LATER DESPATCHES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 316, 14 November 1888, Page 5

LATER DESPATCHES.

Tujshe were nearly 6000 people from Luzerne and Lackawanna counties in the excursion. There were seventy-eight; cars from Wilkesbarro, the numberof passengeis being about 5500. The sections were all crowded to sutlocation, thus furnishing excellent conditions for tanible loss of life. People Hocked to the depot here, v, ringing their hands in agony. The railroad officials could not or would not give any infoimation, nor would they furnish facilities for any one to go to the scene, though the anxious ones ottered io pay any price. Throughout the night the depot was thronged by hundreds of persons su tiering untold agony over the uncertainty. The throng was loud in its denunciation of the company for refusing all information and causing needless suftenng. At 3.30 a.m. a report gob in circulation that arrangements had been made for the receipt of a large number oc the wounded at hospital. Therumoui was soon continued. The oihcials were expecting twenty-ti\e of the victims. With such a list of wounded coining in this direction the public pulse stood still ovor the horrible possibilities, and a thousand fainting hearts quivered in dread. Many persons, after waiting during the long, weary hours, from 10 to 3 in the mornin, took the south-bound train, which passed here at 3.10 o'clock and went to the scene of the disaster. It was there learned tLat the third section of the excursion train had stood on the track a few hundred yards horn Mud Run waiting for the sections ahead to get out ot the way. A flagman, some say, had been tent back with a lantern to guard the train from the rear. Suddenly a pa^-senger on the rear platform saw a train approaching at a high rate of speed. Several jumped and escaped. In an instant the flush of the headlight illuminated the interior of the ill-fated rear car. There was a frightful crash and the engine plunged full length into the crowded mass of humanity. The shock drove the lear car through the next one two-thirds ot its length, and the second car was forced into the third. Not a single person escaped from the rear car. The second was crowded with maimed and bleeding bodies, and the thiidcar had but few passengers who escaped. The uninjured of both trains made their way out ot the cars, and on going to the telescoped engine and cars the shattered engine was pourine forth streams of scalding bteam and water, winch hid to their eyes the fullest measure ot the horrible bcene, while it» hissing *ound deadened the shrieks and groans ot those imprisoned in the wreck. Ghastly white faces peered into the windows, to be gieeted by faee^ far more ghastly. Some of the dead sat pinioned in their seats erect; as life, staring open-eyed, us it awaie of their horrible surroundings. As the steam and smoke cleared from the rear car awful sights were revealed. Timbers were crushed and wrenched, while on all sides hung mangled bodies and limbs. Few bodies were not mangled, burned or scalded by steam, and little remained in the rear car which bore human semblance. When the shock of the iiist crash had in a measured subsided, the uninjured began to do what could be done tor the unfortunate companions. The few light tools on the train proved feeble instruments, indeed. The St Francis Pioneer corps, who were on the train, plied with zeal the broadaxes meant for holiday occasions. They were, however, but little adapted to the work and were soon rendered useless. In the mean time the windows of the cais were smashed in and brave men entered and released those least entangled. John Lynch of Wilkesbarie was hanging from the roof by one leg His cries brought friends who stood up on the wreckage and held the weight upon their backs until he was released. A young lady was found caught by her lower limbs. One limb was quickly released, but the other could not be freed and unfortunately a misdirected blow of an axesevered it from the body. She heroically bore her coiture but could not survive the shock and soon died. To free the bodies in the rear car the trainmen attached a locomotive to the wrecked engine and started to pull it from the wreck. The firs.t movement of the shattered wreck biought from the wounded such awful ciics of distress that the .surrounding friends ordered the engineer to desist on pain of his lite. They did not wish to see the mangled forms still further mutilated. The few houses about the spot were thrown open to the suffering and bonfires lighted to aid in the work of relief. Passengers on the rear train state that they saw the train ahead when far down the road. The sprang from their seats and .-tared in wonder and burpriee that their train did not slack its speed. Suddenly their engineer and fireman were seen to jump, and then came the shock. Engineer Harry Cook and Fireman Hugh Gallagher sustained slight injuries. The fireman states that he saw the red light, informed the engineer and then jumped. The passengers gave many different account. Of the probable cause of the accident, some attributing it to the negligence of the flagman in not going back with a red light. A train from the scene of the accident arrived this morning, bring a number of thote who went down to make in quiries, and from them the foregoing facts were gleaned. The scenes about the depot are of the most distressful character. At 6.30 this evening the funeral train arrived in Wilkesbarre bearing fifty-seven dead bodies. They had been partially prepared for burial and lay upon boards planed upon the backs of the seats in three passenger coaches. As the train drew up 1o the Wilkesbarre 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 meet the dead. A special coach had been provided for these friends, but they insisted on entering the cars containing the dead, and were only stopped by force and the efforts of five priests who were on the train. One body was removed from the cars at Wilkesbarre. The train then continued on its way up the Delaware and Hudson i load to Miner's Mills and Scianton. The people in the special coach again began to clamor tor permission to enter the funeral

cars, but were aeraln refused, it being alleged Ino one had the keys. Several who were in search of missing friends became dosperate, and .soon broke down the car doors and began a frantic search for their loved ones. Clothes wero torn from the mangled and scalded bodies, revealing gay uniforms of St. Aloysius men and cadets and other members of the society. Those who knew their rolatives wero on boaid also flocked into the cars and began rearranging the coverings of the corpses. Mnny wero distorted and in horrible attitudes, and their tricnds endeavored Lo lessen their frighfcfifl appearance. At Minor's Mills the train slopped to leave the body oi James Mynn. No lights could be obtained, and much of the work was done in partial darkness. It was as the train diew up at Pleasant Valley that the most heartrending scenes were enuefced. Ropes had been stretched about the depot, and guards kept the immonse throng back The shrieks and screams of stricken triendt. and relatives were pitiful in the extreme. The tir^t body carried out was that of Oscar Gibbons, 13 years of acre, borne in the arms, ol his stalwart brother. Then one attor another forby-six while-shcotod bodies were carried oul and given into the charge oi fiiends. The shrieks and cries of women and the hoarse shouts and imprecations of men added to the terrible scene. Tt is impossible to tell the number of woundtd. Twenty-live were brought heie to the hospital and numbers of others sli/hbiy injured have gone to their homes. There aie over fifty dead victim? of the disaster.