The Washington times., 1925-06-16
FAS TRAIN
DERAN
B BIG
STORM
Lightning Believed to Have
Shattered Rail Victims
Are ScaIded to Death

HACKETTSTOWN, II. j., June
16.TweIve persons were killed
and approximately fifty injured,
IseveraI Of them perhaps fatally,
when . special five-car train on
the Delaware, LackaWanna and
western Railroad, speeding from
IChicago 70 Hobcken, ~ was
ldefailed It Rockport, three miles
Iron here. early to-day
The victims were Oh their way
to New York to sail this sitter
noon on the Republic. Of the
United States line, for Bremen.
Germany.
Caused BY Lightning.
The train struck rail at Rock
port that had been split BY light
ming an hour before. The engine
and the two front coaches leaped
the rails. The other three coaches
remained on the tracks
Asleep When Crash Comes.
Relicf trains. bearing doctors.
nurses, and all necessary equip
ment were rushed to the scene from
Dover. Hackettstown, washington,
N. u, and Eastcn. Pa.
The greatest confusion prevailed
at the scene when the rescue work
ers arrived. Women were scream
ing, men were trying to quiet them,
and some OF the most seriously In
jured begged doctors to let them die.
Most of the victims were asleep
when the accident occurred, at $3.50
o'clock this morning.
The first eyewitness story Of the
fatal crash was given international
News Service by Miss Mabel White,
daughter of Chief OF Police L. G.
White, of Hackettstown, and one Of
| the first to arrive at the scene. She
was a spectator at a fire in q lurn-
Der works in Hackettstown early
this morning when news Of the
wreck at Rockfort was received.
Scalded To Death.
at went at once to the scene.
| three miles away, in q friend s
automobile, Miss White said. We
got there about half an hour after
| the wreck occurred.
"The scene was pitiable. Women,
some of whom could not talk Ems
fish, were going about in circles,
| wringing their hands and crying
as if their hearts would break.
big, strong men, their husbands.
or friends, went about, patting
them on the shoulders and trying
IN comfort them.
zone woman, whose child, a girl.
| was scalded to death. was incon.
solabIe.
'dThe two front coaches and the
engine had gone off the track.
The windows of these coaches
both steel, by the way-were shat.
tered and many Of the injured
were inside. grooming. They were
| being treated by those who first
got to the scene.
'I counted ten dead. Most OF
the dead were scalded as well as
| injured in the wreck.
Helped BY UTiinjured.
"I had the presence of mind to
take with me from Hackettstewn a
bottle of olive oil. l went through
one of the windows of the over
turned coaches and applied the oil
to the burns OF the llJuTSu.
"The injured were in terrible pain.
passengers from the three coacht
es that remained on the tracks did
all they could to help the injured.
but as they were without medicine
or bandages they weNe unable to
give much assistance until after the
first OF the nurses and doctors
arrived.
"The injured we're taken. in pri.
yate automobiles and in an1bulances
to Hackettstown, Morristown. Wash
ington and Easton.
THE wrecked train, according to
some of the passengers, was making
fast time when the accident oc-
CURED.
Reports Of the number Of dead
and injured were CONFLICTING. First
Information Waa that aaEan WesA