APPALLING RAILWAY DISASTER IN AMERICA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1932, 30 November 1888, Page 23

APPALLING RAILWAY DISASTER IN AMERICA.

67 PERSONS KILLED AND 100 INJURED.

HEARTRENDING SCENES.

A fearful collision occurred on October 10 on the Lehigh Valley railway, Ameittca, resulting in the death of 67 persons, while over 100 were wounded. The scene of the disaster was a small station midway between Whitehaven and Pennhaven. Eight thousand excursionists were returning from a Catholic temperance parade at Hamilton, and were being conveyed in three train?. The first consisted of nine carriages, the second of 10, and the third of 12. The first went through all right. Tho second was waiting for the line ahead to be clear, when the third, dashed into it at full speed. Both trains were densely crowded, and the loss of life was terrible. The shock drove the rear carriage off the stationary train, and it was thrown on ahead two-thirds of its length, forcing it into the third carriage. Not a single person escaped alive from the rear carriage. The second was also left with a mass of maimed and bleeding bodies, and from the third only a few escaped. The terrified passengers who were uninjured hurried from the carriages to the spot where the locomotive and carriages were lying. A frightful scene met their eyes. The shattered locomotive was pouring forth streams of steam and water, which added to the horrors of the disaster; while the sound of the escaping steam deadened the shrieks and groans of those imprisoned in the carriages. Some of the dead sat erect in their seats. The timber of the rear carriage was crushed and wrenched, while on all sides hung mangled bodies and limbs. A few bodies which were not mangled were burned or scalded by the steam. The uninjured began at once to do what they could for their unfortunate companions. A young lady was i'ound caught by the legs. One leg was quickly released, but the other could not be freed, and a misdirected blow of an axe severed it from her body. She heroically bore the torture, and taking out a gold watch, handed it to an acquaintance as a gift to a friend at home. She was put in one of the trains with all possible care, but died in the arms of her friends. To free the bodiss in the rear carriage the men attached a locomotive to the wrecked one and started to pull it out. The first movement brought from the wounded such cries of distress that their surrounding friends ordered the engineer to desist on pain of his life. They did not -wish to see the mangled forms still further mutilated. The few houses on the spot were thrown open to the sufferers, and bonfires were lighted to aid in the work of relief. The passengers on the moving traiu say they saw a train standing ahead of them when a long distance away, and Bprang from their seats, wondering why the speed of their train was not slackened. Suddenly they saw the driver and stoker leap from the locomotive when the shock came. Both escaped slightly injured. The stoker says he saw the red light of a lantern which the stationary train had displayed as a signal. He shouted to the driver, and both jumped off. The aooident is charged to the carelessness of the' diiver, who had half a mile clear ahead in which the red light was plainly visible. He said he had been on duty 48 hours without rest, and had fallen asleep from exhaus-

Another account says the crash was terrific. Part of the wrecked train with the maimed and dead entangled in the debris rolled down an embankment 60ft to 80ft. deep, while the other cars remained on the track. The engines scattered steam and fire upon the wreck so dreadfully that not even the appealing shrieks of tho injured could keep the rescuers afc work, until one brave man, risking an explosion of the boilers, drew the fires and prevented further disaster. The work of rescuing the injured proceeded with the light of the bonfires until daylight. In the morning 40 doctors were in attendance rfpon the sufferers. Many singular and pathetic jdcidenta are .reported concerning the Shocking disaster.- One young woman, seeing th^approaohing train leaped ont of .the car, but suddenly remembering that some children

in her care were in the train, she re-entered the car to rescue them,, and was crushed to death. One man was left hanging from the roof of a car by his fractured leg. His friends held him on their backs for two hours until he was safely released.

— " I could gaze at the moon for hoars, Mr Sampson," she said, in a voice full of sweetness and pneumonia ; " I never tire of it." " Ah," he responded, " would that I were the man in it ! " " Yes, so do I," she assented, softly. "And why, Miss Clara?" he asked, getting ready to take her hand. " Because, Mr Sampson," she said, shyly veiling her eyes with their long lashes, "you would be 300,000 miles away 1 " — Personce, Landlord and Steward: "Have you tied up the butter?"— "lt is done, sir." — " And chained down the cheese 7 " — " Yes, sir." — "Are the imitation tomatoes on?"— " They are, sir." — " Where is the wax fruit 7" — " On the sideboard."— " Then you can lead the chicken through the soup, wave the ham bone over the china eggs, and serve up the porcelain steak."— Detroit Free Press. —Wife : "On the 25th of October we shall celebrate our silver wedding. Don't you think we ought to kill the fat pig and have a big feast ? " Husband : " Kill the pig ! I don't see how the unfortunate animal is to blame for what happened 25 years ago."