other vehicles
which conveyed them to the hospitals
All during the day people from Allen
town. Catasaqua and other places came
pouring into Bethlehem and confusion
reigned throughout the day.
The 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
blockaded tracks, it was returned to
Bethlehem and there was great rejoic-
ing, at the narrow escapes of its oCcu-
tho n n ta
The coroner Of Montgomery county
visited the wreck and spent the en-
tire day at the scene He at once di-
rected the removal of the dead to
Lansdale, short distance south Of
Hatfield. He promises a rigorous IN
vestigation into the horror.
There are conflicting stories as to the
responsibility for the accident. one
version is that the engineer If the cx-
cursion train hald been warned at
SoudertOn. the station above Hatfield.
that milk train was a few minutes
ahead Of him Another is that the
train dispatchers' office in Philadelphia
was at fault. The trainmen refused to
talk of the accident.
Fifteen hundred tickets had been sold
for the excursion for the seaShore and
1t was to have been the last Of the sea
son.
Wellington II. Rosenberg Of Lans-
dale. representative in the Pennsyi-
vania Legislature. was on the milk
train. He had his jaw broken and was
also internally injured. His condition
is serious.