Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-06-24
80 TOURISTS DIE
IN RAIL WRECK
Boiler of Engine Explodes
After Smashup-Victims
Scalded to Death.


a special train on the Delaware, Lack
awanna & Western railroad near
HackettStown, N j., about sixty miles
from New York.
heavy electrical and rain storm
cassed the wreck by washing sand
and gravel upon the tracks. Thrown
off the rails by this obstruction, the
engine turned over and carried with it
four of the seven all-steel cars.
Many ScaIded to Death.
Almost all the dead succumbed to
burns received when the locomotive
boiler exploded and flooded the de-
rallied cars with scalding steam. Eight
persons died at the scene of the acct
dent and thirty-one died during the
day in hospitals. More deaths are ex-
pected. The death toll may be in
creased by as many as fifteen.
Except for seven members of the
train crew, all the dead and injured
were COMMUNICATIONS bound from
Chicago to HobOken, whence they were
to have sailed from Bremen. The sur
vivors were taken to HobOken on an
other train. They sailed on the steam
ship Republic of the United States
lines, which was held for two hours
to receive them. The excursion was
arranged by Leopold Neumann, Chi
cago steamship agent.
One Woman Decapitated.
The engineer, two firemen, and the
head trainmen were killed instantly.
A few passengers also died immediate
ly, one woman being decapitated.
These were the most fortunate of
those who died, for the others suffered
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 unlit 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 a special relief train.
Chicago Woman Heroine.
One woman, Mrs E. B. Haaker of
5l6 Park avenue, Park Ridge, Ill.,, was
the heroine of the wreck While still
in her night Clothes she improvised
frstaid 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 r.
Deue and Mrs Freda Metzger of 5731
South Troy street.
Eyewitness Describes Scenes.
Mr. Haaker, husband of Mrs. Haaker,
told his story Of the wreck
"As l ran along the track l could
hear, it 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 gNOund 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 on
top of the engine, with its 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.
Injured ScaIded to Death.
1--WE could hear them screaming for
help in that car, and through the dark
ness aSd 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 I'M
able 10 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"
Injured Man Asked to Be Shot.
r. b. Flumerfelt, one of the first on
the scene told his experience:
"It was like nothing l ever thought
I'd see" said Flumerfelt. There were
women and men and kids all around
everywhere, screaming worse than
ever heard.
There was one big fellow, the big
gest of the lot. He kept sayin' Get
off my foot when l wasn't anywheres
near it. l guess it was where he was
burnt. He wanted me to shoot him.
I'll pay you to shoot me, he said. bur
O. course l couldn't even if l would.
had no gun"