Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-09-03
HATFIELD w .RECK
Ihirtcen Persons Killed and Fifty-
three Injured as Result Of Negii-
gence or Disregard of signals.

Philadelphia. Sept. 3.-It seems to Ae
the generally accepted conclusion that
the wreck yesterday on the Reading
railroad at Hatfield. which resulted in
the loss of thirteen lives and more or
less serious injuries to fifty-three pee-
sons. was due to negligence or direct
disregard of signals, while the Reading
company will not be prepared to make
any formal Statement until the prin-si
cipal line of investigation has been
drawn about Train Dispatcher Groves
at Philadelphia, Operator Beid.er. al b
Souderton, two and half miles from
Hatfield. and Engineer John Davis. of
4 the excursion train, are dying in hos
pftal at Bethlehem.
According to James Bonner. a flag
man al Sou6erton station. the milk
train passed the station on time and
vas following the rule of the company.
which requires that amy train coming
latter another within five minutes must
/ be stopped. he placed red flag be-
tween he tracks. In three minutes the
Excursion train came Numbering along,
making forty miles an hour. Davis
made no effort to stop and waved Bon
y Iitl olGS i1Atly
time to. secure the flag and spring out of
Hdanger5as the train swept by. Looking
\ upward he saw that Beidler had a clear
i signal sat. Beidier. when questioned.
4 said he had received no orders to stop
4 the train. This would seem to conflict
4 with the statement made by General
Il superintendent Sweigard that all
i agents must stop the train, orders or no
fivt. ina
or less between them. Sweigard also
4 Indicated chat Train Dispatcher Groves
made some effort to hold the train up
before it reached souderton. but said 1t
5Iswas Yet to be learned whether it was
3 because of his neglect or bad wires. due
\ To the heavy fog prevailing at the
Istime. that the train was not stopped.
4 The wreck occurred at 6.56 a. m. A
train consisting of two milk cars and
1.-TWO passenger coaches had just stopped
lat the platfor mat Hatfield. when thru
Esome confusion OF orders. the excursion
4 train of ten heaNily-loaded coaches
Idashed into the rear of it,. The excur-
Ision4 train was running at the rate of
4 Ithirty five miles an hour and the crash
Twas terrific. The locomotive telescoped
4 the two passenger coaches and crushed
i thenl as If they were egg shells. The
milk car Immediately In front was also
badly wrecked. Four passengers on the
milk train We're almost Instantly killed.
: Fortunately there We're very few per-
:, sons on this train.
The excursion train presented a hOr-
Tribe spectacle. The locomotive was q
! mass of bent and broken iron and Arm
lily held the bodies of its engineer and
fireman beneath its great weight. Be.
: hind the engine six Of the ten cars were
also q mass of wreckage. The first cal
was broken in twain, and the other dvs
cars were thrown on their sides, com;
pletely demolished.
Nine persons were killed in the firs
two cars and the others in thes'
:, lcoaches were badly MANNED. Man,
! were pinned down by wreckage and has
= to be freed by the liberal use of axes
. With three or four exceptions the deaa
J, were killed instantly, the others dyinl
/ on their way to the hospitals.