The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-08-29
GRADE CROSSING HORROR:
Train Crashes Into an Omnibus Con-
tanning Twenty-four Persons
ONLY THREE ESCAPED INJURY.

Dead and Injured Residents OF Stating
ton and Walnutport, Penn.-Had At
tended FuneraI-The Horses Draw.
ing the Vehicle Escaped Unhurt-In-
iured Hurled Into q Creek.
Slatington, Penn. (SpeciaD.-A train
on the Lehigh and New England Rail
road crashed into a bus containing
twenty-four persons near Cherry Val
ley, and killed ten outright. One more
died later. The party was returning
from 4 funeral. Ten Of the party are
in a hospital. Most of them are in
jured mortally. Only three escaped
injury. The dead are: e.
Samuel Mummy, sixty, Walnutport;
MIS-. Samuel Mummy, ffty-eight, Wal.
nutport; Eli S. Remaley, seventy, Slat-
ington; Mrs. Eli S. Remaley, sixty-fve;
Mrs. James Kern, daughter Of Mr.. and
Mrs. Eli S. Remaley, thirty-two; MrsA
Elias Sourwine, a widow, f4ty-three,
Slatington; Mrs. William Kane fifty
one, Walnutport; Miss Carrie Smith,
twenty-five, Walnutport; Mrs. Kuntz,
thirty-two, Walnutport; Mrs. james
Minnich, thirty-three, Walnutport;
three-year-old son of Mrs. James
Kern.
The injured include: Mrs. William
Resch, of Walnutport, seriously hurt
internally, will die; Miss Alice Nagle,
Walnutport, slightly bruised, will re-
cover; Louis Kuntz, Slatington, dam
gerously cut about head and hurt in
ternally; Miss Carrie Nagle, Walnut
port, badly hurt internally, may die;
Harry Minnich, aged ten years, may
die; George Minnich, brother Of Harry,
badly cut about head, seriously injured
internally, will not recover; Byan
sWalp, Walnutport, badly hurt inter
snaly and badly cut, will die; Miss
Lizzie Jones, Slatington, hurt inter-
nally ind badly cut about head and
face, cannot live; Miss Distler, Wal
nutport, hurt internally, may recover.
The omnibus left here shortly after
1 o'clock. p. m. to attend the funeral
services of Mrs. James Shafer at Wal
nutport.. The services were held in
st. Paul's Lutheran Church, Walnut
port, and interment took place In Cher
~ Hill Cemetery, about three miles
from this place. The burial services
jsttetee concluded at about 4.30 p. m. land
The party started on their return jour-
2ney. The Journey soon came to an
END, however, for many, Of them.
About one mile from Cherry Valley
the Lehigh and New England Railroad
crosses the road at grade. There Is
also a very sharp curve at this place,
and 1t Is stated that 1t is sometimes
almost impossible to hear q train ap-
proach the crossing.
The 4.50 p. m. train from Slatington,
drawn by Engine Is, bound for Port
land, hove in sight just as the vehicle
was on the tracks. The driver was
powerless to avoid q collision. The
locomotive struck the centre Of the
bus. So great was the momentum
that two of the bodies were picked
up 600 feet from the scene Of the ac-
cident. The train was stopped above
the crossing. and when the train hands
returned to the scene it was found that
ten Of the occupants Of the vehicle
had been killed instantly and ten bad
ly injured. Only three of the party,
1t was found. escaped injury.
. ASeculiar. coincidence connected
he accident Is the fact that none
~the horses attached to the bus
was hurt When the train struck
the bus the force of the collision broke
the traces and the shaft and the horses
ran down the road q short distance,
where they, were caught by q farmer.
Many Of the injured were hurled
into a creek which runs beside the
railroad at. that place, and were only
saved from drowning by the prompt
attention given by the train hands.
Word was at; once dispatched to this
place and all the physicians available
In the surrounding towns were hur-
ried to the spot.
There are rumors current that the
engineer of the train failed to blow
his whistle before approaching the
crossing, but this is doubted by many,
who say that the road does not en-
ploy fagmen at any Of its crossings.
AS q consequence engineers are very
careful when approaching street cross
ings. At n late hour most of the citi.
Zens Of Slatington and Walnutport
were at the railroad station inquiring
for fuller details of the accident and
for the condition Of the injured at the
hospital