A news article and photograph from the West Schuylkill Herald (Tower City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania), 14 August 1908, describing the passenger train wreck that occurred on the Williams Valley Railroad after the train left Tower City, on its way to Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The final destination of the train was Lykens. Two members of the crew were killed: Jacob Schrader, the engineer; and Charles Ansbach, the fireman.
TWO MEN KILLED IN RAILROAD ACCIDENT
THE OVERTURNED ENGINE. X shows where fireman was pinned under boiler.
The most disastrous wreck in the history of the Williams Valley Railroad was that which occurred at 11:23 o’clock, Friday morning, 7 August 1980, in which both the engineer, Jacob Schroeder and fireman Charles Alspach lost their lives. None of the train crew or passengers were injured.
The scene of the wreck was in Sheridan, Porter Township, just north of the Tallman farm, 1/2 mile west of Tower City.
The ill-fated train is known as No. 30, running between Lebanon and Lykens. In addition to the engineer and fireman, the crew was made up of conductor Elijah Manwiller; baggage master Elias Hawk and flagman Arthur Wilson. The train consisted of engine No. 193, a combination baggage and mail car, smoker and ladies’ coach. The train left Tower City on time and was proceeding on its way to Williamstown, tender first, at a speed of 20 miles an hour, when suddenly the front wheels of the tender left the track. Engineer Schroeder immediately applied the air brakes. The train suddenly plunged into the woods on the south side and about the same instant the engine stood in the air, toppling over on the north side. The first coach also toppled tot the north side. The sudden application of the air brakes and the almost instantaneous stopping of the train resulted in a severe shaking up of the crew and 14 passengers aboard the train. In a few minutes, however, all had recovered their composure and left the cars to find out what had occurred.
The first to arrive at the engine was F. W. Sanner, of Tremont and C. J. Price, mine inspector, to Lykens. The two men were passengers on the train and were seated together. The conductor, crew and male passengers quickly followed.
Upon leaving the cars they found the engine almost invisible on account of the large volume of steam that was escaping from the broken pipes of the wrecked locomotive. As soon as they could get near enough they hastened to the cab and found the engineer Schroeder a short distance from the cab crawling into the woods. His first words were for his fireman. He next asked that his clothing be removed as he was in terrible pain. It was evident at a glance that he had been severely scalded by the escaping steam.
The injured man was placed on a stretcher, which had been procured from the baggage coach and the men began stripping the clothing from Mr. Schroeder and as they continued the work the skin peeled off in long pieced from all parts of the body. His tongue and the interior of his throat was also horribly scalded. William hands carried him to the home of Henry Snyder, just south of the railroad, where Drs. Hawk, Philips and Stutzman, who had been summoned, made the man as comfortable as possible, but it was readily seen that the end was not far off. Mr. Schroeder was later taken to Pottsville on a special train and taken to the hospital, where he died about an hour after he was admitted.
In the meantime news of the accident rapidly spread to the surrounding country and hundreds of men, women and children were soon of the scene. The lifeless body of fireman Charles Alspach was under the cab, with the head only visible. The body lay face upward, on a rock, the weight of the engine having crushed in his chest. Death was undoubtedly instantaneous, though the lower part of his body was afterward terribly scalded by the steam. Mr. Alspach carried a watch in his vest pocket and wore spectacles. After his body had been taken out from under the cab it was found that the watch was still running and the eye glasses were unbroken. The wet clothing was removed from his body and the remains were later taken to Tremont on the same special train that carried the injured engineer.
Mr. Schroeder and Mr. Alspach were railroaders for over 30 years and were always known as competent, faithful and careful employees, not only by the officials but by all railroaders who knew them. They were both highly respected citizens of Tremont and their unnatural death has cast a gloom over that community.
Alsach was 50 years of age and leaves to survive his widow and the following children:
Irvin Alspach, of Tremont; William Alspach, of Brooklyn; and Mrs. Bessie Kendter, of Tremont.
Schroeder was 60 years of age, and is survived by his widow and the following children:
Mary Schroeder, married, residing at Lebanon; Alice Schroeder, married, residing at Wilmington; John Schroeder, Schuylkill Haven; Dora Schroeder, married, of Reading; Mrs. Caroline Schwalm, Tremont; Mrs. Bertha Imschweiler, Fernwood; Miss Carrie Schroeder, at home.
Both funerals took place on Monday and were very largely attended. The body of Alspach was interred in the Lutheran Cemetery at Tremont, Rev. Sharp, pastor of the English Lutheran Church, officiating. The remains of Shroeder were taken to Auburn for interment, the funeral being conveyed thither on a special train of two cars. The services were conducted by Rev. McNeal, pastor, the Methodist Episcopal Church.
All the P. & R. officials from Superintendent Keffer down arrived on the scene in a special train at about 4:30 o’clock and work was at once started to clear away the wreckage. The work continued, watched by hundreds of people until four o’clock next morning when the work was finished and track put in shape for the resumption of traffic. In the meantime passengers had been transferred. The locomotive, tender and cards were not much damaged and were taken to the shops on their own trucks.
THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT
Just what caused the tender to leave the tracks is hard to say, but all evidence points to the theory that the break beam on the first truck of the tender fell, causing the truck to leave the rails.
A mark in the sill in the centre of the road and the condition of the beam supports this theory. The road bed where the tank left the tracks was in excellent condition and trackmen and officials who measured the gauge immediately after the accident found it to be in perfect gauge. The road at the place where the accident happened is perfectly straight for several hundred yards. New sills were placed in that part of the road several months ago. Mervin Thompson a well known young man of Sheridan, who walked along the road about 20 minutes before the accident happened says that there was nothing along the road which might have caused the accident. He was walking along the railroad, being about 150 yards away, when the wreck occurred.
THE INQUEST
Deputy Coroner John J. Ganley, of Tower City, held an inquest to inquire into the cause of the death of the fireman and engineer, on Wednesday afternoon. The following was the jury: W. F. Jones; E. B. Jenkyn; W. F. Knecht; J. Frank Tallman; Charles F. Klinger; and A. C. Schreiner.
The witnesses were Elijah Manwiller, conductor; Elias Haug, baggage master; Arthur Wilson, flagman, composing the crew of the wrecked train; F. W. Sanner, a passenger; John Michael, track foreman; Mervin Thompson, who witnessed the wreck; and C. & I. policeman Thomas Ryan, who assisted the railway officials in making an investigation after the wreck. The testimony brought out nothing new from that already given in this article.
For other blog posts describing this accident, see: Wreck Near Williamstown.
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Photo and news article transcribed from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.