Mud Run Disaster
Encyclopedia
The Mud Run Disaster was a train wreck which occurred on October 10, 1888 at Mud Run station in Kidder Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, on the Lehigh Valley Railroad
when a train ran into the back of another, killing 66 people.
from a 20,000 person rally in Hazleton, Pennsylvania
. Altogether 5,000 were returning to Luzerne
and Lackawanna
counties via the railroad, and to accommodate this great number eight trains were provided ("laid on"), running at ten-minute intervals. Each train had between 8 and 12 cars and was headed by two engines to cope with the steep grades between Penn Haven and Hazle Creek Junctions through what is now the Lehigh Gorge State Park
; lookouts were posted on the engines to watch ahead for signals. The first four trains had passed through without incident but as the fifth passed through Mud Run station it stopped 500 yards beyond the station as there was no 'All Clear' signal displayed ahead. The flagman and conductor hung a red light on the rear car and walked back along the track to warn the 6th train which was approaching Mud Run. It had passed an eastbound train which normally indicates the single track ahead was now clear. The lookouts on the 6th train failed to see the red signal at Mud Run station and by the time they noticed the light being waved frantically by the conductor and flagman of the 5th train it was too late to avoid a collision, which happened at 10 pm.
into the rear car and drove it two thirds of its length into the next car; which was in turn pushed into the third. No-one survived in the rear car 'on all sides hung mangled bodies and limbs' whilst the second was described as 'crowded with maimed and bleeding bodies'. An attempt was made to withdraw the engine from the third car but brought 'such awful cries of distress that it was abandoned'. In all 66 were killed and 50 injured; 37 of the dead were from the small village of Pleasant Valley (later renamed Avoca
), many were teenage members of the Drum and Bugle Corps
of the Aloysius Society
.
Lehigh Valley Railroad
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal.It was authorized April 21, 1846 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and incorporated September 20, 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad...
when a train ran into the back of another, killing 66 people.
Trains
The trains concerned were taking home members of the Catholic Total Abstinence Union of AmericaCatholic Total Abstinence Union of America
The work of Father Mathew in promoting temperance across the U.S. led to the establishment of numerous separate and independent Catholic temperance groups. The Catholic temperance societies of Connecticut created a state union in 1871, from which a national union was formed the following year at a...
from a 20,000 person rally in Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,340 at the 2010 census, an increase of 8.6% from the 2000 census count .-Greater Hazleton:...
. Altogether 5,000 were returning to Luzerne
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
and Lackawanna
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 213,295 people, 86,218 households, and 55,783 families residing in the county. The population density was 465 people per square mile . There were 95,362 housing units at an average density of 208 per square mile...
counties via the railroad, and to accommodate this great number eight trains were provided ("laid on"), running at ten-minute intervals. Each train had between 8 and 12 cars and was headed by two engines to cope with the steep grades between Penn Haven and Hazle Creek Junctions through what is now the Lehigh Gorge State Park
Lehigh Gorge State Park
Lehigh Gorge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Luzerne and Carbon Counties, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park encompasses the Lehigh Gorge, which stretches along the Lehigh River from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control dam in Luzerne County to Jim Thorpe in Carbon County...
; lookouts were posted on the engines to watch ahead for signals. The first four trains had passed through without incident but as the fifth passed through Mud Run station it stopped 500 yards beyond the station as there was no 'All Clear' signal displayed ahead. The flagman and conductor hung a red light on the rear car and walked back along the track to warn the 6th train which was approaching Mud Run. It had passed an eastbound train which normally indicates the single track ahead was now clear. The lookouts on the 6th train failed to see the red signal at Mud Run station and by the time they noticed the light being waved frantically by the conductor and flagman of the 5th train it was too late to avoid a collision, which happened at 10 pm.
Collision
The full length of the lead engine telescopedTelescoping (railway)
In a railway accident, telescoping occurs when the underframe of one vehicle overrides that of another, and smashes through the second vehicle's body...
into the rear car and drove it two thirds of its length into the next car; which was in turn pushed into the third. No-one survived in the rear car 'on all sides hung mangled bodies and limbs' whilst the second was described as 'crowded with maimed and bleeding bodies'. An attempt was made to withdraw the engine from the third car but brought 'such awful cries of distress that it was abandoned'. In all 66 were killed and 50 injured; 37 of the dead were from the small village of Pleasant Valley (later renamed Avoca
Avoca, Pennsylvania
Avoca is a borough within the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, ten miles northeast of Wilkes Barre and nine miles southwest of Scranton. The population was 2,851 at the 2000 census...
), many were teenage members of the Drum and Bugle Corps
Drum and bugle corps (modern)
A drum and bugle corps, also known as a drum corps, is a musical marching unit consisting of brass instruments, percussion instruments, and color guard. Typically operating as independent non-profit organizations, drum corps perform in competitions, parades, festivals, and other civic functions...
of the Aloysius Society
Aloysius Society
The Aloysius Society is a philanthropic group of Oxford University students dedicated to supporting those in need around the globe. Aloysius members organise large-scale events to raise money and awareness for their chosen charities...
.