The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-07-31
EZCURSIONISTS KILLED.
Fearful Railroad Accident Near
Atlantic City.
FULLY A HUNDRED VICTIMS.

| OF These 1t Is Believed That at Least
Fifty Are Dead-A Reading Engine
Crashes Into a Pennsylvania Train,
| Cutting 1t In Two.
ATLANTIC CITY, July 31.-A railroad &C.
eident, horrible in It's details and sicken-
ing In its results, occurred last evening
Just outside scity, and as a result about
hundred persons are either killed or in
jured. The Reading railroad express
which left Philadelphia OF $40 o'clock
last evening crashed into Pennsylvania
excursion train at the second signal tower
about four miles from here. The Penn
sylvania train was returning to Bridgeton
with q party of excursionists from that
place, Millville and neighboring towns.
1t was loaded with passengers and a rough
estimate of the killed and injured at n late
hour places the number at 100 1t is hoped
that this Is an exaggeratlon, but the num-
Der is undoubtedly more than fifty.
| At the second signal tower the tracks of
the two roads cross diagonally. The
Reading train was given the signal, but
1t either failed to work or the speed of the
express was too great to be checked in
time. 1t caught the excursion train broad
side and ploughed through, literally cleav-
ing it in twain. The engine of the Read
ing train was shattered to splinters, and
under it lie many of the dead.
As soon as the news reached Atlantic
| City relief trains were dispatched to the
scene, loaded with cots and bearing stats
| of surgeons. As quick as the bodies were
recovered they were carried into the local
hospitals and undertaker's shops. A gen.
eral fire alarm was sounded and the de-
partment promptly responded and aided
in the work of digging for the victims.
The first Reading relief train bore into
this city twenty seven mangled corpses,
men, women and children. The next
train, not an hour later, carried fifteen of
the manned and wounded, and two of
these died soon after reaching the city. AS
train after train Piled to the scene Of the
wreck and toiled back with each CHASTITY
loadthe sanitarium, which does duty as
the city hospital, quickly found its capac-
ity overtaxed. Meanwhile others of the
dead and injured were being carried to the
private hospital at Ocean and Pacific
avenues.
Engineer Faithful Unto Death.
Edward Farr, engineer on the Reading
train, was killed outright, as was another
road man who rode on the engine with
him. This man, whose name has not yet
been learned, saw the collision coming
and leaped from the cab an instant before
the crash. Almost at the same time the
engine cut its way through and caught
him directly in its path His body and
that of Farr were found under heap of
debris, but the engineer lay in what re-
NAMED of the cab, and his right hand
still clasped the throttle. He had been
faithful unto DEATH and met it at his post.
The fireman on the train had leaped few
seconds before and escaped with trihing
injuries.
Samuel Thorne, baggagemaster on the
Reading train, is among the dead. James
NJ Bateman, u BridgetOn undertaken, is
known to be killed. He was in the third
car, and his hat was found lying among
the mass of broken timbers Richard
Trenchard, q Bridgeton machinist, and
his wife are both dead. Conductor Kelly,
of the Pennsylvania train, had both legs
and arms broken and was internally in
jured. All the killed and injured were on
the Pennsylvania train. As time pro-
crosses it seems almost certain that fifty
people were killed Fourteen of the in
jured have died at the Sanitarium.
An Associated Press reporter was on
one of the first relief trains sent out by the
Pennsylvania railroad, and he was the
first newspaper representative on the
scene. Staggering in and out of bitches
and stumbling over masses of broken
timber with only few fitful lanterns to
help their straining eyes the rescue gang
set bravely to work. Axes and shovels
were piled with the greatest vigor, and al
most at every half dozen strokes mangled
the waiting pallets.
A Human Heart in the Ruins.
A heap of bloodstained timbers, turned
aside by one of the rescuers, brought to
sight u woman's arm. 1t had been
wrenched off almost by the roots, and
nothing remained but a dripping stump,
even the hand being gone, 1t had been
clad in Il dainty white linen glove, the
sleeve Of which still chung to it. Not five
minutes later chance blow from pick
revealed still more CHASTITY remnant, q
human heart that only few short hours |
before had been throbbing with life and |
love.
One woman whose body was recovered |
still held in her dead hand plate bearing
picture of Atlantic City. 1t was un-
broken. Scattered about the ground near
the wreck were many pieces Of clothing
which had been torn from the bodies of
tho victims, hats, dainty parasols, fans
and gloves.
Just as one Of the relief trains reached
the Pennsylvania depot with its terrible
load one man who lay in corner horribly
injured regained his senses for moment,
and clasping his hand to his head cried in
heartrcnding agony: "Who did this9 My
God, where are my wife and children"
Tho excursion train was made up of
fifteen cars, the foremost of which was u
baggage car. This and tho next two
coaches caught the full force of the crash,
and were utterly demolished What re.
NAMED of the third car was tumbled into
ditch at the roadside. The responsibility
for the accident cannot now be fixed
Charles G. Rynick, of Bridgeton, who
was in the excursion party, was in one of
the rear cars. He escaped with severe
bruises, and so far as his agitation would
permit told the story of his experience
when we saw that collision was I'M
avodnble,' he said, "the scene in our car
was terrific. Women tainted and men
rushed in mad panic for the door But
it came almost before we knew it. The
third car was cut right in two and tho |
lower portion of 1t lifted bodily from the
track and tumbled over. Every car was
crowded, and it is horrible to think of the
numbers who must be lying under those
ruins The roof of one of the cars fell in
ms mass, and everybody in that car was
buried under it. 1t simply dropped in on
the people,
The Killed and Injured.
Among the known dead are the follow.
ing from Bridgeton: j. d. Johnston
Charles D. d. Bounoughas, P. H, Gold
smith, John Griener, Charles McGcar,
HRS. Joshua Earnest, Frazier Bell and
Win, and Mr.and Mrs Richard Trenchard.
Among the other known dead are: P. s.
Murphy, Millville, N. j.; Samuel Thorne,
baggage master of the Reading train. At