Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 5-30-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–17-18 Blanchard estimate: Normally we take Interstate Commerce Commission reports as

authoritative. However, in this instance several reports of eighteen fatalities, including

one noting 18 bodies recovered, and one noting 18 deaths in a 2020 article, lead us to

conclude that there may well have been 18 deaths. Perplexingly one (Philadelphia

Inquirer of July 5), lists 20 deaths. This we cannot explain.

–20 Philadelphia Inquirer. “3 Probes Start in Trolley Wreck; May Hold Crews.” 7-5-1920, p. 1.

–18 Philadelphia Inquirer. “18 Dead, 100 Injured in Crash at Scranton…Lightning.” 7-4-1920, p. 1.

–18 Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA. “Lookback: Laurel Line crash kills 18…” 6-28-2020.

–18 Clearfield Progress, PA. “20 Killed in Wreck at Pittston Tonight.” 7-3-1920, p. 1. Bodies recovered.

–17 ICC. Summary of Accident Investigation Reports No. 5, July-September 1920, p. 15 (230).

Narrative Information

Interstate Commerce Commission: “Rear-end collision between two passenger trains, after which the rear end of the second train was struck by another passenger train near South Pittston, Pa., on July 3, 1920, resulting in the death of 16 passengers and 1 employee, and the injury of 20 passengers and 3 employees.

“Each of these accidents was caused by failure to provide proper flag protection.

“These accidents occurred on a double-track electric line over which trains are operated by time-table and train orders, no block-signal system being in use. Approaching the point of accident from the south there is a 1,400-foot tangent followed by a 4-degree curve to the right 945 feet in length, then a tangent 524 feet in length. The first accident occurred at the southern end of this tangent and the second accident near the middle of the tangent. The grade is descending for northbound trains for more than three-quarters of a mile and at the point of accident it is 2.09 per cent descending. At the time of the first accident the weather was cloudy, while at the time of the second accident a severe rain and electric storm was raging.

“Northbound passenger train No. 6, consisting of 2 coaches, left Inkerman, the last station stop south of the point of accident, at 6.28 p. m., 5 minutes late, and at about 6.37 p. m., while traveling at a speed variously estimated at from 15 to 25 miles an hour, its rear end was struck by train No. 21 at a point about 1 mile north of Inkerman.

“Northbound passenger train No. 21, consisting of 1 coach, left Plains, about 3.5 miles south of the point of accident, at 6.32 p. m., on time, and while traveling at a speed estimated to have been about 35 miles an hour collided with the rear of train No. 6.

“Train No. 6 was driven ahead several car-lengths by the force of the collision The rear of the second car in this train and the front vestibule of the car in train No. 21 were considerably damaged…

“Northbound passenger train No. 3, consisting of two coaches, left Inkerman at 6.47 p. m., 4 minutes late, and on arriving at Yatesville Crossover, about 1,600 feet south of the point of accident, was flagged by the conductor of train No. 21, who. had notified the dispatcher of the accident. He then boarded train No. 3, rode back to the point of accident, and began taking the names of passengers. He was not aware of the subsequent movements of train No. 3. After picking up the conductor of train No. 6, who was fatally injured, train No. 3 backed to the crossover at Yatesville, picked up its flagman, and proceeded northward on the southbound track to Pittston, verbal authority for this movement against the current of traffic having been obtained from the dispatcher. The conductor in charge of train No. 3 knew when his train picked up the flagman at the time of crossing over to the southbound track, that the rear of train No. 21 was not being protected, but assumed from the way in which the train was being handled that the dispatcher had established a single-track zone between Yatesville Crossover and Pittston. In the meantime the crew of train No. 6 uncoupled the first car, and had moved it forward a few feet when train No. 4 approached at a high rate of speed and collided with the rear of train No. 21.

“Northbound passenger train No. 4, consisting of two coaches, left Plains at 6.58 p. m., and Inkerman at 7.03 p. m., on time, and at about 7.05 p. m. collided with the rear of train No. 21. The motorman of train No. 4 did not receive flag signals of any kind approaching the point of accident, and said he did not see the rear end of train No. 21 until he was within about 200 feet of it, moving at a speed of 40 or 45 miles an hour; he then applied the air brakes in emergency and jumped.

“The first car of train No. 4 mounted the underframe of the car in train No. 21 and telescoped it to within 5 feet of its forward end, carrying passengers and seats with it and spreading sides of the car outward; both cars came to rest about 200 feet north of the point where the accident occurred. The first car in train No. 4 was badly damaged.

“Investigations developed that after leaving Inkerman, train No. 6 was running slowly in order that fares could be collected before the next station was reached. Under these circumstances the conductor in charge of the train should have seen to it that proper protection was afforded when his train was encroaching on the time of train No. 21, and he is primarily responsible for the collision between trains Nos. 6 and 21. The second conductor of train No. 6 is also at fault for his failure to take proper steps to protect his train. The motorman knew his train was on the time of No. 21 and should have taken every precaution to insure that proper protection was provided.

“The dispatcher was notified of the first accident at 6.49 p. m. He said that after failing to reach train No. 4 at Wilkes-Barre, he gave a message to the operator at Plains, at 6.55 p. m., to notify the crew of the next northbound train to call the dispatcher’s office on their arrival at Yatesville Crossover, but kept no written record of this message. The operator on duty at Plains said it was 6.59 p. m. when the dispatcher called him, at which time train No. 4 had been gone 1 minute, and that the instructions he received were to order the next southbound train to stop at Yatesville and call the dispatcher, and he delivered these instructions as he understood them.

“The responsibility for the collision between trains Nos. 21 and 4 is divided among several employees. The conductor of train No. 21 did not take any measures for protecting his train by flag after train No. 3 had been crossed over to the southbound track and run around train No. 21. The motorman of train No. 21 knew that train No. 3 had departed on the southbound-track and knew that his conductor had returned to his train, but notwithstanding his knowledge of these facts he did not take proper measures for the protection of his train. Notwithstanding that the next following train had been flagged, after train No. 3 had departed, their train was then stopped “under circumstances in which it may be overtaken by another train.” The fact that the dispatcher had been notified of the first collision did not relieve them of the duty of protecting their train by flag as required by the rules.

“When train No. 3 crossed over and proceeded on the southbound track, the flagman of that train did not put down any torpedoes, the crew of train No. 21 was not consulted about further protection, as might easily have been done, and no measures of any character were taken by the crew of train No. 3 for the protection of train No. 21 from following trains. It might reasonably have been expected, in view of the abnormal conditions following the first collision, that the-crew of train No. 3, who were experienced railroad men, would have had the forethought to notify the crew of train No. 21 that the flag protection had been removed, or would have taken such precautions as were practicable for the protection of that train; but this was not done, the assumption being that necessary protection would be provided by the dispatcher.

“The dispatcher failed to take effective measures for the safe operation of following trains after he had been informed of the first collision. While the evidence indicates that there was a misunderstanding between the dispatcher and the operator, nevertheless the dispatcher’s failure contributed directly to the second collision.

“Any of these employees, by exercising good judgment and taking proper precautions, could have prevented the second collision.” (ICC. Summary of Accident Investigation Reports No. 5, July-September 1920, pp. 15-17 (230-232 pdf)

Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA. “Lookback: Laurel Line crash kills 18 near Pittston in 1920.” 6-28-2020:

“Nearly a century ago, July 3, 1920, a chain reaction event took place involving three trains that collided, killing 18 and injuring 30 people on the Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley Railroad, known as the Laurel Line, near the South Pittston Station in Sebastopol, Jenkins Township.

“Federal and state investigations took place including a Luzerne County Coroner’s Inquest, which were routine for that era.

“As reported in the Times Leader, Evening News and Wilkes-Barre Record newspapers, three Laurel Line trains were involved in the wreck.

“A two-car train crowded with picnickers was traveling slowly in order for the conductors to collect tickets before reaching the train station. The two-car train was bumped in the rear by a one-car train, known as a ‘Limited’ at about 6:10 p.m. on July 3, 1920. About 40 minutes later, a third train carrying two passenger cars from Wilkes-Barre struck the Limited, which plowed into the first two-car train.

“The wreck happened near what was called the Welsh Street Bridge, which connected Port Griffith to Sebastopol.

“ ‘Almost all persons killed in the wreck were passengers in the Limited coach into which the first car of the local train plunged, crashing its way to its full length through the Limited coach, completely telescoping it,’ reported the Wilkes-Barre Record on July 5, 1920.

“A conductor standing on the rear platform of the Limited car was instantly killed. Another conductor had his legs amputated….”

Newspapers at the time

July 3: “Scranton, PA, July 3. – Twenty to twenty-five persons are reported to have been killed and from fifty to seventy-five injured with a two-car electric train on the Laurel Line collided with a three car excursion train carrying passengers from Caledonian picnic at Rocky Glen near Pittston. Eighteen bodies have been recovered from the wreckage.” (Clearfield Progress, PA. “20 Killed in Wreck at Pittston Tonight.” 7-3-1920, p. 1.)

July 3: “Scranton, Pa., July 3. – In a collision between three cars on the Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley Railroad near South Pittston Station at 7:30 o’clock tonight eighteen people are reported killed and 100 injured.

“The accident occurred near South Pittston when lightning struck a telegraph pole along the line of the track and the pole fell over on the tracks in front of a car bound for Scranton. A moment later a limited car crashed into the rear of the car that struck the pole, and a third car telescoped the second car. All three cars were piled in a heap.

“Many of those killed and injured had attended the annual games of the Caledonian Clubs of Scranton and Pittston at Valley View Park this afternoon. Most of the injured have been taken to the State Hospital at Pittston.” (Philadelphia Inquirer. “18 Dead, 100 Injured in Crash at Scranton Caused by Lightning.” 7-4-1920, p. 1.)

July 4: “From a Staff Correspondent. Pittston, Pa., July 4. – Independent investigations by the State, borough and Laurel line into the trolley collision last night at Sebastopol, below here, which cost twenty lives may result in the arrest o the surviving members of two trolley crews. Officials conducting the separate inquiries maintained a rigid silence tonight on the developments which they learned but accusations have been made that the crews did not take sufficient precautions to insure against accident, while the flagman is openly charged by several with having deserted his post to escape a rainstorm, permitting a fast flying electric train to telescope standing cars, crushing to death those imprisoned in the ill-fated car ahead.

“The dead: [We alphabetize, number and place names in separate lines.]

Helen Burns, Pittston, Pa.;
Leo Cawley, Scranton, Pa.;
Josephine Clifford, Pittston, Pa.;
Andrew Erickson, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.;
George Griswold, Factoryville, Pa.;
Carolina Hagan, Bloomfield, N.J.;
Hugh Hughes, West Pittston, Pa.;
Stephen Konceiweiez, Duryea, Pa.;
Mary Kovalski, Edwardsville, Pa.;
Matsavage, Nanticoke;
Martha McFetridge, West Pittston, Pa.;
Metravies, Wanamie;
Frank Metreckawiez, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.;
Miller, Scranton;
Ruth Moon, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.;
Mary Murphy, Scranton, Pa.;
John Niziezek, Nanticoke.
Kate Sheridan, Pittston, Pa.;
Joseph Wascavage, Wanamie, Pa.;
Mary Wasolka, Edwardsville

[We omit the long list of injured.] (Philadelphia Inquirer. “3 Probes Start in Trolley Wreck; May Hold Crews.” 7-5-1920, p. 1.)

Sources

Clearfield Progress, PA. “20 Killed in Wreck at Pittston Tonight.” 7-3-1920, p. 1. Accessed 5-30-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/clearfield-progress-jul-03-1920-p-1/

Philadelphia Inquirer. “3 Probes Start in Trolley Wreck; May Hold Crews.” 7-5-1920, p. 1. Accessed 5-30-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/philadelphia-inquirer-jul-05-1920-p-1/

Philadelphia Inquirer. “18 Dead, 100 Injured in Crash at Scranton Caused by Lightning.” 7-4-1920, p. 1. Accessed 5-30-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/philadelphia-inquirer-jul-04-1920-p-1/

Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA. “Lookback: Laurel Line crash kills 18 near Pittston in 1920.” 6-28-2020. Accessed 5-30-2025 at:

Lookback: Laurel Line crash kills 18 near Pittston in 1920

United States Interstate Commerce Commission. Summary of Accident Investigation Reports No. 5, July, August, and September 1920. Washington, DC: GPO, 1921. Google digitized [at p.216]. Accessed 5-30-2025 at:

https://books.google.com/books?id=c3zNAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

1920 — July 3, rear-end passenger trains collision, South Pittston, PA –17 – 18