The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1900-09-07
fifteen WERE KILLED
An Excursion Train Wrecked Near
Hatfield, Pa, Sunday.
Il Was Running Mt the Rate OF
rhirty-Five Miles nm Hour and
Crashed Into the Rear End
of MIX Train.

Philadelphia, Sept. 3.--Fifteen per-
sons killed and IA others injured is
the appalling record of rear end
collision between an excursion train
snd a milk train on the Bethlehem
banch of the Philadelphia & READ
ing railway Sunday morning at Hat
feld. Pa, ~ miles north of this city
OF the killed IL were passengers on
the excursion train and four were on
the milk train, which as stated was
wrecked by the excursion train.
The wrecked train consisted of ten
day coaches. and was she first section
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
leutown, and left the union depot in
Bethlehem az 6;O5 a. M. exactly Is
minutes behind the milk train. The
latter train consisted of two milk
cars and two passenger coach - and
had stopped at every station on the
road from Bethlehem en- route 20
Philadelphia. At 6;54 the milk train
drew up az the milk platform az Hat
field, and in less than two minutes
the special excursion train, running
az the rate OF IS miles an hour crash
"a into the milk train. The locomo-
tive ploughed through the two pas
senger coaches and crushed them as
20 they were egg shells. The milk car
Immediately in front was also badly
wrecked.
The excursion train was a picture
OF indescrl bable horror. The loco
motive was a mass OF bent and broken
iron and firmly held the bodies Of iis
engineer and fireman beneath It's
great weight. Behind the engine six
OF the ten ears are also mass OF
wreckage. The first car was broken
in twain and the other five cars were
thrown on their sides. completely de-
molished. Nine persons were killed
in the FIRST two cars and the others
In those coaches were badly MANNED.
As soon as the crash came a terri
ble cry rose from the smashed cars
and those who had not been injured
quickly crawled or jumped from the
the injured. Many were pinned down
by wreckage and had 90 be freeC by
the liberal use of axes. With three
or four exceptions the dead were
killed instantly, the others dying on
their way 20 the hospitals. All the
injured were first taken 20 n shed AZ
the Hatfield station and the dead were
removed 10 a barn. Messengers were
sent 20 the nearby villages for physi-
clans and a relief train was tele-
graphed for from Bethlehem. With
as doctors and half dozen nurses a
special train was sent from Bethle-
hem but before IL reached the scene
Of the wreck. il was signalled TO re-
turn TO Bethlehem as a special. carry
ing nearly all the injured, had start
ed for that place. On the run from
Hatfield TO the hospital three OF the
injured died.
The special train arrived Al Beth
- AAHffN aAAA HAN AAtA ~ AMNAN
$3.50 persons. all clamoring 10 get \
bit of news OF the wreck or trying 10
learn whether loved ones were among
the victims. The news OF the wreck
had reached Bethlehem at o'clock
and spread ike wildhrc. All the po-
licemen OF the town We're gathered AZ
the station and q; was with great diff
ficulty that the injured wrre moved
20 the waiting ambulances anu other
vehicles which conveyed them 20 the
hospitals.
There are conflicting stories as 10
responsibility for the accident. One
version - that the engineer OF the
excursion train had been warned at
Souderton, the station above Hat
field. that a milk train W. a few
minutes ahead of him. Another story
is that the train dispatcher's Office ia
Philadelphia was at fault. The train
men refused TO talk OF the accident
Fifteen hundred tickets had been
sold for the excursion 20 the seashore
and IL was TO have been the last Of
the season.