The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-04-19

II was shortly after I o'clock when
the first smash occurred. At the Com
munipaw avenue station the Newark
and the Roselle lines diverge from the
main line. local, west bound, was
about to take the Newark branch when
a Roselle local directly behind it
smashed into the rear coach. The i'm
pact pushed the Newark train up ths
Newark branch, jolted the passengers,
smashed a few panes of glass, but did
no more serious damage.
Orders were Immediately issued to
keep the main line clear and second
Newark local, which was then In the
depot at Jersey City under steam and
about to move out, was given orders to
ark by way of Elizabethport.
These orders were obeyed. and ths
local started for Elizabethport on the
freight line Behind 1t followed pay
train, the engineer of which, Cornelius
Van Middleworth was ignorant of the
fact that a passenger train was ahead
of him. He had not been informed of
the change in schedule, knew nothing of
the previous smash, an1 thought hiz
line clear
The fog was so thick that Van Mid
dleworth could not see twenty feet
ahead of his engine He was travels
| ing at twenty-five miles an hour. At
the Communipaw avenue station the
| Newark local had slowed down and q.
rear-end collision occurred, the engfns
Of the pay train powing into the end
coach, which fortunately was empty.
The second coach was damaged by
\ the wreck and those who were hurt
were seated in that COACH
| Word of the smash was immediately
! telephoned to the Jersey City police
/ headquarters and Night Captain Mich
ael Johnson got into communications
: with Captain Nicholas Poppin, of tho
Fourth precinct Poppin rushed his
+ reserves in a patrol wagon TO ths
scene and then sent hurry call to thS
City Hospital and st. FranGss Hos-s
pital for ambulances. When these res
+ sponded the physicians who came IN
/ them set about to tend the injured.
The pay train was in charge OF En-
eineer Van Middleworth and Conductor
( Walter Durling Van Middleworth had
/ been badly injured, the police learned,
but they could not find him Reporters
afterwards discovered that he had been
/ placed on another train and spirttSa
I away by the railroad officials The
same thing happened in the case OF
/ Conductor During, who, however, vas
! rot SO seriously hurt.
The work of clearing the wreck away
at once began and two wrechng crews
were called The officials ATTEMPT ia
/ draw veil Of secrecy over both smash-
ups, and later the following ot1eiai
statement was isued by Vice Presidsnr
! and General Manager W. 9. Besier.
"A Rosellc local train. making q sta
tion at Communipaw at $50 o'clock this
! morning was struck by the Newark
1 local train on account Of a very dense
fog Very slight injury was done TO the
train and no one was injured. Tns
tracks we're repaired at o'clock and
service then continued in normal con-
dition"
The first smash had tied I'm the NeT-
| ark branch ot the line and il was over
/ half an hour before amy trains could
go through The second smash delayed
| freight and for short time tied up tha
main line. After o'clock trains we're
only movins slowly and It was really
IL o'clock before the schedules had been
resumed
a tertatin railroad man at the scene
of the smash declared that it was tils
worst fog OF the year. He said that an
the way from Atlantic City trains had
been creeping along slowly and cau-
..t,tx So