The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-07-31
DEATH TO MANY.
Express Crashed Into an
Excursion Train.
Frightful Sacrifice of Life at
Atlantic City.
More Than Two Score Passengers
Were Killed Outright.

Atlantic City, July 31.-A railroad ac-
cident, horrible I'm it's details and sick
ening in it's results. occurred last even
ing just outside OF this city, and as re-
suit, many persons were either killed or
injured.
The Reading railroad express, which
left Philadelphia at $40 o'clock for At
lantic City crashed into Pennsylvania
railroad excursion train at the second
signal tower about four miles out from
here. The Pennsylvania train was re-
turning TO Bridgeton with party OF ex-
cursionists from that place. Millville
and neighboring towns. 1t was loaded
with passengers.
At the second signal tower the tracks
of the two roads diagonally cross. The
Reading train was given the signal, but
il either failed TO work or the speed of
the express was too great TO be checked
In time. IL caught the excursion train
broadside. and ploughed through. liter
ally cleaving it in twain. The engine OF
the Reading train was shattered TO
pieces. Every car was jammed to it's
fullest capacity.
AS soon as the news reached Atlantic
City relief trains were dispatched to the
scene. loaded with cots and bearing sur
geons AS quick as the bodies were re-
covered they were carried into the local
hospitals and undertakers' shops. a
general fire alarm was sounded and the
department aided in the work Of digging
for the victims. Fear grew into despair
and horror as the vigorous work OF the
relief gangs revealed the awful extent of
the disaster
The first Reading relief train bore into
this city q mangled corpses-men,
women and children. The next train.
not an hour later, carried is of the
MANNED and wounded, and two OF these
died soon after reaching this city. As
train after train piled TO the scene of
the wreck, and toled back with its
ghastly load. the sanitarium, which does
duty as the city hospital, found its
capacity overtaxeG. Meanwhile. others
OF the dead and injured'we being car
ried TO the private hospital.
Edward Farr. engineer on the Read
ing train, was killed outright, as WAS an
other roadman who was on the engine
with him This man, whose name has
not yet been learned, saw the collision
coming, and leaped from the cab an in
stant before the crash. Almost at the
same instant. the engine cut its way
through, and caught him directly I'm its
path His body and that of Farr were
found under heap OF debris, but the
engineer lay in what remained OF the
cab, and his right hand still clasped the
throttle. He had been faithful unto
death, and met IL at his post. The fire.
man on the train had leaped a few Sec
onds before, and escaped with trifling
injuries.
The excursion train was made up OF
Is cars. the foremost of which was
baggage car. This and the next two
coaches caught. the full force OF the
crash, and were utterly demolished
What remained of the third car was
tumbled into a ditch at the roadside.
The responsibility for the accident can
not 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 told
the story of his experience. when we
saw that a collision was unavoidable"
he said, the scene in our car was awful
Women tainted and men ruzhed i'm mad
panic before the door. But II came al
most before We knew It, The third car
was cut right in two. and the lower por-
tion of ii lifted bodily from the track end
tumbled over. Every car was crowded,
and it is horrible to think of the num-
bers who must be lying under those
ruins. The roof of one of the cars fell in
as a mass. and everybody in that car was
buried under IL. 1t simply dropped in on
the people. don't know who is to blame
When We were about two miles out from
Atlantic City, we came To a stop out in
he ma nd cta h..r for fatN
minutes. But | don't know why"
The relief train was in charge of rail-
road officials and Prosecutor Perry OF
Atlantic county. 1t drew up in the dark
ness a few feet this side of the fatal
point 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 vigor. and al
most at every half dozen strokes. a
mangled form was brought up and laid
tcnderly on the waiting pallets. 1t was
a slckening task, and the strongest OF
men turned aside. faint from revela-
tion of the work OF the spades a heap
OF blood stained timbers, turned aside
ry one of the rescuers, brought TO sight
a woman's arm. 1t had been wrenched
of almost by the roots and nothing re-
malned but dripping stump, even the
hand being gone. 1t had been clad in
dainty, white linen glove, the sleeve OF
which still cung to 1T. Not five minutes
later. a chance blow from pick re-
yealed a still more ghastly remnant,
human heart. that only a few short
hours before had been throbbing with
life.
one woman whose body was recovered,
still held in her dead hand plate bear
ing a picture Of Atlantic City. Ii was