The daily gazette., 1879-08-15
Death ON the Marrow Gauge.
FATAL ACCIDENT ON,THE ATLANTIC CITY
NARROW GAUGE RoAD-FIvE MEN
KILLED.

FATAL ACCIDENT oN,THE ATLANTIC CITY |
NARROW GAUGE RoAD-FIvE MEN
KILLED.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. IA, 1879.
A terrible accident occurred on the
Philacelpbia aud Atlantic City Railway
this afternoon, near. a station called
ClementOn, about tuelve miles out OF
Camden, NJ. There was to be mag
nificent and elaborate pyrotecbnic dis-
play at Atlantic City this evening and 1t
hal been very widely advertised. Al a
consequence there was an unusual rush
of visitors to the seaside to-day, espe-
cially during the afternoon. and both
lines of railway ran extra trains to carry
the crowds of .xcursionists.
The Philadelphia and Atlantic City
line Is the new narrow gauge railIoad
which was hastily and cbeaply laid two
years ego. During the construction OF
the road several workmen were killed,
| aLd the very hrst passenger train that
| ran over IL met with a serious accident.
Since then other lives have been lost but
lone Of the casualties have been SO ter
rible as that of to-day. Five lives we're
sacrificed, but tits sin ply marvellous and
miraculous that the dead were mot num-
bered by the score.
| AN EXCURSION TRAIN.
At half-past two this afterpoon a
special excursion train of nine cars left
ha'gn's N! r. int, below Camden, where
| the passengers are conveyed from Phila-
d-'phia nv boat. The Summer Yacht
club, Of this city, had ganized an ex-
cursiOn q, about three huntired tickets
had been sold. About That lumber of
persons WAS on the train, mostly men,
Fortunately, AS 1t aferward happened,
several of the cars were nearly empty,
the company having attached them to
the train to send to Atlantic City Tor re-
turning passengers. The conductor of
the train was Il. A. WorthingtOn, the
engineer was Thomas Pennypacker, the
fireman was John Lafferty, AMI the
three brakemen we're Il. Wood. Jacob
LIE Ginth' apd Jacob Griffin. The road
was single track with sidings.
AN APPALLING SIGHT.
The train had been under way about
twenty minutes aud had reached Gle
meutOn station, twelve miles from Cam
den, when, Just ~ the engine was round
ing a curve, the ngineer suddenly saw a
freight train approaching him. The pas
senger train was running at thirty miles
half ,his speed. Engineer Pennypack-r
seems to have retail ned his presence Of
mind and acted promptly. He blew for
"Down brakes" ami reversed tho lever
quicker than it can be tod, and lie and
his firemen had just time to jump for
their lives.
When the signal for brakes was heard
Conductor Worthineton and three brake
in"n spranR for the brake
haudles. A. the opposing engines struck
with terrific force the passenger coaches
telescoped sufficiently to crush into
splinters the platforms and the canopies
Of every car in the train.
TERRIBLE DEATH
The conductor and two of the brake
men, Wood aud De Glnther, W ere cauRh,
between the heavy tim bers and instantly
killed. Charles Schaal, passenger, who
, had been setting on the steps of one OF
the cars, was also killed, and j. Smith, a
salesman for the Union News Company
who had taken hold of brake to assist
met a similar horrible fate. The for.
ward ends of the three front coaches
were crushed and telescoped as far al
the second or third seats, and the escape
= of the passeng ars from death is regarded
l as wonderful. no one except those or
the platforms were seriously hurt. Many
, were slightly, few quite badly bruised
but none seriously. The engine of of tn,
, passenger train was lifted up OH top o
the freight engine and the two wer,
! mingled in an inextricable wreck.
GROSS NEGLIGENCE.
v The freight train left Atlantic City a
1 a quarter TO twelve o'clock a. IN. Tn
conductor was John King and the engi
neer was K. S. Johnson. they jumpe,
and saved their lives, r, ce vihg only
l. few scratches. They state positively tina
n they had no orders where to wait for tn
+ down passenger train. All they knew
a was that the excursion was coming, bu
II they were not instructed where to loOl
n out for it, 1t is admitted at the Office u
y the company at Kaighns Point that tn
train orders were not properly given. /
fact, the cause Of the acci1en was tn
g-ossest criminal negligence on the pai
of some subordinate at the railway offic,
y The general manager of the road, VIII
\ has recently entered upon his duties,
u /, Mr.. Ellis Clark, an experienced an
- careful railroad man, for many year
> with the North Pennsylvania Road. Fl
" is much distressed at the accident aud IL
timated that an In, estigation will
made to fix the responsibility where
belongs. Railroad men declare that Onl
r, the exceedingly prompt action Of th
e two engineers in Instantly reversin
II their engines prevent' d the cOmplei
N telescopiug of the train and the slaughte
of hundreds.
The bodies of the dead were remove
to Camden Tonight in a terribly maj
gled condition. The Coroner will begi
an lnQu, st AZ once. Schoal, the passeI
1t ger who was killed, was deaf mute.
y is declared by several witnesses that d,
ring the half hour he lay writhing l
N agony before death came to his relief I'll
~ gift Of speech suddenly returned 10 hiI
y and he was able to give directions