South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-12-06
WRECK DEATH
TOLL NOW Il;
SCORES HURT
Others May Die in One of
Worst Train Accidents
East Has Known.
FLAMES TRAP MANY
Two Passenger Trains Turned
Into Seething Furnace Aft
er Head-0n Crash.
BULLETIN.

fiOnal bodies recovered from the
smOuldcring ruins, and deaths Of two
Of the injured tonight increased 20
2f. The list Of fatalities as a result
Of the head-on collision between
Philadelphia and Reading railway
suburban passenger trains today
Four Of the % or more injured were
I'm "A critical condition. IL was feared
other bodies still were concealed by
tire hot ashes and twisted frame
work OF the two wooden coaches
which caught fire.
PHILADELPHIA. Dec. 5.-Fifteeu
persons lost their lives and scores
were injured Monday ara the result
OF a headon collision between two
passenger trains on the Newton
branch of the Philadelphia and Read
ing railway. about 16 miles north of
Philadelphia Fourteen bodies were
recovered and one Of the injured
died in "a hospital.
All were residents Of towns along
the Newton branch or of Philadel-
phia.
Many Die i'm Fire.
Most OF the victims persisted i'm the
flames which broke out almost inn
mediately after the crash. Both trains
consisted OF wooden coaches.
Rescuer5 were Obliged 20 stand
helpless at the top Of the cut where
the crash occurred. while the victims.
enmeshed i'm the Wreckage. shrieked
as the flames tortured them.
An outbound train from Phladel-
phia ran into an inbound train from
Newton in this cut, which is 3 . feet
deep. narrow and curved.
It's sides were covered with snow
and ice and IL was with greatest diff
ficulty that the Injured were dragged
20 the top.
Death List May Grow.
Several of the charred bodies had
not been identified Monday night and
IT, was thought possible that more
might lie in the mass of wreckage.
A statement from the railway Of
ficers said the accident seems TO be
due TO train 49, chat from Phila-
delphia) overruuning it's order"
One invest stated has been started
10y the railway and another has been
started by the stale. while Bucks
county officials have announced they
viii conduct a third.
The cut is situated between the
Woodmont and Paper mills stations
just north of Bryan Athyn. The road
is single tracked. The south bound
train. coming go Philadelphia, makes
no stops between southampton and
Bryan Athyn. The outbound train
usually waits on q siding for it to
pass.
The engineer is said Co have waited
10 minutes. and when a local that
was late passed, to have assumed it
20 be the other train and proceeded.
The curve with its steer rocky walls
hid each On-comiug train from the
engineer of the other. In the mid
die OF the cut the two locomotives
crashed. That of the north bound
train rose in the air and then toppled
backwards. falling upside down. over
the tracks
The south bound locomtive veered
20 the east and wedEed i'm between
the rock wall and the wreckage.
Aid Rushed Co Scene.
Aid was summoned from the near
by stations. and ambulances. wreck
ing crews and fire companies hast
enyed 20 the scene. A special train
was sent out by the Reading offic-
ials with all the nurses available
from the Jewish hospital with blan-
kets from the railroad Y. NJ. e. a.
The unfnjured passengers and the
country folk had accomplished near
ly all the recue work possible when
they arrived. however.
Railroad mer. discovering that the
last car was not so damaged.