Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1903-09-03
Paper Train Crashed into Penn
Sy|Vania FREIGHT Near Smith
Street Crossing During
the Fog Early This Morn
ing Rear Brakeman
Crushed to Death.
TRAFFIC WAS BLOCKED.

One man dead, and two injured is
the result of wreck on the Central
Railroad early this morning, when the
paper train, due here at 4. "a o'clock,
ran into an extra freight at the New
Brunswick avenue crossing.
James Donahue, of Bordentown, a
f1agman on the freight, was killed al
most instantly. Joseph M. Newell,
the conductor, had his head badly
cut. r. G. VanCleaf of Jamesburg,
the brakeman of the freight, had his
left leg slightly bruised. 1t was 4. so
O'Clock this morning when the Penn
sylvania extra freight, $50, which car
ries perishable fruit from the south
to Jersey City everv night was return
ing to Camden in charge of Engineer
Harley Hewitt, of Camden. Thev
were running slowly because of the
heavy fog. When the freight passed
the New Brunswick avenue crossing
ConductorNewell went to the caboose
on the rear. AS he did so he saw the
fast paper train, with the big Penn
sylvania engine 1888 in charge of Engi-
neer Benjamin Smith, rapidly ap-
preaching. The paper train is due
here at 4. 81 and was late. The conduc-
tor saw collision was inevitable and
gave cry of warning, but it was of
M fo1. tho Of thn
crashed into the rear of the freight
before he himself could leap to safety.
Before Engineer Smith, of the ex-
press, could stop his engine, it had
ploughed through the caboose and
had pushed the freight engine from a
point opposite the knee pants factory
on New Brunswick avenue to McCor-
mick s coal yards, at Smith street, a
distance of about $50 feet When the
big engine finally came to a standstill
the caboose was a total wreck and
beneath the debris was the body of
Donahue.
Willing hands set to work and in a
short time the injured men were free
from the wreck, but Donahue's body
was wedged in the wreckage and 1T
was necessary to secure hoisting,jacks,
which after search, were found in
the yard of Martin Hanson nearby.
With these the railroad men lifted an
end of what was left of the caboose
and the body of the dead man, badly
crushed, was taken out.
In the meantime the coroner, Dr.
F. @. Henry, arrived and gave per-
NIT for the removal of the body to
Burkes morgue in State street. DR..
Henry then turned his attention to
t he injured. Finding they were not
seriously hurt, he dressed their
wounds, and they remained on duty.
Just how the accident happened was
told TO a News reporter by one of the
crew of the wrecked freight train.
"We were on our way home to Cam
den," he said, land were running
slowly because of the fog. We did
not expect to be hit by the paper
train, because we had the right of
way. When the express passed the
last tower it was to be supposed that
the operator would have held it for a
few minutes but he didn't and why l
do not understand.
Poor Donahue," continued the
speaker, twas sitting in the forward
part of the caboose and the heavy
timbers crushed him to death,
Both the freight and passenger en-
gines where forced partly off the track
by the collision. The wreck train
from Jersey City arrived about $50
o o'clock and began to clear up the de-
bris. The people down the cd.st got
their morning paper several hours
later than usual.
Real estatel Real estate u Read