1925 — June 16, debris from heavy rain causes train derailment near Hackettstown, NJ– 50
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 3-22-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–50 Deegan. “Historians mark 85th anniversary of Warren County’s deadliest…” 6-16-2010.
–50 U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission. Report…Accident…Near Hackettstown, N.J. …
–45 Passengers
— 1 Pullman porter
— 4 Employees of Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad
Narrative Information
Deegan: “Eighty-five years ago today, one of the worst rail disasters in the nation’s history unfolded on a rural stretch of Warren County in a catastrophe that overwhelmed Easton Hospital and reverberated from Chicago to Germany.
….
“Fifty people died when a special passenger train bound for Hoboken, N.J., left the tracks in a driving pre-dawn rainstorm on June 16, 1925.
“The passengers — mostly German-Americans — were headed from Chicago to Hoboken, where later that day they planned to board a steamship headed for Europe and a visit to the old country.
….
“Heavy rain washed dirt and debris over the Lackawanna Railroad crossing at Hazen Road in Mansfield Township, near the state-owned Rockport Pheasant Farm.
“As most of the 180 passengers slept, about 3 a.m., the front — or pony — wheels of the steam engine hit the debris and jumped the tracks.
“The locomotive tipped and came to rest on its side, with two twisted coach cars piled on top and beside of it.
“Most of the helpless victims died not from the initial impact, but from severe burns caused by the locomotive’s steam and ruptured steam pipes that blasted into the coach cars….”
U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission. Report…Accident…Near Hackettstown, N.J. …:
“To the Commission:
“On June 16, 1925, there was a derailment on a passenger train on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad near Hackettstown, N.J., which resulted in the death of 45 passengers, 1 Pullman porter, and 4 employees of the railroad, and the injury of 23 passengers. This accident was investigated in conjunction with representatives of the New Jersey Board of Public Utility Commissioners.
Location and method of operation
“This accident occurred on that part of the Morris and Essex Division extending between Hoboken and Washington, N.J., a distance of 66.6 miles. In the vicinity of the point of the accident this is a double-track line over which trains are operated by time-table, train ord4rs, and an automatic block-signal system. The point of accident was at a highway crossing known as Rockport crossing, located about 3¼ miles west of the passenger station at Hackettstown…. [p. 1.]
Description
“Eastbound passenger train extra 1104 consisted of two coaches and five Pullman sleeping cars, all of steel construction, hauled by engine 1104 and was in charge of Conductor Banker and Engineman Loomis. It passed Washington, the initial station on the Morris and Essex Division, about 6 miles from the point of accident, at 2:17 a.m. and was derailed while travelling at a speed estimated to have been about 50 miles an hour.
“Engine 1104 came to rest on its left side parallel with and across the right rail of the eastbound main track, with the rear end of the engine being about 450 feet beyond the crossing. The tender frame was just east of the engine, while the tender cistern was across the westbound train track and at right angles to the same. The first coach came to rest on its right side with its head end across the tender cistern and the rear end across the engine. The second car came to rest in an upright position nearby at right angles to the track with its head end resting on the embankment, which is about 12 or 15 feet in height at this point, and the center of the car practically over the extreme rear end of the engine. Both of these cars were so badly damaged as to be practically a total loss. The third car came to rest in an upright position diagonally across both tracks, the head end of the car being close to the rear of the engine and against the arear end of the second car. The fourth car also remained upright, with its head end against the embankment on the right side of the track. The forward truck of the fifth car was also derailed.
“The employees killed were the engineman, fireman, conductor and head brakeman, the only surviving member of the train crew being the flagman. [p. 2.]
Summary of evidence
“On account of heavy rains in the immediate vicinity of Rockport crossing a considerable quantity of dirt and small stones had been washed on the crossing, covering the rails. An examination of the track showed that the lead pair of engine-truck wheels after encountering this debris became derailed at the eastern end of the crossing and ten ran on the ties close to the rails for a distance of about 198 feet to the point where the left wheel came in contact with the crossover frog, causing the engine truck to be diverted to the right and the engine to be entirely derailed. Beyond this point the track was torn up for a considerable distance…. [p. 3.]
“No difficulty had been experienced at this crossing over a period of 25 years or more and it did not appear that any ne connected with the railroad knew that in the immediate vicinity of the crossing there had been a storm of sufficient severity to endanger the safe passage of trains.
“One of the cars came to rest across the boil4r of engine 1104 while a second car came to rest across the rear of the boiler; practically all of the appurtenances and fittings were torn from the boil4r as a result of the accident, thus permitting steam and hot water to escape into these two cars, and undoubtedly this fact accounted for a great many of the fatalities which resulted from this accident….” [p. 6.]
Newspapers
June 16, INS: “Hackettstown, N.J., June 16. – (I.N.S.) – At least twelve persons were killed, eight of whom were identified, and scores injured, some of whom may die, in the wreck of a Lackawanna railroad train near here early today…
“The train was a special, an engine and five coaches, carrying passengers bound from Chicago to Hoboken, N.J. They were to have sailed today for Germany.
“It was practically established this afternoon that the wreck was caused by the clogging up of a switch at Rockport, three miles from here, following heavy rains early this morning. An official investigation is under way….” (INS. “22 Die In Train Wreck. Rail Crippled By Heavy Rain Throws Engine and Coaches of Special From R.R. Track.” Olean Evening Times, NY. 6-16-1925, p. 1.)
Sources
Deegan, Jim. “Historians mark 85th anniversary of Warren County’s deadliest accident, a train derailment that made international headlines.” Lehighvalleylive.com. 6-16-2010. Accessed 3-22-2025 at: https://web.archive.org/web/20120307143907/http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews-2%2F1276662050263400.xml&coll=3
INS. “22 Die In Train Wreck. Rail Crippled By Heavy Rain Throws Engine and Coaches of Special From R.R. Track.” Olean Evening Times, NY. 6-16-1925, p. 1. Accessed 3-22-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/olean-times-jun-16-1925-p-1/
United States Interstate Commerce Commission. Report of the Director of the Bureau of Safety in Re Investigation of an Accident Which Occurred on the Delaware, Lackawanna & West4rn Railroad Near Hackettstown, N.J., on June 16, 1925. 7-11-1925. Accessed 3-22-2025 at: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/47428