Evening journal., 1904-11-15
ONE KILLED, MANY
HURT IN WRECK
In the Dark Three Trains
Collide at Chadd's Ford
Junction
ENGINE down ENBANRMENT

by the crash Of a passenger train on
the central division of the Philadelphia,
Baltimore & Washington Railroad into
a passenger train on the Wilmington
and Northern division of the Philadel-
phia & Reading Railway. at Chadd's
Ford Junction last evening, one man
was killed instantly and several other
men and women were more or less seri-
ously injured.
The Dead.
w. c. Palmer Kennett Square. body
cut to pieces.
The Injured.
Edward r. McCulley, No. 1114 Mary
land avenue, right ankle badly sprained.
Merrill 5. Compton. fireman. No. Sill
.Searles street. right arm severely cut
The escape Of McCulley and Compton
from death was miraculous. as they
were saved by being hurled from their
locomotive as it was catapulted down
a twenty-five foot embankment.
Ground to Pieces.
Palmer was literally ground to pieces
in the collision. Several men and wo-
men We're imprisoned I'm an overturned
passenger coach. which also had been
tossed down an embanlment, and were
rescued from their perilous position
only after the side Of the coach had
been cut away by men with axes.
The accident was one Of the most
peculiar ever experienced I'm railroading,
three trains being involved in It. The
south bound accommodation train on
the Wilmington & Northern division OF
the Philadelphia & Reading Railway
/ had stopped at Chadd's Ford Junction
to take on passengers. the locomotive
projecting across the tracks Of the
lcentral division Of the Pennsylvania
Railroad. The south bound accommo-
dation train on the central division had
lpassed the crossover and was standing
just below the junction to take on
passengers. The tracks of both rail-
ways at that point are elevated on
trestle work.
Just south Of the central division
passenger train was a train OF ffteer
freight cars on ~an incline a switch
from the central division main tracks
The fifteen freight cars i'm some manner
became uncoupled from their tuggini
speeding down the incline siding. an,
directly into the central division ac
lcommodation.
Jumped For Life.
Realizing the inevitable crash. tn
fireman and engineer of the centra
ldivision locomotive leaped to tn
ground just as the freight train plunge,
into the locomotive Of the central divi
sion accommodation. The impact wat
so great that the momentum Of thu
freight train carried the central division
train into the locomotive of the Phla.
idelphia & Reading train on the cross.
over.
As the reay coach Of the central divi.
ision accommodation train struck thi
Reading Railway locomotive there wat
a report which was heard for miles
The locomotive, despite its sixty tons
was lifted like a toy and hurled Owe
the trestle and down the twenty-five
foot embankment. McCulley and Comp
ton. the locomotives crew. were tosse,
Through the air. but alighting on tn
meadow beneath the trestle ESCAPED
with comparatively slight injuries.
Down an Embankment.
The rear coach of the central division
accommodation train was spilled oi
iliS SlNe anu w. Too went SllliillilA ubMl
1.-THE embanEment. but in a direction or
lposite that of the locomotive Paine
tried to get through the window OF tn
coach as it overturned and was groun
to pieces.
Several mer and women were IN N
coach and they were buffeted ana toss
ed about numerically, before tn
coach alighted
Road Was Blocked.
Both railroads were so badly blocke
by the wreck that it was several hour
before trains could be run over eiths.
The Wilmington and Northern or Read
ing train. which was coming to this cit
when its engine was struck meets
train from this city some distance thi
side of Chadd's Ford Junction. Th
Northbound train ,vas therefore sen
to the junction then turned and sen
back to this city while the train who's
engine was wrecked was also turne
and sent back The passengers Of tn
two trains were transferred so tina
traffic on the Reading line would nc
be delayed.