— 100 Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Mud Run Disaster…100 Lives Lost.” 10-12-1888, p. 1.[1]
–64-66 Blanchard estimated fatality range.[2]
— 66 The Morning Call, Allentown, PA. “Other Valley-area…Disasters…” 3-26-1992.
— 66 The Morning Call, Allentown. “1888 Saw Region’s Worst Train Wreck…” 3-16-2000.
— 64 Haine. Railroad Wrecks. 1993, p. 31.
— 64 Reed, R.C. Train Wrecks…Pictorial History of Accidents on The Main Line. 1968, 102.
— 64 Simonsen, Mary Lydon. The Mud Run Train Wreck. 2015. (Amazon.com overview.)
— 64 Wikipedia. “Mud Run disaster.” 8-4-2017 edit.[3]
— 63 Daily Journal (Logansport, IN). “The Year’s Disasters,” 1-2-1889, p. 4.
— 63 Philadelphia Record Almanac 1889. “General and Local Events, October, 1888,” p. 95.
— 63 Willsey/Lewis. “Memorable Railroad Accidents,” Harper’s Book of Facts. 1895, 674.
— 62 Adams and Seibold. Great Train Wrecks of Eastern Pennsylvania. 1992, p. 67.
— 62 Huntingdon Globe, PA. “A Great Disaster.” 10-18-1888, p. 2.[4]
— 61 Evening Herald (Syracuse, NY). “Record of the Year,” 12-31-1888, p. 3.
— 59 Lebanon…News, PA. “How it Occurred. Engineer Cook’s Story…” 10-13-1888, p. 1.
Narrative Information
Philadelphia Record Almanac 1889: October 10, 1888. “A section of an excursion train on the Lehigh Valley Railroad ran into another at Mud Run, Carbon county, killing sixty-three persons and injuring about 150.” (Philadelphia Record Almanac 1889. “General and Local Events, October, 1888,” p. 95.)
Reed: “One of the most disastrous telescope accidents of all was the one at Mud Run, Pa., Oct. 10, 1888. Sixty-four people on an excursion of the Total Abstinence Union were killed in the gruesome telescope of these rickety Lehigh Valley Railroad carriages. The train had stopped briefly at Mud Run when it was rammed from behind by a speeding express.” (Reed, R.C. Train Wrecks: A Pictorial History of Accidents on The Main Line. 1968, 102.)
Simonsen Abstract: “On October 10, 1888, the worst train disaster in the history of Pennsylvania took place at the Mud Run station in Carbon County. The victims were excursionists, the vast number of whom were Irish or Irish-Americans, who had traveled from Scranton to Hazleton to celebrate the birth of Father Mathew Theobold, the Irish Apostle of Temperance, with a parade and picnic arranged by the Total Catholic Abstinence Union. In anticipation of moving as many as 10,000 passengers between Hazleton and Scranton on eight trains, consisting of eighty-seven cars, the Lehigh Valley Railroad had issued special orders to its crew, the most important of which was “to protect your rear.” After the Father Mathew Men had marched and the Father Mathew Cadets had displayed their skill in precision drills, the disciples of temperance headed for the Hazleton train station and home. It was on their return that sixty-four people would meet their deaths on the Lehigh Valley road. The primary source of information for this book was the newspapers. In addition to newspaper interviews with eyewitnesses to the disaster, additional information was gleaned from census schedules, city directories, ancestry message boards, death notices, obituaries, and correspondence with descendants of those killed at Mud Run. Together, they tell the story of what went wrong on that beautiful autumn day at a remote signal station in Carbon County.” (Simonsen, Mary Lydon. The Mud Run Train Wreck. 2015. Amazon.com overview.)
The Morning Call (1992): “…the worst Valley-area disaster in terms of loss of life, based on information from files of The Morning Call and interviews with area historians and experts ….The worst railroad crash happened on Oct. 10, 1888 at Mud Run, Carbon County, when 66 lives were lost as two Lehigh Valley Railroad passenger trains collided head on.” (The Morning Call, Allentown, PA. “Other Valley-area…Disasters…” 3-26-1992.)
The Morning Call (2000): “….”The entire train crew from Section 6 and the conductor of Section 5 were charged with gross negligence by a coroner’s jury and bound over for trial by a grand jury. In the trial held March 16, 1889, all defendants were acquitted….” (The Morning Call (Pauff), Allentown, PA. “1888 Saw Region’s Worst Train Wreck…66 Died in Disaster.” 3-16-2000.)
Newspaper at the Time
Oct 12: “Wilkesbarre, Pa., Oct. 12.–The frightful collision on the Lehigh Valley railroad at Mud Run proves to be even more disastrous than was at first supposed. The burned and mangled remains of sixty persons have already been sorted out from the debris, and many are missing who it is feared were burned to ashes. At the hospital here in Wilkesbarre are forty persons brought in by relief trains, eighteen of them seriously injured, ten of them certainly fatally. In the railway station at Mud Run a woman lies at the point of death too weak to be removed. This resume does not include all the fatalities, for many of the injured ere taken home by their friends. The number of deaths will probably not fall short of 100. The following is the list of the dead so far as the bodies have been identified:
Annie Loftus, Olyphant, 27 years. [Lackawanna Co. borough, 5 miles NE of Scranton.]
Patrick Brehoney, Pleasant Valley, 14 years.
Patrick Curron, Pleasant Valley, 14 years.
William Early, Pleasant Valley, 12 years.
Barney Meehan, Pleasant Valley, 40 years.
Frank M. Coleman, Pleasant Valley, 38 years.
Patrick Coleman, Pleasant Valley, 20 years.
Michael Coleman…,Pleasant Valley [age not noted]…
John Coleman, 12 years. [son of Michael]
Annie Atkison, Pleasant Valley, 14 years.
William Kelly, Pleasant Valley, 32 years.
Thomas Ruddy, Pleasant Valley, 18 years.
Maggie Hart, Pleasant Valley, 30 years.
Mrs. Patrick Farrell, Pleasant Valley, 30 years.
Benjamin O’Brien, Pleasant Valley, 13 years.
Katie Featherstone, Pleasant Valley, 14 years.
Lewis Brown, Pleasant Valley, 14 years.
John McAndrews, Pleasant Valley, 14 years.
James Jackson, son of F. Jackson, Pleasant Valley, 12 years.
James Jackson, son of H. Jackson, Pleasant Valley, 15 years.
John Regan, Jessup’s, 35 years. [Jessup is in Lackawanna Co. ~10 mi. NE of Scranton.]
Annie Curran, Minooka [today a neighborhood of Scranton].
Richard Horrien and wife, Minooka.
- Mulhorn [or Mulhern?], Minooka.
Peter Milligan, Oliphant.
Cornelius McCue, Miners’ Mills.
John McHale, Miners’ Mills.
Edward O’Malley, Green Ridge.
James Hart, Green Ridge.
Michael McAndres, Pleasant Valley.
_____ Finnegan, Providence.
Abraham Doran, Pleasant Valley.
John O’Hearn, Luzerne Borough.
John McCrowe, Providence.
Thomas Toole, Minooka.
James Connaboy, Minooka.
James Flynn, Miners’ Mills, 17.
William Cussick, Old Forge.
Nora Quinlan, Scranton.
Katie Quinn, Scranton
“Among the injured are the following:
….
Mary Doran, Hyde Park, aged 20, burned about the face and arms; serious.
Kate Kearney, Hyde Park, aged 18, burned about face, hands and arms; will die….
“The Lehigh Valley railroad transported nearly 8,000 people to Hazleton during the day to witness the parade of all the Catholic societies of the Scranton diocese. Of these a large proportion went from Scranton and Wilkesbarre and vicinity in a train which was divided into several sections. At 5 o’clock in the evening the excursionists began to return to their homes, and soon after that hour the first section of the Scranton and Wilkesbarre train was sent away. Other sections followed at short intervals.
“The section of the train, consisting of nine cars, halted at Mud Run, midway between White Haven and Penn Haven Junction. As it stood there the third section of twelve cars dashed into it at full speed. The last three cars of the section which stood on the track were wrecked. The locomotive plowed its way clear through the last car, which was crowded, and nearly every person in it was killed. The rear car was telescoped into the car next to it, and that one into the third.
“It is not likely that a single person escaped from the rear car. The second was crowded with maimed and bleeding bodies, and the third car had but few passengers who escaped. The passengers throughout both trains were terribly shaken and bruised….
“The shattered engine was pouring forth streams of scalding steam and water, which hid from their eyes the fullest measure of the horrible scene….
“A young lady was found caught by the legs, one nearly severed. One leg was quickly release. The other couldn’t be freed, and a blow of an ax severed it from her body. She saw the blow struck and never flinched….She was put on board one of the trains and given all possible care. She conversed freely and cheerfully with friends. Suddenly she gasped and fell back a corpse….
“Passengers on the rear train state that they saw a train ahead when far down the road. They sprang from their seats and started in wonder, expecting to see their train slacken speed, but in vain. Suddenly their engineer and fireman jumped. Then came the shock. The engine was manned by Harry Cook, of Fell street, as engineer, and Hugh Gallagher, of Breweryville, as fireman. Each sustained a broken leg. The fireman stated to one man that he saw the red light, informed the engineer, then jumped.” (Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Mud Run Disaster…Fully 100 Lives Lost.” 10-12-1888, p. 1.)
Oct 13: “Wilkesbarre, Pa., Oct. 13.–Now that the excitement over the great railway disaster has began to abate, the work of impartially investigating the cause of the catastrophe is being carried out in earnest. An important statement was made by Engineer Henry Cook, which will be used before the coroner’s jury. It was Cook’s engine that crashed into the rear of the section ahead of him. The statement is as follows:
I left Penn Haven junction on engine 452 as the helper of engine 466, just ten minutes behind the section which preceded us, expecting to make, as did all other engineers on the excursion trains, the time of train No. 6 between the junction and Mud Run, which is twenty-four minutes for the run of about ten miles, which would bring us to Mud Run at 8:02; and I knew, and the men in charge of the train ahead of us must also have known, that the time of No. 6 must be made to enable us to get out of the way of train No. 12, which is due at Penn Haven junction at 7:55, and at Mud Run at 8:12, a run of seventeen minutes.
We were running along all right, and I was continually on the alert for caps[5] or other signals that might be placed for us. When we rounded the curve below Mud Run I shut off steam, as our instructions were to come into all stations with engine under full control, and allowed my engine to drift along. Tom Major, the engineer of 466, whose helper I was, and who had charge of the train, blew one blast of his whistle for signals at Mud Run, and as the target showed white, ‘all right,’ he immediately blew two blasts for ‘up brakes, go ahead.’ I supposed of course that Tim had applied the air brakes sufficiently to control the train, and don’t know that he didn’t but at all events we were then running at about twelve miles an hour.
I was on the alert for signals, as is customary when nearing a station, but saw none. To see the station flag at the point where we should be able to see it, it was necessary for me to climb upon the ratchet, which I did, and saw no signal on the station signal pole, where such signals should hang. Had there been a flagman there with a signal lantern we should both certainly have seen it, and, if not both, it is reasonable to suppose that at least one of us would have seen it, as there is certainly no cause for excitement until there is a signal of some kind of danger ahead. The trouble is there was no signal lantern, nor even a cap, east of Mud Run station.
“When we were about 150 feet from the station I was leaning out of the cab window, and saw a white signal being swung on the station platform in the manner usually employed to stop trains or engines. The lantern was being swung much more violently than when brakemen are signaling for switching engines, and I immediately whistled down brakes and applied my steam brake. This extended no farther than my engine, as the other engine had charge of the train and the air brake. I again looked out for the cause of the signal, and saw the red signal lanterns on the platforms, and pulled my lever back as far as possible to reverse, but too late to avoid the catastrophe.
“I had done all that I possibly could with brake and steam, and could only await the result, which I did, remaining on my engine until she stopped in the wreck, and then I started to pull the fire from under the boilers. They Hughy came up, after having assisted in carrying the injured Brakeman Poyl to the station, and we both worked at the fire until we were driven from the cab by the steam, and I must have jumped out over the guard rail to have injured by ankle and neck as I did.
“As the target showed at Mud Run station, and with no signal by lantern or cap east of the station, we were right in running to two rail lengths beyond the station by our instructions.
“The funeral of the twenty-nine victims from Pleasant Valley took place this morning….Twenty-five priests were in attendance.[6]
“The case of Michael Barrett, whose two sons were killed in the wreck, is a particularly sad one. Two months ago one of his sons was killed in a mine; two weeks later another son was accidentally killed on the railroad; shortly after that his wife died, and the two sons who lost their lives on Wednesday night were the last of his family….”
“Following is the revised official list of the killed: [We number and put in alphabetical order.]
- M.C. Andrews, Pleasant Valley;
- son of Mrs. Andrews, Pleasant Valley;
- 2nd son of Mrs. Andrews, Pleasant Valley;
- Mamie Atkinson, Pleasant Valley;
- Patrick Brehony, Pleasant Valley;
- James Brochony, Pleasant Valley
- James Brochony, Pleasant Valley;
- Katie Clarke, Old Forge;
- John M. Coleman, Pleasant Valley;
- Michael Coleman, Pleasant Valley; son of John M. Coleman
- Patrick Coleman, Pleasant Valley; son of John M. Coleman
- James Connoboy, Minooka;
- Annie Curran, Minooka, Lackawanna county
- Patrick Curran, Pleasant Valley;
- William Cusick, Old Forge, Lackawanna county;
- Abraham Doran, Pleasant Valley;
- Lewis Doran, Pleasant Valley;
- William Early, Pleasant Valley;
- Patrick Farrell, Pleasant Valley;
- Kate Featherstone, Pleasant Valley; [buried Oct 13 in Wilesbarre.][7]
- Tim Finnegan, of Providence;
- James Flynn, Miners’ Mills, Luzerne county;
- Oscar Gibbons, Pleasant Valley;
- Charles Gilitz, Pleasant Valley;
- James Hart, Green Ridge;
- Maggie Hart, Hyde Park;
- Richard Horrice, Minooka;
- Richard Horrice, Minooka;
- James Jackson, Pleasant Valley; (son of Frank Jackson)
- James Jackson, Pleasant Valley; (son of Henry Jackson)
- Owen Killcullen, Scranton, died in the hospital;
- Peter Kline, Providence;
- Annie Loftus, Olyphant, Lackawanna county;
- James Lynstt, Pleasant Valley;
- Michael McAndrews, Pleasant Valley;
- Cornelius McCue, Miners’ Mills;
- Bernard Meehan, Pleasant Valley;
- Polly Meehan, Pleasant Valley, daughter of Bernard Meehan;
- Thomas Moore, Bellevue, near Scranton, died in the hospital;
- Festus Mulberin, Minooka;
- Peter Mulligan, Olyphant;
- Lizzie Murphy, Minooka;
- Mary Murphy, Minooka;
- Benjamin O’Brien, Pleasant Valley;
- John O’Hearn, Luzernborough;
- Edward O’Malley, Green Ridge;
- Richard Powell, Minooka;
- Richard Powell, Minooka;
- Nora Quinlan, Scranton;
- John Rogan, Jessup;
- Thomas Ruddy, Pleasant Valley;
- M, Sullivan, Pleasant Valley;
- Thomas Toole, Minooka;
- John Welch, Pleasant Valley, died in the hospital;
- 1st of five unidentified bodies.
- 2nd of five unidentified bodies.
- 3rd of five unidentified bodies.
- 4th of five unidentified bodies.
- 5th of five unidentified bodies.
“This is a complete list of the names of those identified. Five bodies still remain unidentified. They are horribly mangled, and can only be recognized by their clothing. One of them is undoubtedly a tramp, who boarded the train at Penn Haven.
“The coroner’s inquest has begun. Engineer Major made some startling admissions. He confessed that his train was running twelve miles an hour, and had it approached Mud Run under control, as the rules required, or funning four miles an hour, the accident could have been avoided. Major could not see ahead on account of steam and smoke from…[the] engine ahead of him.” (Lebanon Daily News, PA. “How it Occurred. Engineer Cook’s Story of the Mud Run Disaster.” 10-13-1888, p. 1.)
Oct 13: “Wilkesbarre, Oct. 13.–Twenty-seven coffins lay before Rev. Furran, of Carbondale, as he ascended the steps of the altar in the little Roman Catholic church in Pleasant Valley this morning, and around them gathered the black-robed forms of hundreds of weeping relatives and friends….Never before had such a crowd gathered in the usually quiet little town. By the hour of 9 o’clock not less than 15,000 people were there….
“At Scranton twenty-two victims of the disaster were buried in Minooka cemetery, hundreds standing outside the church during the services.” (Tyrone Daily Herald, PA. “Twenty-Seven Coffins in the Catholic Church.” 10-15-1888, p. 1.)
Oct 22: “Mauch Chunk, Penn., Oct. 22.–After a three days’ session the Coroner’s jury which has been investigating the recent accident on the Lehigh Valley Railroad at Mud Run, by which so many lives were lost, reached the following verdict to-day:
We find that the engineers of locomotives Nos. 452 and 466 of the seventh section were guilty of gross negligence, first, in failing to discover the red signal in time, the evidence clearly showing that this signal was in full view as th train approached, and, secondly, for not approaching the station under full control, as required by both the general and special orders. The evidence also shows that the air brakes of the entire seventh section were under the control of the engineer of locomotive No. 466, and that he could have stopped the train in spite of the locomotive ahead, No. 452.
We find that the lookout men of locomotives Nos. 452 and 466 were guilty of gross negligence in failing to report to their respective engineers the red light at the station as the train approached. The men were placed on their respective engines as an additional precaution, their special duty being to look out for signals. The lookout man on No. 452 failed to see the signal. The other one, on No. 466, testified that he saw it when about 1,500 feet from the station, yet he reported all right to the engineer, and claims that he did not think the red light meant anything, as nobody used it.
We find that the rear brakeman of the sixth section was guilty of gross negligence, for when his train stopped, instead of promptly going back the proper distance to warn the approaching train, he stopped at the station. There was time enough for him to have gone back nearly half a mile, but he went less than 400 feet.
We find that the conductors of the two sections failed in their duty, the first in not conforming to the rule requiring each conductor to see personally that his brakeman protects the rear of his train, and the second in not requiring his train to approach the station under control.
(New York Times. “The Mud Run Disaster. Where the Coroner’s Jury Fixes the Responsibility.” 10-23-1888.)
Recap of Fatalities from Cited Sources[8]
Green highlighting denotes name is from Wikipedia. (24)
No highlighting denotes name is from Lebanon Daily News, 12th and 13th. (22)
Yellow highlighting denotes name is in Lebanon Daily News, and Wikipedia. (40)
Ahern, John, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Andrews, Mrs. M.C., Pleasant Valley,
- Andrews, son of Mrs. M. C. Andrews, Pleasant Valley
- Andrews, 2nd son of Mrs. M. C. Andrews, Pleasant Valley..
- Atkison, Annie [or Mamie], Pleasant Valley, 14 years.
- Barrett, John, son of Michael Barrett.
- Barrett, Martin, son of Michael Barrett.
- Brehony, James, Pleasant Valley.
- Brehony, Bridget (wife of James), Pleasant Valley.
- Brown, Lewis, Pleasant Valley, 14 years.
- Clarke, Katie, Old Forge.
- Coleman, Frank M. (or John M. Coleman {Wikipedia}, Pleasant Valley, 38 years.
- Coleman, John, 12 years. [son of Michael]
- Coleman, Michael, Pleasant Valley [age not noted]
- Coleman, Patrick, Pleasant Valley, 20 years.
- Connaboy, James, Minooka, Lackawanna County.
- Curran, Annie, Minooka.
- Curran, Patrick, Pleasant Valley, 14 years.
- Cussick, William, Old Forge (or Minooka re Wikipedia), Lackawanna County.
- Dolan, Michael, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Doran, Abraham, Pleasant Valley.
- Doran, Lewis, Pleasant Valley.
- Duhigg, William, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Early (or Earley), William, Pleasant Valley, 12 years.
- Farrell, Mrs. Patrick, Pleasant Valley, 30 years.
- Farry, James, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Featherstone, Katie [or Kate], Pleasant Valley, 14 years.
- Finnegan, Tom, Providence.
- Flaherty, Matthew, Pleasant Valley. (Wikipedia)
- Flynn, James, Miners’ Mill, Luzerne County, 17.
- Gallagher, James, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Gibbons, Oscar (or Austin), Pleasant Valley.
- Gibson (or Gibbons), John J., Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Gilitz (or Goelitz), Charles, Pleasant Valley (Wikipedia has Moosic).
- Hart, James, Green Ridge (or Scranton, according to Wikipedia).
- Hart, Maggie. Pleasant Valley [or Hyde Park, or Scranton], 30 years.
- Hart, Martin, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Horrien [or Horrice], Richard, Minooka.
- Horrien [or Horrice], Mrs. Richard, Minooka.
- Jackson, James, son of Frank Jackson, Pleasant Valley, 12 years.
- Jackson, James, son of Henry Jackson, Pleasant Valley, 15 years.
- Keating, James, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Kelly, William, Pleasant Valley, 32 years.
- Keenan, Patrick, Pleasant Valley. (Wikipedia)
- Kennedy, Katie, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Killcullen (or Kilcullen), Owen, Scranton (died in hospital).
- Kline, Peter, Providence (or Scranton according to Wikipedia).
- Loftus, Annie, from Olyphant, Lackawanna County, 27 years.
- Lynott, James, Pleasant Valley (Wikipedia has it as Moosic.)
- Lynott, John, Moosic. (Wikipedia)
- Maxwell, Michael, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- McAndrews, Michael, Pleasant Valley. (Wikipedia lists Thomas F. not Michael)
- McAndrews (or McAndrew), John, Pleasant Valley, 14 years.
- McAndrew, Margaret, Pleasant Valley. (Wikipedia)
- McCrowe, John, Providence.
- McCue, Cornelius, Miners’ Mills.
- McHale, John, Miners’ Mills.
- McNichols, Katie, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Meehan, Barney [or Bernard], Pleasant Valley, 40 years.
- Meehan, Polly (or Mary), Pleasant Valley, daughter of Barney Meehan.
- Milligan [or Mulligan], Peter, Olyphant. (Wikipedia has it as Anthony Mulligan.)
- Moffit, Michael, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Moore (or Morrissey), Thomas, Bellevue, near Scranton, (died in hospital).
- Moran, Thomas, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Mulkerin, Festus [or Mulhorn or Mulhern], Minooka.
- Mullen, James, Minooka. ()
- Murphy, Lizzie, Minooka.
- Murphy, Mary, Minooka (paper of Oct 13th notes Lizzie and Mary Murphy).
- Noon, Thomas, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- O’Brien, Benjamin, Pleasant Valley, 13 years.
- O’Hearn, John, Luzerne Borough.
- O’Malley, Edward, Green Ridge (or Scranton according to Wikipedia).
- Powell, Patrick. (Wikipedia.)
- Powell, Richard, Minooka.
- Powell, Mrs. Richard (Rose?), Minooka.
- Quinlan, Nora, Scranton.
- Quinlan, Katie (or Kate) Scranton.
- Regan (or Rogan), John, Jessup’s, 35 years. [Wikipedia has last name as Rogan.]
- Ruddy, Thomas. Pleasant Valley, 18 years.
- Smith, Patrick, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Stevens, George Henry, Scranton. (Wikipedia)
- Sullivan, M., Pleasant Valley.
- Toole, Thomas, Minooka.
- Welch (or Walsh), John, Pleasant Valley (died in hospital).
- Patrick Walsh, Pleasant Valley. (Wikipedia)
- Michael Whelan, Jr., Pleasant Valley. (Wikipedia)
[Blanchard note: The Lebanon Daily News (LDN) notes five unidentified bodies in its Oct 12 paper. However, since the sources cited by Wikipedia notes twenty-four fatalities which the LDN does not, we make assumption that the five unidentified were amongst these. We produced this combined list as a matter of curiosity. It has not proven to be helpful to us.]
Sources
Adams, Charles J. III and David J. Seibold. Great Train Wrecks of Eastern Pennsylvania. Reading, PA: Exeter House Books, 1992.
Daily Journal, Logansport, IN. “The Year’s Disasters.” 1-2-1889, p. 4. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=83142306
Evening Herald, Syracuse, NY. “Record of the Year – Principal Events That Have Occurred in the World,” 12-31-1888, 3. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=51376727
Haine, Edgar A. Railroad Wrecks. New York: Cornwall Books, 1993.
Huntingdon Globe, PA. “A Great Disaster.” 10-18-1888, p. 2. Accessed 9-7-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/huntingdon-globe-oct-18-1888-p-2/?tag
Lebanon Daily News, PA. “How it Occurred. Engineer Cook’s Story of the Mud Run Disaster.” 1013-1888, p. 1. Accessed 9-5-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lebanon-daily-news-oct-13-1888-p-1/?tag
Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Mud Run Disaster…Fully 100 Lives Lost.” 10-12-1888, p. 1. Accessed 9-5-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lebanon-daily-news-oct-12-1888-p-1/?tag
New York Times. “The Mud Run Disaster. Where the Coroner’s Jury Fixes the Responsibility.” 10-23-1888. Accessed 9-6-2017 at: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F05E3D71230E633A25750C2A9669D94699FD7CF
Philadelphia Record Almanac 1889. “General and Local Events.” The Philadelphia Record, 1889. Digitized by Google. Accessed 9-5-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=wCoXAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=true
Reed, Robert C. Train Wrecks: A Pictorial History of Accidents on The Main Line. New York: Bonanza Books, 1968.
Simonsen, Mary Lydon. The Mud Run Train Wreck: A Disaster in the Irish-American Community. Quail Creek Publishing, LLC, 2015. Amazon abstract accessed 9-6-2017 at: https://www.amazon.com/Mud-Run-Train-Wreck-Irish-American/dp/0692348085
The Morning Call (Georgie Pauff), Allentown, PA. “1888 Saw Region’s Worst Train Wreck. Two LVRR Coaches Tumbled into the Lehigh River. 66 Died in Disaster.” 3-16-2000. Accessed 9-6-2017 at: http://articles.mcall.com/2000-03-16/news/3287751_1_train-two-engines-mud
The Morning Call, Allentown, PA. “Other Valley-area Mishaps and Disasters Have Taken Lives.” 3-26-1992. At: http://articles.mcall.com/1992-03-26/features/2835266_1_quarry-disaster-explosion
The World, NYC. “It was a Day of Mourning. Pleasant Valley Buried Twenty-Seven of her Dead Yesterday.” 10-14-1888, p. 11. Accessed 9-7-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-york-world-oct-14-1888-p-11/?tag
Tyrone Daily Herald, PA. “Twenty-Seven Coffins in the Catholic Church.” 10-15-1888, p. 1. Accessed 9-7-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/tyrone-daily-herald-oct-15-1888-p-1/?tag
Wikipedia. “Mud Run disaster.” 8-4-2017 edit. Accessed 9-6-2017 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_Run_disaster
Willsey, Joseph H. (Compiler), Charlton T. Lewis (Editor). Harper’s Book of Facts: A Classified History of the World. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1895. Accessed 9-4-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=UcwGAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false
[1] Notes 60 known deaths in the text, speculating that “The number of deaths will probably not fall short of 100.”
[2] It appears that the best we can do is narrow the range of fatalities to 64-66. While a number of fairly recent sources note 64 deaths, we choose not to ignore the Allentown, PA Morning Call, reports in 1992 and 2000 noting 66.
[3] Provides list of 64 named fatalities from Our Broken Ranks 1988/89 — Commemoration of the Catholic Total Abstinence Union; and The Mud Run Train Wreck – A Disaster in the Irish-American Community.
[4] “The total number of deaths by the Mud Run disaster so far is 62, 57 bodies having been brought to Wilkesbarre, Pa., on the train, one afterward found across the river from the scene of the wreck and four of the injured having died in the hospital. The surgeon at the hospital expects at least six more of the injured to die.”
[5] A fire-cracker like device placed on a rail that explodes when run over, thus alerting the engineer to stop or slow down.
[6] We count twenty-eight Pleasant Valley fatalities from the list provided in the newspaper below this statement. The next day, a Sunday, The NY World, in an Oct. 13 Wilkesbarre datelined article, notes twenty-seven burials, while also noting three more were to follow the next day.
[7] The World, NYC. “It was a Day of Mourning. Pleasant Valley Buried Twenty-Seven of her Dead Yesterday.” 10-14-1888, p. 11.
[8] Primary source is Lebanon Daily News, Oct 12 and 13, pp. 1
