New-York tribune., 1921-06-16
Six Killed as
Fire Z 'n.tlck Is
Hit by Train
Several Injured, While
Three Firemen Escape
Death by Leaping From
Perth Anboy Apparatus
Three Expected
TO Die Of Hurts
Auto Hides Express, Rum
ming 40 Miles an Hour,
From View at Crossing

PERTH AMBOY, N. j., June 15-Six
firemen were killed and six others and
a gatekeeper were injured at o'clock
tonight when large motor fire truck
on which they were speeding to fire
crashed into the tender of a south
Railroad of New Jersey at the Market
Street crossing.
Three of the injured firemen are not
expected to live. Three others saved
themselves by jumping from the fast
moving vehicle just second before it
hit the train.
List of Dead
The dead are Hans Holt, OF 210 Sher-
idan Street; John Donegan, 1919 Grand
Street; Peter Larson, thirty years DID,
married, Of Sal Market Street; Joseph
Kutcher, 391 Ogden Place; James An
derson, 334 Market Street, and Joseph
Torgeson, the driver of the truck, who
lived at 219 Meade Street.
The three most seriously injured
are: George Larson, 287 Market Street
Che is the brother of the Larson who
was killed.; Victor Jandrup,> thirty
two years old, of 24O South Second
Street, and E. Johnson, forty-three
years old, of 2S4 Division Avenue.
The others injured are: Andrew
i Thomas, the gate tender, sixty-four
years old, of sos Laurie Street; Joseph
Finan, twenty-five years old, of 3S1
Market Street; Andrew Kafton, twenty
six years old, and Ralph Paulson, of
295 Davidson Avenue.
All were taken to the City Hospital.
! Crossing Gates Were Up
; The three fremen who jumped from
! the fire engine say that they did not
; see the locomotive until they were
/ almost on top of it. Theodore Brown,
| Barnegat, said he never saw the fire
enrine until it hit the tender.
All the men on the fire engine are
members of the Eagle Hose and Chemi-
! cal Company, volunteer fire organiza
! ton. When fire was reported in a
small warehouse they answered the
alarm, and within few minutes were
racing along Market Street, which at
! that time was we'll filled with automo-
! biles.
In order to get past them, and espe-
cially one that had pulled out in front
of the fire engine, Torgeson is said to
! have swung his machine wide. The
automobile was so close to the railroad
! tracks that it hid his view and when
he turned his wheel and shot past it
the volunteer tiremen saw the engine Of
F., the express, coming along at forty
miles an hour They were almost on
top of it and going at. top speed.
Crash at Railway Tracks
According to all those who had any
knowledge of the accident the gates at
the crossing were up, and Thomas
stood in the road waving a red flag.
The fire engine went past him like a
shot. Three of the fremen loaped, and
the apparatus hit the tender of tbs
engine with terrific crash.
The six firemen who were killed met
with an instantaneous death. Some OF
them were hurled headfirst at the en-.
gine's tender and others were thrown
under the wheels of the locomotive.
The train was jerked to sudden
stop. Crowds gathered. Ambulances
picked UP the dead and injured and
! hurried them away.
The accident happened SO quickly
that few saw how it occurred. From
the three firemen who had jumped
came the first account of the disaster.
Kafton said he was standing on the
running boald of the machine along.
side the drive..
Survivor Tells of Disaster
"We came down Market Street." he
said. GAS we naared the crossing ar
automobile. pulled into the curb ahead
OF us. We swerved out to pass it, and
just then we saw the fagman. We
were too near the crossing to stop
When we saw that collision was in
evitable ! jumped to the roadbed and
almost went under the wheels of the
locomotive"
He said the gates were up at the
time.
Finan was standing beside Kafton or
the running board.
~ did not see the f1agman," he said
until we had passed the automobile
in front of US. I jumped and rolled
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