The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-09-03
Thirteen Persons Killed and Over
Thirty Injured In q Terrible
Rear End Collision
NEAR Bethlehem
PENNA..
Excursionists to Atlantic City Meet
Death suddenly-A Picture
Of Indescribable Horror.

: .H
train and q milk train on the Bethle-
hem branch Of the Philadelphia 6
Reading railway this morning st Hat.
field. Pa.. twcnty-seven miles north Of
this city. =; &. ~
The Killed. III
The killed nre: Miss Annie Sherry,
aged twenty-one, South Bethlehem;
Robert Miller. twenty-one, South Beth
lehem; Richard Bachmnn, forty, South
Bethlehem; Ira Ehret, twenty, brother
OF William, South Bethlehem; William
Ehret. twenty-five, brother Of Ira,
South Bethlehem; Joseph Mordaunt,
twenty-five, South Bethlehem; Charles
McFohigle, Allentown; Thomas Day,
Allentown; Miss Mamie Knelin, four
teen, Telford; Godfrey Knelin, father OF
Mamie; William Blackburn. Amber:
Harold Landis, Hatfield; ---------- Acker-
mann. Philadelphia.
The Injured.
The Injured: John David, Philudel-
phia, engineer of excursion. train; skull
fractured: critical; Albert j. Wagner,
Philadelphia, fireman. excursion train,
contusIons of chest and legs; serious;
Wilson tCrosland. South bethlehem;
baggagemaster Of milk train: head lac
Grated, seriously; Michael J.Ttghe, OF
Allentown. legs crushed and burned;
serious; John German, South Bethle-
hem, foot crushed; John McHush, South
Bethlehem, leg and thigh injured and
hurt internally; not serious: Abraham
Transue. jr., South Bethlehem. deep
scalp wounds, confusion OF back and
Internally Injured; serious; Mrs. Will
lam Burkhardt, South Bethlehem, in
jured Internally: Miss Gertrude Burk-
hardt, South Bethlehem, both legs bro.
ken: P. J. Mcmahon. South Bethlehem,
ankle broken;, john r Reichley, South
Bethlehem, Internally injured; Mrs,
George Harrison, arm broken and con-
fusion Of body: Irwin Newhard, hend
badly cut; Mary Newhardt, South
Bethlehem, crushed ribs; Miss Carrie
Bachman,. daughter OF Richard Bach
man, who was killed; chest crushed;
serious: Miss Brennan. South Bethle-
hem, arm broken; L. T. Hartzog. South
Bethlehem. arm broken; Harry schlott
South Bethlehem. leg confused; Edward
Reese, Allentown, confusion OF shoulder
and legs; Mrs. s. Haber, Allentown
both legs broken; John Schantz, Allen
town, toes crushed; William Schantz
Allentown, thigh injured; Miss schan-
efter. Allentown. legs broken; Mary
Koch, fractured legs; Lewis Knecht,
Bethlehem. confusion Of legs: George
Lands. Bethlehem. scalp wounds: Mrs.
Alfred Schmoyer, Bethlehem. badly lac
Grated; Annie Miller, South Bethlehem,
hips crushed; William Wilmeyer. South
Bethlehem, badly lncerated; Mrs. Mi
meyer, legs crushed. y.
How It Happened. Z
The wrecked train consisted OF ten
day coaches. and was the first section
of n large excursion made up OF people
from Bethlehem. Allentown and sur
rounding towns to Atlantic City. This
section carried only those persons who
lived Mt Bethlehem and Allentown, and
left the Union depot in Bethlehem at
6:05 n. M, exactly thirty-iive minutes
behind the milk train. The latter train
consisted OF two milk cars and two
passenger coaches and had stopped at
every station on the road from Bethle-
hem en- route to Philadelphia. AT 6:45
the milk train drew up at the milk
platform at Hatfield, and in less than
two minutes the special excursion
train. running ut the rnte Of thirty-five
miles nn hour, crashed into the rear of
the milk train. The locomotive plough
cd through the two passenger coaches
and crushed them, as II they were egg
shells. The milk car Immediately In
front was also badly wrecked. Four
persons Godfrey Kaelin, his daughter,
Mamie. Harold lands and William
Blackburn. on the passenger car Of the
milk train. were almost instantly kill
ed. Fortunately, there were very few
persons on this train. X,
Indescribable Horror.
The excursion train was n picture of
indescribable horror. The locomotive
wns mass of bent, and broken iron and
firmly held the bodies OF Its engineer
and firemen beneath It's great weight,
Behind the engine six OF the ten cars
were also n mass Of wrccknge. The
first car was broken in twain, and the
other ilvc cars were thrown on their
Sides. completely demolished.
Nine persons were killed In the FIRST
two cars and the others In the coaches
were badly mnlmed. AS soon us the
crash came n terrible cry rose from
the smashed cars and those who had
not been injured quietly crawled or
jumped from the cars and went to the
assistance OF the injured. Many were
pinned down by wrcckagc and had to
be freed by the liberal use OF axes.
With three or four exceptions the dead
were killed instantly, the others dying
on their way to the hospitals. AL the
Injured were first taken to shed at
tho Hatfield station, and the dead were
removed TO barn.
Fifteen Doctors at Hand.
Messengers were sent to the nearest