York, PA (near) Trolley Car Collision, Sep 1905

FREIGHT HITS TROLLEY.

FIVE KILLED AND SEVENTY-FIVE HURT NEAR YORK, PA.

MANY ARE SERIOUSLY INJURED.

MOTORMAN AND CONDUCTOR OF TROLLEY CAR SAW RAPIDLY MOVING TRAIN IN TIME TO JUMP, BUT NOT A PASSENGER WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE BEFORE THE CRASH -- MISTAKE IN SIGNALS PROBABLE CAUSE OF ACCIDENT.

York, Pa., Sept. 9. -- Five persons were killed and seventy-five injured in a collision between a passenger and freight trolley car today on the York and Dallastown Electric Railway, near Stableys Switch, about six miles from here. Two victims were killed instantly and three died later at a hospital here. The dead:
HENRY SPRINKLE, of Yoe.
P. L. SENFT, Dallastown.
SETH SENFT, Dallastown.
ELMER E. SHINDLER, WIndsor.
RALPH MILLIGAN, York.
The hospital is filled with the injured, some of them suffering from serious wounds.
The most seriously injured are:
JOHN E. MARS, Millersville, rib broken, hurt internally.
JOHN E. FOLLER, York, head lacerated.
MRS. JOHN E. FOLLER, York, head and face injured.
CARRIE NORRIS, New Park, leg broken.
ROBERT BOSE, motorman of freight car, arm broken.
AARON LEHMAN, cut and bruised, hurt internally, will likely die.
BENJAMIN MUSSER, Windsorville, internally injured, will die.
JEROME FLINCHBACH, Red Lion, pelvis broken, may die.
FRANK NESS, cut about head, badly injured.
Although the cause of the accident has not been explained, it is supposed to have been due to a mistake in signals.
The wrecked passenger car left York at 4 o'clock for Dallastown, Red Lion, and Windsor. It was in charge of "Semp" MEAISENHELDER, motorman, and CALVIN SNYDER, conductor. The car was crowded, the register showing 102 fares. When Stabley's switch was reached the motorman saw the freight car not more than 100 feet away approaching at a rapid rate. This car was in charge of AARON LEHMAN and SALEM SPIES, with ROBERT BOSE as baggage master.
MEAISENHELDER applied the brakes, and with a warning cry, jumped for his life. He was followed by Conductor SNYDER. Both escaped serious injury. But the passengers inside were unable to help themselves. They became panic stricken and made desperate efforts to escape, but before one of them could jump from the car the crash came.
The noise of the collision, followed by the cries of the injured, attracted the attention of the farmers in the vicinity, who rendered all the aid possible. Twenty of the more seriously injured were placed on the freight car and brought to this city. A special car with physicians and nurses was dispatched to the scene of the accident, and all of the injured received medical attention. Some were cared for in nearby farm houses and others were brought here in special cars. It is not known whether any of the injured are fatally hurt.

The Washington Post District of Columbia 1905-09-10
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!