Evening journal., 1896-07-31
orr ~as jammed to It's fullest capacity.


10 the scenc loaded with cots and hearing
staiis Of surgeons As quick as the bod !
les were recovered they we're carried into |
the local hospitals and undertakors' shops |
A general fire alarm was sounded and the |
department, promptly responding, aided |
IN tho henrtrcnding 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 tho |
disaster.
The first Reading relief train bore into ]
this city % mangied corpses- men, wom-
en- and children The next train, not an
hour later, carried i5 of tho maimod and
wounded, and two Of these died soon after
reaching this city. As train after train
went TO the scene OF the wreck and toiled
back with its .ghastly load, the snnitarium
which does duty as the city hospital quick
ly found its capacity overtaxed. Mean
while others OF the dead and injured were
being carried to the private hospital on
Pacific avenue.
Engineer Killed Outright.
Edward Farr engineer on the Reading
train was killed outright as was another
railroad man, who was riding on tho On
gine with him. This man saw the col
lision coming and leaped from the cab an
Instant before the crash. Almost at the
same instant 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 en-
giDeer lay in what remained Of the cab
| and his right hand still olasped the throt-
tie. Ho had been faithful unto death and
met it at his post.
The flreman on the train had loapcd a
/ few seconds before aud escaped with tri-
Aing injuries Samuel Thorne, huggape
master on the Reading train, Is among
the dead James NJ. Bateman, Bridge
ton undertaken, is known TO have been
killed. He was in the third car and his
hat was found lying among the mass Of
broken timbers. Richard Trenchard
| Bridgeton machinist and his wife are
| both dead Conductor Kelly OF the Pom
| sylvania train, had both legs and arms
broken and was internally injured. Albert
| J. Mosebach of Is North Eighth street.
Philadelphia, was on the Reading train
He escaped unhurt.
The excursion train was made up Of 10
cars, the foremost OF which was baggage
car. This and the nest two coaches caught
the full force Of the crash and We're utter
| ly demolished. What remained of the third
car was tumbled into ditch ut the road
side.
Story OF an Eyewitness.
Charles C. Rynlok 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 nm
j avoidable >, he said, tho scone in our car
was terrific. Women tainted and men
rushed in mad panic toward the door. But
it came almost before we knew it. Tho
third car was cut right in two and the
lower portion Of it lifted bodily from the
track and tumhled over. Every car was
crowded, and il is horrible to think OF the
numbers VINO must be lying under those
ruins. The roof Of one Of the cars fell in
as o mass, and everybody in that car was
buried under it. 1t simply dropped in on
the people. know many Of those aboard,
but 1 will hope for the best know posi-
lively Of two in our car who were killed.
They were Mr.. and Mrs. Frank Bell OF
Bridgeton Their daughter was in anoth-
er car farther back and was not hurt.
don't know who IS 60 blame. When we
were about two miles out from Atlantic
City, we came to a stop ont in the mead
ows and stayed there for a few minutes.
But / don't know why. / think there
must have been fully so OF 100 killed. The
only person with me was my 6-year-old
son, and he was not hurt, thank God"
The Work OF Rescue.
A relief train conveyed to tho scene OF
the disaster the Pennsylvania railroad Off
cials and Prosecutor Perry of Atlantic
county. 1t crew up in the darkness a few
feet this side of the fatal point.
The scene was wildly picturesque. Can
opied by a starlit sky, with a blood red
moon almost at the full shining in the
far background and tho,hrilliant maze OF
lights glimmering from the city beyond
the gayety Of which had been suddenly
eclipsed by the most awful catastrophe In
its history. Staggering in and out Of dtch-
es and stumbling over masses Of brokor
timbers with only few fitful lanterns tC
help their straining eyes, the rescue gang
sot hrayely 20 work. Axes and shOyels
were piled with vfgor, and almost at every
half dozen strokes a manged form was
, 1 brought up and laid tcndarly on the wait
ing pallets. It was a gigantic and a sick
ening task, and the strongest OF men turn
ed aside, faint from revelation OF she
, work Of the spades A heap Of .hloodstain
ea timbors turned aside by one OF the res
cuers brought to. sight a woman's arm. u
had been wranchod of almost by th'
roots, and nothing remained but drip
/ ping stump, even the hand being gone
Not flyo minutes later a chance blow from
a pick revealed still more ghastly rem
nant, human heart that only o few shor
hours before had been throbbing with life
n One woman whose body was recovered
still held IN her dead hand plate bearing
+ o picture OF Atlantic City. 1t was unhro
ken. Scattered about the ground near th
wreck were many pieces Of clothing, whicl
had boon torn from the bodies of the Vic
4 tims-hats. dainty parasols, fans ant
gloves.
An AeonizinE Scene.
just as one of the relief trains reaohe
n the Pennsylvania depot with its torribl
load one eman who lay in corner horribi
4 | injured, regained'his senses for q momeni
and olasping his hand TO his head, erie
+ in heart rending agony "Who aid this
My God, whore is my wife and childreng
1t is stated that IA Of the injured hay
died at the sanitarium since being take
l. there
Superintendent /. y. Sweigard OF th
4 q. u. 80.