The daily gazette., 1877-07-26
.0sGsaa0ss -tlae...Narrou..Ga,tQ
THE GRAND. INAUGURALwEXC
SION NOT MUCH OF A SUCCESS.

Al half past gio'clock yesterday MORN
ing the long postpoled grand inaugural
excursion Of the Philadelphia and Allan
tic City Narrow Gauge Railroad left
Walnut street wharf in that city, on the
steamer Pilot Boy, bound for the com
panys wharf, below kaighn's Point, there
TO take the cars for the City by the Sea.
The excursion was composed of Council
men aud city officials, custom house Off
GERS, merchants, manufacturers, railroad
men, the usual large number of men
about town who manage to secure tickets
on such occasions in some mysterious
manner, and newspaper men, in all about
Six hundred strong. The train on which
the excursionists embarked was divided
into Two sections, the first composed of
ten cars and the second of six. When
the first section had reached mile and q
half below the CT ossing of the Williams
town branch of the Camden andAtlantic
road, aud about seventeen miles from
Camden, the forward truck of the fifth
car jumped the track and in twinkling
the coupling broke and the front end Of
the car fell 10 the ground, the truck re-
ceeding until it took up against the rear
one and the next car turned ou It's side,
the breaking Of the coupling saving the
remainder OF the section from accident.
Several Wilmington gentlemen were
In this car. Among them Mr. Harry
Dure, Mr.. Ansley Newlin, and Mr.. David
Craig. The latter received slight
scratch on the back of his hand and the
others very slight bruises.
Charles Henry Gray, brakeman, was
found dead, with trlghtiul cut across
the abdomen, and his bra us oozing out.
lie had fallen to the ground and the
wheels passed over him. This to the
surprise Of every one who witnessed the
accident WIS the only fatal casualty. The
inmates of the car, although badly shaken
up and worse frightened, escaped with
81 ght Commissions and scratches to ten of
Them, The most serious injury being to
DIR. Drake, of Phila., Whose hand was
crushed anu fingers badly broken. The
escape OF the passengers was short of the
miraculous. Mr.. j. Warren Gore general
passenger agent of the company, who was
ON the rear car of the first section, which
was closely following, and thus prevent
ed, what bat for his forethought would
have undoubtedly been collision. The
engine with the four cars unharmed
ahead of the overturned car, alter short
delay, speeded after fashion Oh its way
to Atlantic City, aud after all hours de-
lay in clearing the track and getting upon
the rails the two uhinjured cars that had
jumped them the engine of the second
section followed with the remaining cars
added TO its own. AS this was the grand
inaugural excursion it was intended to
put the train through from the Delaware
to the ocean in all hour and half, the
excursion to leave on tie return at
o'clock.
The first section reached Atlantic CITY
at four O'Clock, the second at six. An.
other train that left Atlantic City few
minutes after six o'clock last evening
arrived at Walnut street wharf, Philada.,
at ten p. m. AT midnight the inaugural
excursloniSts had not reached Philad'a
After the accident num- ber of the pas
sengers walked over to the stations OF
Atco and W aterford, ON the Camden and
Atlantic road, AMI returned to the city
and quite a large proportion of those
who arrived at Atlantic City on tn.
narrow guage returned by the same
route.
4A u oiag bnC WHO ultu NJ
brayely at his post, started yesterday OF
his first trip over the road. He wa.
formerly a conductor on the Second ant
Third Streets Passenger Railway ant
leaves wife and four children. Hi.
body reached Philadelphia late in tn,
evening and was taken to his late home
at Coral aud Rush streets.
| AS the cars for this road were all mad,
i in this city by Messrs. Bowers & Dure
Mayor w hiteley and number of othel
gentlemen of Wilmington were invited
and went on the excursion. The Mayo
aud Messrs. Philip Quigley, T. NJ. Ogle
John Peoples, B. =. Perkins, and severa
other gentlemen returned over the ole
route nOtdeeming the me- w road ballastet
sufficiently to make it safe for t'avel
| Indeed itwas little less than an outrag,
to put such a heavy train on no incou
plete roadway; and the brakesman'
family ought to recover damages and 81
should DR.. Drake. The cars were yer,
frequently complimented by the guesf
as being neat, elegant and substantial
fitted up With all the appointments of tn,
broad gllage. The road will certainly b.
. fine one when properly ballasted.
places its passengers right in frontof tn
Comrany's large excursion house withii
q hundred feet of the surf, which is
great desideratum with excursion par
ties and such will avail themselves O
it in large numbers as soon - the roa
il fully completed. Until then we woul
advise all to avoid it.