Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-06-25
44DEAD, so HURT
IN RAIL WRECK
Engine of Excursion Train
Explodes-Many Scalded
to Death.

new York.-Forty-four persons are
oead and more than fifty are in hos
pitals as the result of the wreck of
special train on the Delaware, Lack
awanna & Western railroad near
Hackettstown, N. j., about sixty miles
from New York.
heavy electrical and rain storm
caused the wreck by washing sand
and gravel upon the tracks. Thrown
OH the rails by this obstruction. the
engine turned over and carried with it
four of the seven all-steel cars.
Almost all the dead succumbed to
burns received when the locomotive
boiler exploded and flooded the de-
rallied cars with scalding steam.
Except for seven members of the
train crew, all the dead and injured
were German-Americans bound from
chicago to Hoboken, whence they were
10 nave sailed for Bremen. The sur
vlvors were taken to Hoboken on an
other train. They sailed on the steam
snip Republic Of the United States
lines, which was held for two hours
10 receive them. The excursion was
arranged by Leopold Neumann, Chi
cago steamship agent.
The wreck occurred when virtually
all the passengers were asleep.
The engineer, two tiremen, and the
head trainman were killed instantly.
A few passengers also died immedi-
ateiy, one woman being decapitated.
THESE were the most fortunate of
those who died, for the others suf-
fered terribly.
For the first half hour after the
accident farmers, trainmen and I'M
injured passengers from the rear cars
worked In darkness to rescue those
caught in the derailed cars. Guided by
screams, the rescuers CROPPED inside
the unit cars, risked the danger of
scalding, and carried the victims out.
Approximately sixty persons, about
half Of whom died subsequently, were
taken to hospitals. The three pullman
cars which stayed on the rails were
turned into special relief train.
One woman, Mrs. e. B. Haaker Of
0l6 Park avenue, Park Ridge, ILL.,, was
the heroine of the wreck. While still
in her night clothes, she improvised a
first-aid hospital in the observation
car, which held to the rails, and gave
treatment which doctors said saved a
number of lives. She was assisted by
two other Chicagoans, Mrs Lackin Il.
Deue and Mrs. Freda Metzger of 5731
South Troy street.
Mr.. Haaker, husband Of Mrs. Haaker,
told his story of the wreck:
AS | ran along the track | could
hear, 1t seemed, a thousand people
screaming with agony. and through
their voices the roar of escaping
steam.
When we came near the engine the
sight was overwhelming. The first
two day coaches had telescoped and
were ground together In mass of
wood and steel, and some of the pas
sengers in the first coach had been
thrown bodily into the coal tender.
The third coach had ridden up over
these two and was lying squarely or
top Of the engine, with it's forward
end sticking at least thirty feet into
the air. The engines steam pipes had
broken and fog Of steam was pour
ing into the car perched on top.
1--WE could hear them screaming for
help In the car. and through the dark
ness and through the pouring steam
we could see hands waving then fall
Ing back into the car. Those who had
been thrown into the tender were un-
able to get out. because of the car
on top of them, and were lying close
down against the coal in the hope of
avoiding the blistering steam and
shouting for some one to get them.
1.-THE firebox of the engine was open
and the whole scene was lit up by the
glow of Goals. We could do very little
until the steam began to slacken, and
then we had the difficulty of climbing
high into the car that was on top of
the engine, and pulling people out.
They screamed when we touched them,
those who were still conscious, for
their bodies were scalded and they
were in terrible pain"