The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-07-11
WRECK ON ERIE ROAD
Greenwood Lake Excursion
In Rear End Smash
SEVENTEEN DEAD AND FIFTY INJURED
Tower Operator Failed to Set Block
Signal Against Regular Train
Following, Whose Engine
Tore Into Coaches Ahead.

NEW YORK, July 1l.-Seycnteen per-
sons We're killed and fifty injured,
some of them seriously. us result of
a regular passenger train on the Green
woody lake branch of the Erie railroad
running into ar excursion train which
was taking water at MidVae, y. j.,
at noon yesterday.
ID. w. Cooke, general passenger
agent of the Erie railroad, has given
out the following statement:
AN excursion train from Hoboken to
Greenwood lake stopped Mt Midvale for
water, and the operator in the tower
failed to set the block signal against
the train following. As a result there
was rear END collision in which sew
enteen persons were killed and fifty in
jured."
The following is list of the dead:
Henry Koch HobOken: Henry otter
stedt, Hoboken; Henry Becker, Hobok-
en-; Edward j. Kelly. Jersey City; viii
liam Wiedemeyer, Hoboken; Henry
Tan2er, New York city; Henry Rohlf-
ing, Hoboken; William Lane, HobOken;
William Windenknecht, Hoboken; Mrs.
Wiskow. Hoboken; Agnes Lehmkuhl,
New York city; George Sherror, Ho-
boken; Edward McDermott, Hoboken;
c. W. Rene, New York; Edward
Murphy. Hottie, Il child. and
unidentified boy. four years old.
The following are missing:
Paul Erdman, John Battersca and
John Stcrkey
All Of the dead and injured lived in
Hoboken. Jersey City and New York.
The train which was run into was Il
special carrying members Of the First
Puttdoutschcr association OF HOboken
on their annual outing and had 500 pas
Sengers.
The train consisted of twelve cars
and two engines. The first engine had
taken water and the train had moved
up and stopped with the second engine
beside the water tank when the flag
man of the special signaled the en-.
gineer OF the oncoming train. but, ow-
ing to curve in the road, his flag was
not seen until too late. II is claimed
that the engineer of the regular train
had slowed down TO about ten miles an
hour before he crashed into the special.
but his engine tore through the rear
car the greater part OF its length and
drove the forward end of that car
into the car ahead. The killed and
injured were in these two cars
Fortunately the wreckaGe did not
catch fire. and the work OF taking out
the dead and MANNED was accom-
plished quickly.
The passengers from the uninjured
coaches ran back and joined in the
work, and the residents of Midyale
many of whom had heard the crash,
assisted them.
The engineer and fireman of the reg
ular train disappeared from the scene
just after the accident. They both es-
capped injury 10y jumping just before
the crash.
The operator in the tower was Wal
ter Richards He would make no state
ment and was relieved and left the
scene soon after the accident.
A great crowd remained at the scene.
many of whom were passengers seek
ing information regarding relatives and
friends on the train.
During the excitement Immediately
after the accident a woman gave birth
to child in one of the cars, after she
had learned that her husband and one
of her children were among the injured