, 1896-07-31
TERRIBLE WRECK.
ONE HUNDRED PERSONS KILLED
AND INJURED IN A RAIL-
WAY WRECK.
In a Right-Angled Collision an Express
Train Hurts Itself Through a
Crowded Excursion Train-Three
Cars Demolished and the People in
Them Killed or Wounded.

Atlantic City. N. j.. July 3O.-A rail-
road accident, horrible in its details
and sickening in its results, occurred
this evening just outside of this city
and as a result 100 persons are either
killed or injured. The Reading rail-
road express, which leaves Philadel-
phia at $40 o'clock this evening for
Atlantic City crashed into a Pennsyl-
vania 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 ex-
~cursionists from that place, Millville
and neighboring towns. 1t was loaded
with passengers and a rough estimate
of the killed and injured at late hour
places the number at 100. 1t is hoped
that this is exaggerated but the number
is undoubtedly more than so.
At the second signal tour, the tracks
of the two roads ~diagonalay cross. The
Reading train was given the signal to
stop, but it either failed to work or the
speed CT the express was too great to
be checked in time. 1t caught the eX-
cursion train broadside and ploughed
through. literally cleaving it in twain.
The engine OF the Reading train was
shattered to pieces. Every car on the
excursion train was damned to its full
est capacity. AS soon as the news
reached Atlantic City. the utmost con-
sternation prevailed. but the authori-
ties were equal to the emergency. Re-
lief trains were dispatched to the scene
loaded with cots and bearing STATS of
surgeons. AS quick a bodies were re-
covered they were carried into local
hospitals and undertakers shops. A
general fire alarm was sounded and the
department quickly responded and aid
ed in the heartrending work OF digging
for victims. Fear grew into despair
and horror as the vigorous work of the
relief gang revealed the awful extent
OF the disaster. The first Reading re-
lief train bore into the city q mangled
corpses, men, mt and children.
The next train. not n hour later,
carried Is wounded and two of these
died soon after reaching the city. AS
train after train piled to the scene OF
the wreck and came back with its
CHASTITY load, the sanitarium which
does duty as the city hospital, quickly
found its capacity overtaxed, mean
while the others of the dead or wound
ed were being carried to a private hos
pital at Ocean and Pacific
Edward Farr, engineer of the Reading
road was killed outright as was an
other railroad man who rode the en-
CINE with him. Samuel Thornton,
baggagemaster Of the Reading train is
among the dead. James M. Bateman.
a 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 Trench
ard. a Bridgeton machinist and his
wife are both dead. Conductor Kelly
of the Pennsylvania train had both
arms broken and is internally injured.
The excursion train was made up of
Is cars, the foremost Of which was a
baggage car. This and the next two
coaches caught the full force of the
crash and were utterly demolished.
The responsibility for the accident a n
not now be fixed. Charles C. Rynck of
Bridgeton lin the excursion party was
in one Of the rear cars.
When we saw a collision was I'M
a%voidable," he said. 1.-The scene in our
car was terrible. Women tainted and
men rushed in mad panic before the
door. But it came almost before we
knew 1t. The third car was cut right
in two and the lower portion lifted
bodily from the track and tumbled
over. Every car was crowded and it is
horrible to think Of the number who
must be lying under the ruins. The
roo OF one OF the cars fell in and every
body In that car Is buried under It," A
late report says IA of the injured have
since died at the sanitarium. Superin-
tendent l. N. Sweigard of the Philadel-
phia and Reading company places the
number Of dead at 81 and the injured
at about the same number. He SEM a
telegram to Philadelphia this evening
which said:
There are 81 persons killed. as fol-
lows: Twelve women, 81 men. two
boys and two girls. About the same
number are injured" Just where Nj.
Sweisald obtained his information
cannot be learned rs it will be impos-
s7ble to give q correct number or even
an approximate of the dead until the
debris is removed. This will consume
uovora1 ho,ru Uork L. u<fn prornnn.