Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-02-26
EIGHT KILLED
High School Pupils Were
the Victims.
Express Train Hits a Trolley
Car at a Crossing.
Dozens Were Severely Injured-The
Rails Were Very slippery With
Ice and the MOtorman
Could Not Stop the
Trolley Car.

Newark, Y. J., Feb. 20.-A fast ex-
press on the Lackawanna railroad cut
through trolley car crowded with
school children at the Clifton avenue
crossing yesterday. Eight OF the chill
dren were killed and a score or more
of them injured. The motorman of
the car, who stuck to his post, will
die and the engineer was so badly
hurt that there is little hope of his
recovery.
Both the express and the trolley
were on steep grades, going at right
angles. The express was signalled
and the crossing gates were lowered,
while the trolley car was yet half
way down the hill. The motorman
shut off the power and applied the
brakes, but almost Immediately the
car began to slip along the icy rails.
1t gained tremendous momentum
and at the bottom of the hill crashed
through the gates, directly in the
track of the oncoming train. The
locomotive plowed its way through
the trolley, throwing the children in
every direction. The dead are:
Viola III, II years.
Maude Baker, 16 years.
Ernestine p. Mueller.
Mabel f. Karschner, II years, Tiff
fin, o.
Alma Loehnberg, 16 years.
Rosebud Kohn.
Ella Werpup, 10 years.
Evan l.. Eastwood, 16 years.
The accident happened within three
blocks of the high school building
and in the car at the time were
nearly 100 pupils. Thirty others man
aged to throw themselves from the
car before the crash came. The troll
ley was one of the specials which
every day bring the children to
school. 1t had more than it's ordi-
nary load, owing to the cold. 1t
contained every child that could
squeeze inside and others stood on
the rear platform. Because this car
had been so crowded, many who were
waiting for it before the hill was
reached could not get on, although
some climbed on the front platform
with the motorman.
\ score or more children were com
PEELED to walk and they followed
the car afoot. They say that when
llc car WAS SllIl less IMAM mail way
down the hill the railroad gates be-
gan to drop. Peter Brady, the motor
man, promptly shut off the power
and applied the brakes. The speed
of the car was checked, but it con-
tinued to move slowly down the in
cline. There was no thought of dan
ger. Then it began to move faster
and faster. The ice-covered rails af-
forded no hold for the wheels and
although Brady jammed his brake
harder and then swung on the re-
verse, the momentum of the car grew
at every yard and the car shot down
| toward the railroad
When it was right at the gates the
express thundered into view. Warned
| by the cries of those afoot and by
their own sense of danger, those on
| the platform began to throw them
selves off into the snow and as the
car sped along the few remaining
! feet toward the rails, perhaps one
third escaped death or injury in this
way, but there was no time for those
within the caG' to do more than crush
toward the rear door. The gates were
swept aside like toothpicks and be-
fore the cracking of the gates died
out came the crash. For 30 seconds
before the air was filed with frantic
cries of those who saw death dashing
down upon them.
The wreck of the trolley car was
complete. The pilot of the engine
struck it almost amidshps and
turned it partly around and then
the engine cut it in two. The upper
part of the trolley was reduced to
fragments under the drivers of the
| locomotive. Half of the car was
thrown to one side and lay on the
tracks. The other section was hurled
some distance away. In every direc.
tion lay the injured and dead. The
engine was brought to a standstilI
and from the train and from nearby
houses men rushed to the rescue
| The spectacle was appalling And
many who started to work had tC
| give up unnerved.