Rockport train wreck
Encyclopedia
The Rockport train wreck happened at Rockport, New Jersey in Mansfield Township
just outside Hackettstown
on June 16, 1925 when a violent storm washed earth and gravel onto a level crossing, derailing a Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad train, killing 50 people.
in Germany
. The train would take them to Hoboken, New Jersey
where they would board the transatlantic Pacific steamer to take the rest of the way. The trip was organised every year to allow mid-western Germans to visit their homeland.
The train's comprised locomotive No. 1104 pulling two passenger coaches and five Pullman cars
. The train left Chicago mid-morning on 15th June, travelling through Buffalo
and Binghamton
. At Scranton
there was a crew change before the train set off southeast through Moscow
, Gouldsboro
and Pocono Summit
, crossing the Delaware River
near the Delaware Water Gap
, then travelling east into New Jersey heading for Morristown
and on to Hoboken where their ship was waiting.
In a twist of fate, the train, which had originally been scheduled to travel via Blairstown, NJ on the Lackawanna Cut-Off, was re-routed due to heavy freight traffic on the Cut-Off. The towerman at Slateford Junction (near the Delaware Water Gap
), who may have been aware that the train was hours ahead of the departure time for the transatlantic portion of the passengers' trip, decided that the special should instead travel over a route called the Old Road, a former mainline, but now a branchline, of the Lackawanna Railroad. What this did was to re-route the train so that it would travel through Washington, NJ and Hackettstown, NJ before rejoining the main line near Lake Hopatcong
. Since the accident would occur near Hackettstown, the rerouting of the train off of the Cut-Off and onto the Old Road was the key decision that unwittingly led to the wreck.
Joseph Snyder, a local farmer witnessed the crash and raised the alarm and the citizens and doctors of Hackettstown soon arrived, having had little rest after the earlier fire. They met a scene of intense suffering: very few of the crew and passengers had been killed instantly; in fact, only seven dead were taken from the wreckage and many faced hours of agony before they eventually died. Pillows and sheets from the Pullman cars were used to try and ease the suffering. Snyder recounted "There were men and women and kids all around everywhere, screaming worse than I ever heard".
An investigation found that it had just been an accident with no blame to be apportioned. Today a small garden and a brass plaque mark the site where 50 people died or were fatally injured, 'some from the impact of the crash but most from the inescapable steam'.
Mansfield Township, Warren County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,653 people, 2,334 households, and 1,750 families residing in the township. The population density was 222.3 people per square mile . There were 2,415 housing units at an average density of 80.7 per square mile...
just outside Hackettstown
Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 9,724. The town is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley....
on June 16, 1925 when a violent storm washed earth and gravel onto a level crossing, derailing a Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad train, killing 50 people.
Train
The train concerned was a non-scheduled special train carrying 182 German-Americans travelling from Chicago, Illinois to BremenBremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The train would take them to Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
where they would board the transatlantic Pacific steamer to take the rest of the way. The trip was organised every year to allow mid-western Germans to visit their homeland.
The train's comprised locomotive No. 1104 pulling two passenger coaches and five Pullman cars
Pullman (car or coach)
In the United States, Pullman was used to refer to railroad sleeping cars which were built and operated on most U.S. railroads by the Pullman Company from 1867 to December 31, 1968....
. The train left Chicago mid-morning on 15th June, travelling through Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and Binghamton
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
. At Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
there was a crew change before the train set off southeast through Moscow
Moscow, Pennsylvania
Moscow is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,026 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Moscow is located at ....
, Gouldsboro
Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania
Gouldsboro is a small village located in Lehigh Township in Wayne County, Pennsylvania.Parts of Clifton Township, Thornhurst Township, and Covington Township in Lackawanna County, as well as a very small portion of Coolbaugh Township in Monroe County are serviced by the Gouldsboro Post Office, and...
and Pocono Summit
Pocono Summit, Pennsylvania
Pocono Summit is a community or populated place located in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. Parts of Pocono Summit are located under the municipalities of Coolbaugh and Tobyhanna townships.-Geography:...
, crossing the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
near the Delaware Water Gap
Delaware Water Gap
The Delaware Water Gap is on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania where the Delaware River cuts through a large ridge of the Appalachian Mountains...
, then travelling east into New Jersey heading for Morristown
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
and on to Hoboken where their ship was waiting.
In a twist of fate, the train, which had originally been scheduled to travel via Blairstown, NJ on the Lackawanna Cut-Off, was re-routed due to heavy freight traffic on the Cut-Off. The towerman at Slateford Junction (near the Delaware Water Gap
Delaware Water Gap
The Delaware Water Gap is on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania where the Delaware River cuts through a large ridge of the Appalachian Mountains...
), who may have been aware that the train was hours ahead of the departure time for the transatlantic portion of the passengers' trip, decided that the special should instead travel over a route called the Old Road, a former mainline, but now a branchline, of the Lackawanna Railroad. What this did was to re-route the train so that it would travel through Washington, NJ and Hackettstown, NJ before rejoining the main line near Lake Hopatcong
Lake Hopatcong
Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in the state of New Jersey, USA, approximately 4 square miles in area. The lake is located in the mountains of northern New Jersey, north of Netcong and along the border between Sussex and Morris counties.The lake is within the borders of four...
. Since the accident would occur near Hackettstown, the rerouting of the train off of the Cut-Off and onto the Old Road was the key decision that unwittingly led to the wreck.
Wreck
On the evening of Monday June 15, a violent thunderstorm hit Hackettstown. A bolt of lightning struck a lumberyard setting it ablaze and lighting the night sky. Despite the efforts of the townspeople the yard was burnt to the ground. The torrential rain associated with the storm was also washing earth and debris down a 300-foot steep grade next to the railroad and onto Rockport Crossing just outside the town. The road had undergone repair earlier in the day and the rain washed the loose debris down the road and onto the railroad crossing. Trains normally pass this section at 70 mph but due to the terrible weather the engineer on No. 1104 had slowed to 50 mph. At 2.25 am the locomotive ploughed into six inches of debris and derailed, coming to rest on its side; the first two passenger cars ended up piled on top of the locomotive. The collision had ripped off all the valves and steam fittings from the boiler, allowing pressurized steam to spray into the cars above, scalding to death those passengers who had survived the initial impact. The New York Times dubbed the first coach as the "Death Car".Joseph Snyder, a local farmer witnessed the crash and raised the alarm and the citizens and doctors of Hackettstown soon arrived, having had little rest after the earlier fire. They met a scene of intense suffering: very few of the crew and passengers had been killed instantly; in fact, only seven dead were taken from the wreckage and many faced hours of agony before they eventually died. Pillows and sheets from the Pullman cars were used to try and ease the suffering. Snyder recounted "There were men and women and kids all around everywhere, screaming worse than I ever heard".
An investigation found that it had just been an accident with no blame to be apportioned. Today a small garden and a brass plaque mark the site where 50 people died or were fatally injured, 'some from the impact of the crash but most from the inescapable steam'.
External links
- ICC Report
- www.hackettstownlife.com forum with photographs of the accident
- Mansfield Township was the scene of one of the worst railroad disasters 85 years ago
- Historians mark 85th anniversary of Warren County's deadliest accident, a train derailment that made international headlines
- Sterling Daily Gazette, Illinois, 1925-06-16
- Sterling Daily Gazette, Illinois, 1925-06-17