Year: 1872




PHILADELPHIA, August 27.-At seven
o'clock last night as the New York
train bound for Phil.delphia was pass
ing through Tacouy, a carriage con-
tanning John W. Middleton, wife and
two daughters and eoachman, at
tempted to cross the track. and were all
instantly killed and the carriage de-.
molished.


The following particulars regarding
the railroad action at Tacony have
been ascertained: The party was driving
along the New York road in a wagon
when struck by the train. In the wagon
were middle-aged gentleman named
Robert Deal, his two grandchildren,
named Ellis Freibers and George
Muloch, each about ten years OF age.
These three were instantly killed. Miss
Snyder, young lady friend OF the fam.
lily, had her head bruised and her hip
fractured. She lived ten or twelve
minutes. Porter, the coachman, was
thrown on the cow catcher. There were
no bruises apparent on his body, bnt he
only lived about twenty minutes after
the accident


At = o'clock this morning freight
train on the junction railroad coming
TO the city had to cross the iron bridge
which crrsaps the Reading railroad
about nall a mile from the Broad street
intersection. When more than halt OF
the train had passed over safely the
bridge broke and four freight cars
loaded with coal oil went down with
the debris OF the bridge upon the
Reading road. Just IS this occurred
coal train on the Reading road
rushed up and came in collision with
the freight train making a complete
smash up. The coal cars, 20 or 81 in
number, were piled on the bank. The
engine was completely dismantled. and
10 add to the obstruction the oil cars
took fire, causing general conisgrs-
ton. The locomotive Of the oil train
and many cars were destroyed. No
person was injured. The New York
freight train consisted OF twenty.eight
cars, The fifteenth car jumped the
track and striking the end OF
the bridge, carried it off the
abutments, carrying the rest OF the
train on the Reading track twenty feet
below. This disaster had hardly
occurred when a train OF ninety coal
cars, fully laden, came up to the bridge.
The engineer and fireman jumped from
the engine and escaped with their lives,
though sustaining some slight injuries.
In a moment more the coal train col-
lided with terrific force with the huge
pile OF ruins which filled the chasm.
The shock to the coal train threw twelve
OF the cars from the track. while ten
were completely smashed and battered
ny, lying piled upon each other Some
were tossed a distance oil twenty leet
others were thrown back upon the
train and the wreck was complete. In
a few minutes after the collision OF the
coal train conflagration ensued,
which destroyed all the cars that plung-
ed into the cbasm, with all their vaIu>
able merchandise and the locomotive.
The latter was completely destroyed.
The cars Of the New York train con-
tained dry goods. The fire department
was quickly summoned, but despite the
efforts OF the firemen, all that was
combustible went to ashes. The loss
by the disaster can only be roughly es-
timated at $2j0,000. Traffic on both
roads came 10 standstill as far as the
running oi through trainswas concerned.
Both companies at once sent out gangs
of men to clear the track OF the debris,
As the passenger trains on the New
York road arrived on the other side OF
the broken bridge, they were transfer.
red to the opposite side where a train
was in waiting to take them up.