The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-08-04
HORRIBLE RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
Near Atlantic City N. --One Train Cuts
Another in Twain at a Crossing--More
Than Fifty Killed.

ENeAE 6LIaEtlC City, N. -"One rain cuts
Another in Twain at a Crossing--More
Than Fifty Killed.
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J, July 3O.-A
railroad accident horrible in it's details
and sickening in it's results occurred
this evening just outside OF this city
and as a result about 100 persons are
either killed or injured.
The Reading Railroad express, which
left Philadelphia at $40 o'clock this
evening for Atlantic City, crashed into
a pennsylvania railroad excursion
train at the second signal tower, about
four miles out from here.
The Pennsylvania train was return
ing to Bridgeton with a party of excur-
slonlsts from that place, Millville, and
nelghboring towns. 1t wasloaded with
passengers and a rough estimate of the
killed and wounded at a late hour
places the number at one hundred.
1t is hoped that is an exa%ggeration,
but the number is undoubtedly more
than fifty.
At the sec md signal tower, the tracks
of the two roads diagonally cross. The
Reading train was given the signal,
but it either failed to work or the speed
OF the express was too great to stop. 1t
caught the excursion train broadside
and ploughed through, literally cleav-
ing 1t in twain. The engine of the
Reading train was shattered tt pieces.
Every car was damned to its fullest
capacity.
AS soon as the news reached Atlantic
City, the utmost CONSERVATION pre-
vailed, but the authorities were equal
to the emergency. Relief trains were
despatched to the scene loaded with
cots and several surgeons. AS quick
as the bodies were recovered they were
carried into the local hospitals and IN
dertaker shops. A general fire alarm
was sounded and the department
promptly responded and aided in the
h~eartrending work of digging for the
victims. Fear grew into despair and
horror as the vigorous work of the re
lief gangs revealed the awful extent of
the disaster.
T0e first Reading relief train bore
into this city twenty-seven mangled
corpses, men, women and children.
The next train, not an hour later, car
Tied fifty manned and wounded, and
TWO of these died O after rea ching
the city.
Train after train piled to the scene of
the wreck and toiled back with it's
CHASTITY load. The sanitarium, which
does duty as the city hospital, quickly
found its capacity over taxed. Mean
while others of the dead and Injured
were being carried to the private hos
pital at Ocean and Pacific avenues.
Edward Farr, engineer of the Read
ing train, was killed outright, as was
another roadman who rode on the en-
CINE with him. This man, whose name
has not yet been learned, saw the col
lision coming and leaped fro m the cab
an instant before the crash. Alalost
at the same instant the engine cut it's
way through and caught him directly
in it's path. His body and that of Farr
were found under a 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 it at his post.
TIE fireman on the train had leaped
a few seconds before and escaped with
trihing injuries.
Samuel Thorn, baggage master on
the Reading train, is among the dead.
Jas. M Bateman, a Bridgeton under
taker, is known to be dead. He was
in the third car and his hat was found
lying among the mass Of broken tim
bers. Richard Trenchard, Bridgeton
machinist, and his wife are both dead
As time progressed it seems almost a
certainty that fully fifty persons were
killed.
Conductor Kelly, of the Pennsyl
vania train, had both legs and arms
broken and was internally injured,
Albert J. Mosebach, of Philadelphia.
was on the R fading train and escaped
unhurt.
The excursion train was made up OF
fifteen cars, the foremost of which was
Z baggage car. This and the next two
coaches caught the full force of the
crash, and were easily demolished.
What remained of the third car was
tum6Ied into the ditch at the roadside.
The responsibility for the accident
cannot now be fixed. Charles N. Ry-