The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-09-06
A RAILROAD MASSACRE.
Excursion Train Wrecked on the
Reading Road at Hatfield, Pa.
THIRTEEN DEAD, THIRTY HURT,

The Excursion Train, Running Thir-
ty-fve Miles an Hour, Crashed Into
the Rear End Of . Combination
MIX and Passenger Train.
Philadelphia, Sept. 3.-Thirteen per-
sons killed and over thirty others IN
jured is the appalling record OF rear
end collision between an excursion
train and a milk train on the Beth
lehem branch Of the Philadelphia and
Reading railway yesterday morning at
Hatfield, Pa, q miles north OF this
city.
The killed are: Miss Annie Sherry,
aged 81 years, South Bethlehem; Rob-
ert Miller, 21, 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 McFon-
lyle, Allentown; Thomas Day, Allen
town; Miss Mamie Kaelin. IA, Telford;
Godfrey Kaelin, father Of Mamie; Will
lam Blackburn. Amber; Harold Lam
dis, Hatfield; Floriau Waldspurger.
Taylorsport, Pa
The injured: John David, Philadel-
phia, engineer Of excursion train.
skull fractured, critical; Albert J.
Wagner, Philadelphia, fireman excur-
sion train, contusions chest and legs.
serious; Wilson Crosland. South Beth
lehem, baggagemaster Of milk train.
head lacerated. serious; Michael J.
Tighe, Allentown. legs crushed and
| hur Vnhn German South
Bethlehem foot crushed; John 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. J. 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
jured; Miss Schaeffer, Allentown. legs
broken; Mary Koch, fractured legs;
Lewis Knecht, Bethlehem, confusion
Of legs; George Lands, Bethlehem.
scalp wounds; Mrs. Alfred Schmoyer.
Bethlehem, badly lacerated; Annie
lliam Wilmeyer, South Bethlehem,
J. " lacerated: Mrs. Wilmeyer. tsgs
/, crushed; Hon. w. H. Rosenberg. OF
Lansdale. member Of the legislature.
The wrecked train consisted Of ten
; day coaches, and was the first section
Of 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 al
sos a. M, exactly 36 minutes behind
, the milk train. The latter train con.
, sisted Of two milk cars and two pas.
senger coaches, and had stopped al
every station on the road from Beth.
! lehem en- route to Philadelphia. Al
6:64 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 mile.
an hour, crashed into the rear of thu
milk train. The locomotive ploughet
t through the two passenger coache!
, and crushed them as II they were egt
shells. The milk car Immediately ir
front was also badly wrecked. Foul
! persons, Godfrey Kaelin. his daughter
y Mamie. Harold Lands and william
Blackburn, In the passenger cars o
the milk train, were almost instantly
= killed.
! The excursion train was a pictur,
OF indescribable horror. The locomo
tive was a mass OF bent and broker
S iron, and firmly held the bodies Of 1T
engineer and fireman beneath its grea
weight. Behind the engine six Of tn
e ten cars were also mass Of wreckage
= The first car was broken In twain, an,
> the other five cars were thrown OF
y their sides, completely demolished.
Nine persons were killed In the frs
two cars, and the others in thes
coaches were badly manned.
. As soon as the crash came terribl
}, cry arose from the smashed cars, an,
those who had not been injured quick
~ crawled or jumped from the car
and went to the assistance Of the In
o 1ured. Many were pinned down b.
wreckage and had to be freed by tn
liberal use Of axes. With three or fou
exceptions the dead were killed in
:, stantly, the others dying on their wa
70 % the hospitals.
The second section Of the excursion
made up of persons from towns othe
II than Bethlehem and Allentown, lef
10 soon after the first section, but wa
tagged before 1t reached Hatfield. A
a 1t could not get through on accoun
Of the blocked tracks 1t was returne
u to Bethlehem, and there was great re
q joicing at the narrow escape of its oc
:, supants from the catastrophe.
= The coroner of Montgomery count