A fatal railroad accident occurred at the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Market Street grade crossing in October 1929, Elizabethville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania., as reported by the Elizabethville Echo, October 10, 1929:
THREE BROTHERS IN GRADE CROSSING ACCIDENT; ONE FATALLY INJURED
Adam Schwenk, 48 is dead and his two brothers, John Schwenk, 40, and James Schwenk, 55, received slight injuries about 6:30 o’clock, Friday morning, when the car in which they were riding was struck by a freight engine, at the South Market Street grade crossing over the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks in town.
The three brothers are employed as lumberman by C. W. Cook on a tract on Mahantongo Mountain near Pillow. They had left their home on Lyter Street, with Adam as driver of the car.
The engine was running “light” and was in charge of H. A. Wagner, engineer, and G. A. Garby, a fireman, both of Lykens. The men were making the run from Lykens to Millersburg.
The light sedan was struck and carried perhaps a hundred feet before the locomotive was brought to a stop opposite the blacksmith shop of the Swab Wagon Company.
Workers who were awaiting transportation about the central section of town and Wagon Company laborers rushed to the scene to extricate the brothers from the wreckage. Dr. M. D. Lehr of Lykens was called but arrived after they had been removed in the ambulance of George F. Buffington.
At Millersburg, examination was made by Dr. J. A. Bogar who discharged James and John after treating them for miner lacerations and bruises. He ordered Adam to be taken to the Harrisburg Hospital. Examination revealed he sustained fractures of both legs, ribs and a vertebrae of the spinal column. He succumbed in that institution Friday afternoon, about six hours after the accident.
The car was demolished. Shattered glass was scattered on both sides of the track as were tools and contents of the car. The chassis is a twisted piece of metal and battered engine. The pilot was the only part of the locomotive damaged. All the brothers are unmarried.
Funeral services were held from the residence on Lyter Street, at two o’clock, Monday afternoon, Rev. W. Z. Artz, pastor of Salem Lutheran Church, town, officiated and burial was made in Maple Grove Cemetery.
Deceased was a son of Adam Schwenk and Sophia Schwenk, and was born in Jackson Township, July 16, 1881, and was baptized in infancy. He is survived by his mother and three brothers: Jacob Schwenk, Armstrong Valley; James Schwenk and John Schwenk, at home.
Coroner Holds Inquest
After an investigation, Coroner J. H. Kreider, conducted an inquest into the victim’s death, in the Hotel Washington, town, Tuesday evening, when testimony of the witness and train crew was heard.
After hearing this, the jury rendered the following verdict:
“Adam Schwenk came to his death from injuries received by being struck by a shifting engine of the Pennsylvania Railroad while riding in an automobile on South Market Street, Elizabethville, Pennsylvania, on October 4th [1929].”
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News article from Newspapers.com.
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