Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1892 — THIRTEEN ARE KILLED. [ARTICLE]

THIRTEEN ARE KILLED.

A. Disastrous Collision on the Pennsylvania, at Harrisburg. Caused by the Telescoping of the First Section of the Western Express by the Sefiond Section—The Number of Injured Placed at Forty. The most disastrous wreck.that hasever occurred in Harrisburg, Pa., took place Saturday, June 25. at 12:30 o’clock at Dock stceet. The second section of' th* Western express ran iptothe first section completely telescoping two cars; Among the killed are Richard Adams and wife, a furniture man of Harrisburg, an unknown man from Altoona, and a man from New York, Five dead bodies have been taken to the morgue at the Pennsylvania depot. The number of Injuredris placed at-forty, but at this hour (2;30) it is impossible to authenticate this report. It is raining hard, which greatly, .retards the work of rescue. Robert Pitcairn and Mr. Westinghouse and famliyjof Pittsburg were on the ill-fated brain but escaped unhurt. Thirteen bodies have been recovered. The first section of the train was stopped at the Dock street tower for orders, and when it was about to start the second section crashed into it, wrecking five cars and the locomotive of the second section. One car fell on its tilde and the fire department was called out, a report being cireulated that the wreck was on fire, but it fortunately proved false. The passengers were hemmed in the broken cars, and many were assisted to places of safety by tlfose who first reached the scene. \

The operator at Steeltou is alleged to be responsible for the accident in having given Conductor Kelly, of Philadelphia, the wrong signal. The short curve at Dockatreot also made the accident more serious than it would otherwise have been. The baggage car next to the end was the one in tho second section wrecked. None of the ‘’trainmen were hurt. The private car of George Westinghouse of Pittsburg was the last on tho first train and its weight crushed the two day coaches ahead into kindling wood. Nobody in the Westtnghouse car was hurt except the porter, and he was but slightly injured. * The city hospital Is full of the injured, and their moans and cries can be heard a square away, Hughey Kelly and Harry Neill, the on glneer and fireman of the second section, are both from Philadelphia. They stuck to ihrir posts, the fireman e: p aining aft r the accident that they had not even time to think or jump, It all came so suddenly. The mangled bodies were In several instances unrecognizable. One car had to be jacked np to recover the body of a woman, whose head was crushed. tQjq.shapeless mass. The clothing was torn from her body. At 3.30 a. m. the best information is that ten persons were killed and about thirty injured.