| Show A FRIGHTFUL AFFAIR SICKENING DETAILS OF THE IN seven corpses from the terrible wreck WILKES BABEE pa oct 11 the first word of the dreadful accident at mud him on the lehigh valley road was received at 10 last night there were nearly six thousand people from auzeme and Jjack awanna counties in the excursion there were seventy eight cars from Wilkes barre the number of passengers being about the sections were all crowded to suffocation fur bishing conditions for the terrible loss of life people flocked to the depot wringing their hands in agony railroad officials could not or would not give any information nor would they furnish facilities lor any one to go to the scene though anxious ones offered to pay any price throughout the night the depot was thronged thron ged by hundreds of persons suffering untold agony over the uncertainty the throng was loud in its denunciation of the company for refusing all information causing needless suffering at a rumor was m circulation that arrangements had been made fur the receipt of a large number of wounded at the hospital the rumor was soon confirmed the officials were expecting twenty five of the victims with such a list of wounded coming in this direction the public pulse stood still over the horrible possibilities ties and thousands of fainting hearts quivered in dread many persons after waiting during tho long weary hours from ton to three in the morning took the southbound south bound train which passed here at and went to the scene of the disaster it was there learned that the third section of the excursion train had stood on the track a few hundred yards from mud eun waiting for the sections ahead to get out of th e way A flagman some say had been sent back with a lantern to guard the tram from the rear suddenly the passengers on the rear platform saw a train approaching pro aching at a high rate ofa speed several jumped and escaped in an instant the flash of the headlight illuminated lumina ted the interior of the ill fated rear car there was a crash and the engine plunged full length into a crowded mass of humanity the shock drove the rear car through the next one two thirds in length the second car was forced into the third not a single person escaped from the roar car the second was crowded with maimed bleeding bodies the third car had but a few passengers who escaped the uninjured of both trains made their way out of the cars and on going to the telescoped engine and cars found the shattered engine forth streams of scalding steam and water which hid from their eyes the fullest measure of the horrible scene while its hissing sound deadened the shrieks and groans of those imprisoned in the wreck ghastly white faces peered into the windows to be greeted by faces far more ghastly some of the dead sat pinioned in the seats erect as life staring open eyed as if aware of their horrible surroundings As the steam and smoke cleared from the rear car an awful sight was revealed timbers were crushed and wrenched while on all sides hung mangled bodies and limbs there were few bodies that were not man sled burned or scalded by steam and atlo remained in the rear car which bore human resemblance when the shock of the first crash had in a measure subsided the uninjured began to do what could be done for their unfortunate companions the few light tools on the train proved feeble instruments st indeed the st francis pioneer corps who were on the train plied with zeal broad axes meant for heavy occasions which were however but little adapted to the work and were soon rendered useless in the meantime the windows of the cars were smashed in and brave men entered andje leased those least hurt or least tangled john lynch of wilkes barre was hanging from the roof by one leg his cries brought friends who stood upon the wreckage and held the weight upon backs until ho was released A young lady was found caught by her lower limbs one limb was quickly released but the other could not be freed unfortunately a misdirected blow of the axe edit from the body she heroically bore her torture but could not survive the and soon died to free the bodies in the rear car the trainmen attached the locomotive to the arck the engine started to pull ithrom the wreck the first movement of the shattered wreck brought from the wounded such awful cries of distress that surrounding friends ordered the engineer to desist on pain of his lifo they did not wish to see the mangled forms further mutilated ti the few houses about the spot were thrown open to the suffering and bonfires were lighted to aid the work of relief is not probable the work will be completed before noon A train from the scene of the accident arrived this morning bringing a number of those who went down to make enquiries and from whom the foregoing facts were gleaned the scenes about the depot are of the most distressing character A special train oi three cars arrived here at 5 this morning from the wreck with twenty four injured they wore placed in the citti hospital mcay of the injured were badly bur sparks from the engine stack passengers anthe rear train state they saw th e train ahead when far down the road they sprang from their seats or stared m wonder and surprise that their train did not slacken speed suddenly the engineer and fireman were seen to jump then came the shock engineer harry cook and fireman hugh Gralla gher sustained slight injuries the fireman saw a red light and informed the engineer and then jumped passengers give many different accounts of the probable causo of the accident some attributing it to negligence of the flagman in not going back with a red light two of the wounded at the hospital died this morning six or eight mo rowill die the bodies of the dead will be brought to white haven this afternoon where they will be placed in caskets and forwarded to their homes there are ahll a number of dead unidentified bulletin the most reliable mates give the number of killed as 55 with wounded 40 at 6 SO this evening the funeral train arrived in Wilkes barre bearing fifty seven dead bodies they had been partially prepared for burial and lay upon boards placed upon the backs of the seats in three passenger coaches As the train drew up to the Wilko depot a dozen policemen were required to keep back the frantic crowd of friends and relatives who had come from scranton and pleasant valley to meat the dead al special coach had been provided for these friends but they insisted on entering the car containing the dead and were only stopped by dorco and the efforts of civo priests who were on the train one body was removed from the cars at Wilkes barre the train then continued on its way up the delaware and hudson road to miners mill and the people in the special coach again began to clamor for permission to enter the funeral cars but were again refused it being alleged that no one had keys several who were in search of missing friends became desperate and soon broke down the car doors and began a frantic search for their loved ones clothes were torn from the mangled and scalded bodies revealing the gay uniforms of the st aloysius men cabets cadets and other members of the society those who knew their relatives were on board also flocked into the cars and began rearranging the attire and coverings of the corpses many were distorted and in horrible attitudes and their friends endeavored to lessen their frightful appearance at miners mills the tram stopped to eave the body of james flohn no lights could be obtained and much of tho work was done in partial dark ness it was as the train drew up at pleasant valley that the most heartrending chenes were enacted hopes had been stretched about the depot and guards kept the immense throng back the shrieks and screams of stricken friends and relatives were pitiful in the extreme the first body carried out was that of oscar gibbons 13 years of age bamo bomo in the arms of his stalwart brother then one after another forty six white sheeted bodies were earned out and given into the charge of friends tho shrieks and aries of the women and the hoarse shouts and imprecations of the men made a terrible scene when all were out the train again pulled out to bear tho remaining dead to scranton minooka and points beyond it is impossible to tell the number of wounded twenty five were brought here to the hospital and numbers of others slightly injured have gone to their homes pa oct 13 at pleasant valley this morning twenty eight priests assisted at the funeral services over thirty three victims of the and bun disaster the entire population was present bev father crane preached an eloquent sermon the bodies were interred in the catholic cemetery amid the saddest scenes ever witnessed here |
