FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 29, 4 February 1899, Page 5 (Supplement)

FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT

• A NEW YORK EXFPJESS DASHB3 ! INTO A STANDING TRAIN.

On December 21 a collision occurred on the Pennsylvania Railroad three miles Irczn Rahway, which res-aited n? the iosa of- two lives and. the serious, but not fatal, injury of four mors persons.

About twenty persons were cut and bruised, and nearly all the occupants of both trains in collision were, thrown from their berths.

The accident occurred between a train (No. 104) known as the Chicago and New York Express, and train No. l», known as the Eastern Express. When chree miies j from Rahway, N.J., shortly before 7 : o'clock, the Chicago and New York 33xpress was stopped, according to its engineer, by signal. A rather thick ;:o? pro- !% Vailed. The Eastern Express, coming up j from behind at ;.ibofut twenty miles en hour, dashed into >,'o. 104, sending a !>ag,'gage car off the track and. crushing through into the Pullman sleeper, which - contained fifteen passengers, the Pullman conductor and the coloured porter. The engine of No. C did not come to a stop | until half of the sleeping car was. cut into kindling wood. The coloured porter and W. O. De Wolf, a. passenger, were caught on the top of the boiler, their bodies- twisted' by the debris and badly Jgj mangled. The engine of No. 6 was badly dam§l aged and the tender was thrown from ; the track. Beyond the smashing of a I Southern Express car and car platforms,

train No. 6 sustained no other. damage, I : ( and none of its passengers were seriously ') hurt. Previous to the collision John ,Van Derver, the engineer of train No.. G, and his fireman jumped off. Both re-

ceived scalp wounds. Train No. 104 was composed chiefly of

Ktfi ttail and express cars. The sleeper was

■&$\ the only passenger car it carried. The ■ rear baggage car was empty and proved tut a slight impediment to the engine of

■ ■ No. 6, which tMrced its way through. The ■• Passengers in the Bacriholdi were thrown forward, amid broketn woodwork, escaptoe steam and Hying- glass. The car top- . Pled over on its s-ide and lay slanting on the bank. The unhurt passengers scram- .•" ■ bled through the tvindorwa. For two hours ' two women ana two men lay pinned down by debris, suffering, from their wounds. ' & was impossible to get them out until • after the arrival cf the wrecking train. i' about half-past Z-. The passengers of both ;i trains were tyken to New York on other i; ' trains.