Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-11-10
TWO TRAINMEN
PERISH IN FIRE
IN C. R R. YARD
caboose Carrying Workers
Crushed Between Trains
on Meadow.
FlREMEN RISK LIVES
TO RESCUE SURVIVORS
Men of No. 8 Engine Crawl into
Burning Wreckage Under
Cover of Streams.
FlREMEN RISK LIVES
TO RESCUE SURVIVORS

killed and two others were seriously
injured about 6 o'clock last night in
the freight yard near the Newark ter
minal on the meadows. The four men
Were in caboose that was crushed
in a rear-end collision between two
freight trains.
Fire in the caboose after the col
lision caused the deaths. The in
jured men are suffering from both
burns and internal injuries. Superin-
tendent c. II. Stein, of the Central
Railroad. who took charge of the
work Of clearing up the wreck, said
that none of the men should have
been in the caboose at the time.
The bodies of the following were
removed to their homes from Mullins
morgue today.
Peter Brady, conductor. twenty
nine years old. of 925 Bergen street;
married and employed on the road
five years.
Christian Walker, brakeman, twen-
ty-tfree years old, Of 42 Darcy street;
single and employed about two
months.
The injured, in St. James Hospital,
are; John A. Kelleher, conductor.
forty-two years old, of 397 Peshine
avenue; widower and employed on the
road twenty-five years: internal in
1uries, burned about hands and arms
and fractured ankle.
Louis Gromboldt, brakeman, thirty
years old, of 304 Johnson avenue, Jer-
sey City; married; internal injuries
and general burns.
Crept into Wreck.
Kelleher and Gromboldt owe their
chances for life to the heroic work
of the members of Engine Company
No, 5. While others from the conn
pany directed a stream OF water on
the burning caboose, Firemen Peter
Olahan and Emil Kramer twice crept
into the wreck and brought out Kelle-
her and Gromboldt.
Kelleher, who was brought out FIRST
said: Drop me and hurry back. boys;
there's three more in there" GrOm-
boldt, the next to be taken out, was
more severely burned than Kelleher.
and the others were dead before the
rescuers could make q third trip.
Meantime the fire had been extin-
gliished.
The rescue work would have been
more complete but for the difficulty
Of reaching the burning car. The
firernen were compelled to chop their
way through three barbed-wire fences
and cross four tracks. on which trains
were standing, which had to be
broken to let the engine pass.
The accident was a peculiar one.
which superintendent Stein said
would be thoroughly investigated. A
train of forty-two freight cars, some
loaded and some empty, had been as
sembled for movement to Jersey CITY.
One engine was hauling this train
and another was pushing 1t from pe-
hind.
Crew Of the "Pusher."
Brady and Walker were members
of the crew which worked with the
engine which was doing the pushing.
while Kelleher and Gromboldt were
members of the crew of the regular
train. Superintendent stem salo
Brady and Walker should have been
on the engine to which they were
assigned, and the others should have
been outside. making sure their train
was going along as it should.
To get out of the yard the train
was Obliged to climb a grade, which
proved to be too difficult. Just before
reaching the top the engineers in
charge decided they would not be
able to go, and started to back down
the grade to get greater momentum
by a run on the level track before
climbing the grade.
A heavily loaded freight from
Elfzabethport pulled into the yard
lust as the other started, and came
to a stop at the foot of che incline.
When the first train found it could
not make the top and started to back
down the hill, the second train re-
manned stationary and continued to
do so until the other train bumped
into 1t.
The caboose was the last car on the
first train and just in front of the
pushing engine which bumped into
the engine on the second train.
Neither locomotive was damaged
much, but the caboose, Of light con-
struction, was splintered, and the car
ahead Of it was knocked from its
trucks.
Brady, the dead conductor. had
worked for the Central Railroad for
about FIVE years. He lived with his
wife and parents at 925 Bergen street.
Besides them he is survived by two
SISIGTE, MIS- OldhlGS 1Ant6ACSs VI
Irvington, and Miss Florence Brady,
and one brother. Thomas Brady.
Lived with Parents.
Walker, who was twenty-three
years old, lived with his parents at
AZ Darcy street. He was a plumber
out of work when he secured a job
on the railroad two months ago. In
his pocket at the time of the acci-
dent was his pay envelope, containing
$54O7, which he had received earlier
in the day. The three others also had
their pay envelopes In their pockets.
Walker was a member of the Junior
o. u. A. NJ. and is survived by his
parents, one sister, Miss Caroline
Walker, and two brothers, Lewis A.
and Charles II. Walker. Funeral
services will be held at his home Fri
day morning. arrangements have
not been completed.
Kelleher. who was forty-two years
old, has been employed on the road
twenty five years. He has six chill
dren, the oldest seventeen and the
Youngest five. His wife died three
months ago.
Gromboldt has a wife and two chill
dren-